13 / 102
B
ourbon
Whisky
BY
GEORGE
G.
BROWN
Président
of
Brown,
Forman
Company
Louisville,
Kentucky
Just
when
the
iîrst
distillery
was
erected
in
Kentucky,
I
cannot
say,
but,
so far
as
I
know,
the
first
record
ed
référence
to
whisky
was
in
the
year
1782.
This
was
when
Captain
Eobert
Patterson,
of
"Irish
Presbyterian-Oovenanter
stock/'
with
a
Com-
pany
of
abont
forty
mm,
started
from
a
point
in
what
is
now
Fayette County,
Kentucky,
to
reach
the
Ohio
River
where
the
Kentucky
River
empties
into
it,
to
ineet
an
expédition
sent
up
the
Ohio
from
the
falis
of
that
river
(now
Louisville)
by
General
George
Rogers
Clark.
Such
an
expédition
at
that
date
was
not
only
perilous,
but
acconiplished
under
great
diffi-
culties;
the
proper
sustenance
of
the
nien
being
one
of
the
prob-
lems
that
was
encountered.
On
this
expédition
the
only
food
provided
was
a
small
quantity
of
parched
corn,
to
be
supple-
niented
by
such
game
as
the
members
could
kill
en
route.
In
Captain
Patterson's
Company
was
a
rollicking
young
man
named
Aaron
Reynolds,
from
Bryaut's
Station,
who,
it
is
stated,
was
a
very
"profane,
swearing
man.'*
This
habit
of
Rey-
nolds
was
extremely
disagreeable
to
his
Captain,
who,
after
bearing
with
it
for
four
days,
concluded
to
reprove
jhim,
and,
if
that
failed,
and
the
profanity
was
persisted
in,
although
Re^molds
was
very
much
needed
on
the
expédition,
he
would
be
sent
home.
Reynolds
received
the
reproof,
but
persisted
in
his
profanity.
Captain
Patterson,
"a
judicious
gentleman,"
con-
cluded
he
would
try
another
method
for
the
reformation
of
Rey-
nolds,
and
promised
him
that,
if
he
would
stop
swearing,
lie
would
give
him
a
quart
of
whisky
when
the
expédition
reached
the
Ohio
River
(wiiere
doubtiess
the
liquor
was
obtained
from
the
expédition
sent
up
the
river
by
General
Clark).
Reynolds
accepted
the
conditions
made
by
Captain
Patterson,
and
history
shows
that
he
received
the
"spirits,"
according
to
promise,
which
he
and
his
friends
enjoyed.
There
is
no
further
record
of
Reynolds
until
a
few
months
later
when
the
most
sanguinary
battie
with
Indians
ever
fought
in
Kentucky
occurred
at
the
Blue
Licks.
A
very
large
portion
of
the
white
men
had
been
killed
in
this
battie.
The
safety
of
those
who
escaped
was
due
to
the
lieetness
of
their
horses
and
the