30 Years Ago Today....

It was February 14th, 1990 that Dick Stoll got the call from Commonwealth Bank. Close the doors. Don't return to work tomorrow. The bond on the whiskey still wasn't paid, the government was wanting their money, and the bank was tired of running a distillery.

The lights went off, the doors were locked, and a piece of paper was taped to the front door.

"Closed until further notice."

The further notice never came. Days stretched into months, and into years. The aging whiskey was removed, the distillery was vandalized and fell into disrepair. Over time, buildings collapsed or were bulldozed.

Little remains today, exactly 30 years after that phone call.

To pay our respects to this small distillery but massive monument to American history, Jim Wolfe of Stoll & Wolfe Distillery and I took a trip to the intersection of Michters and Distillery Roads in southern Lebanon County, PA. I brought a few things "home" for a few minutes- a bottle of A. H. Hirsch distilled there in 1974, a bottle of Michter's Pot Still whiskey from 1983 in the rare 101 proof, a decanter representation of the still house, and an original Michter's apron. After some photos, Jim and I said cheers to our old friend and had a small swig of Michter's Pot Still whiskey and headed on our way back to the distillery in Lititz.

There's something peaceful and relaxing about Michter's. It's a calm place on a back road in the country. Even on a cold, blustery day in February, it was a great joy to just be there for a few minutes. The property is posted as no trespassing, so we had to observe from the road side, but it was still great to see the remaining buildings standing and in good shape.

Michter's was never a "big guy" but it certainly held a special spot in whiskey history and American history.

Some photos by Jim of me in front of the distillery today....