Collection Addition 7-12-24

 It never ceases to amaze me that I find decanters and other items I never knew Michter's had made. Despite several detailed decanter lists I have in my collection, I still occasionally find unlisted variants. This decanter was found by a good friend of mine and fellow Michter's collector. Jordan, by trade, is a professional photographer (https://jordanbushphotography.com/). We met years ago when he was getting interested in whiskey history and started incorporating it into articles he was writing for a magazine. Recently, Jordan contacted me and asked if I had noticed a very odd decanter on EBay. I hadn't, and I was very grateful he had brought it to my attention! It seems Michter's had a penchant for using the ASI Ford truck decanters as somewhat of a promotional/marketing tool. A variant of the green telephone truck has turned up with Jones Motor Freight advertising on the sides (If anyone has one and wants to sell it, I'm your buyer!) and a variant of the white ice cream truck has turned up with Heidelberg car show advertising on the sides. And now this turns up, another white ice cream truck, this time with advertising for Cressona Textile Waste, Inc. on the sides. I'm not sure if Mr. Winstian was an owner or salesperson at Cressona or not. But it doesn't appear to be someone's mock-up or fake. The paper decals are exact in size and cut nicely. They fill the panel perfectly on each side of the truck. And with Cressona being about a 45 minute drive from Michter's, it's more than feasible this was another one of their small production variants.

A big thanks to Jordan for finding this and letting me know! It now resides with the other decanters in the collection!

A Great, Seasonal Article in Lancaster County Magazine With a Little Michter's and Stoll & Wolfe....

I encourage everyone to read this article. It not only gives a brief history of distilling in and around Lancaster County, some info on Michter's, and an explanation of the great things happening at Stoll & Wolfe distillery, it also give you some excellent holiday drink ideas. This article was written by Jordan Bush, who's a great writer and took extra care and detail to write this story. And be sure to pick up a copy (Or two, or three...) of Lancaster County Magazine!



https://www.lancastercountymag.com/holiday-spirits//


 Obligatory Michter's picture my collection-

They're open! The day has come!

After years of hard work, planning, and getting things just right, the day has come. Stoll and Wolfe Distillery is open for business. You're now able to experience a distillery and tasting room unlike anything else in the heart of what was rye whiskey country. Stoll and Wolfe is a continuation of sorts. See, when Dick Stoll received the call from the bank to shut down the Michter's Distillery in Schaefferstown in 1990, there was no official end. It was assumed at the time that a new operator would be found by the bank in short time and they'd be back at it. That day never came. The doors stayed locked. Eventually the whiskey was all removed and destroyed by the government. Mr. Stoll never retired from Michter's. No, he retired instead from a local school district, denied a final farewell from distilling. But maybe it's because there would be a new beginning for him? Yes, this is where Stoll and Wolfe begins. While Erik, his wife Avianna, and father Jim Wolfe put it all together, they wanted to give Dick the chance to be involved with what he so loved years ago. And to some day, have a proper send off- the opportunity to say "Ok guys, now I'm ready." And though over a quarter century has gone by, he hasn't forgotten much, if anything. I've asked him very specific questions about the process of distillation at Michter's and he knew the exact answers. During the opening festivities, S&W released the first of their batches of rye whiskey. This whiskey was distilled in Virginia by the Wolfes and the Stolls (Dick met his wife Elaine at the distillery when she was hired as a tour guide. Elaine has many fond memories of the distillery just like Dick and is also a wealth of great knowledge). Dick was involved with coming up with the mashbill and the actual distillation and barreling of the product. Have I tried the rye? Yes. It's wonderful. For only being about a year to year and a half old, it's a great balance. Butterscotchy and lightly oily and grainy on the tongue. Astringent and slightly dry on the finish. And it will only get better as more time in the barrel influences the distillate. While the tasting room is open, the distillery will begin operation in the next few weeks. There are some finishing touches that need done and test runs will commence. And of course you can expect the same quality in future batches. So, stop by. Have a drink. Or two. Buy a bottle. Or two. Chat with Erik, Avi, Jim, and the others. You'll learn something, guaranteed.

Check them out at 35 North Cedar St. in Lititz, PA and online at  http://www.stollandwolfe.com/


Below are photos taken by and used by permission from Amy Spangler.  Her photography work is second to none and shows some wonderful scenes from the opening week of festivities......


The tasting room. Very cozy.....

Erik Wolfe making a drink for a customer. Try his version of Rock and Rye. It's excellent.

Avianna greets customers.

The current menu. Vodka or gin based drinks are also available, as is wine.

Discussing the news of the day is Jim Wolfe and yours truly. I'm wearing one of my Michter's shirts for the occasion.

The legends. Dick and Elaine Stoll were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Some of the best folks you could ever spend time talking with about Michter's and anything whiskey.

Some Michter's photography.......

I was contacted by Luke who wanted to display his photographs of Michter's Distillery on the blog. After looking through his photos, I will put a link to his website here so you can all see not only his great photos of the distillery, but also his other works. I especially like his Michter's set because it sets a certain mood. Dusk has set on the once busy distillery and it is now being slowly demolished. His photos almost seem to capture not only the last of the sad distillery, but also the overall mood of those of us that love the little distillery. So without further introduction:

Luke Walmer Photography- Michter's Set