Dick Stoll 1933-2020

 Definitely a post I never wanted to make. Our friend Dick Stoll- Navy veteran, husband, father, distiller, outdoorsman- has passed away. Dick was the man that took my Michter's hobby and turned it into a passion of mine. He was the last distiller at Michter's, the last living distiller of the "original distillers" in Pennsylvania, the knowledge base that guided Stoll & Wolfe, and a heck of a genuinely nice guy. To the man that distilled the world's highest rated bourbon, to the man that gave me massive amounts of information about Michter's, to the man that was eager to jump back into the distilling business well after his retirement, to the man that was always good for a laugh, to the man that never saw himself as important as he was- Thank you. Your legacy will live on through the lives you've touched. Your work and kindness will not be forgotten.

Photo credit Amy Spangler (below):

The Ethan Smith Blog - The Podcast!

Have 49 minutes? Want to hear my story of how I began the Michter's collection?

Click here: http://fermentedadventure.com/

Click FA Podcast at the top of the page and then click your preferred listening platform.

Look for the podcast with me, Ethan Smith, talking about Michter's Distillery.


Rich Shane, of Fermented Adventure traveled to meet me and view my collection. After a short tour, we got down to talking about Michter's and how I got interested in it. We sip a little Michter's too!




Of course, the obligatory Michter's picture. This one shows the bottling line with a young Dick Stoll in a white shirt helping the ladies bottle up some product.......

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....

A Tour of Michter's- the Tour Guide Way!

 Going through some files today, I came across what appears to be a complete tour guide script from Michter's. Definitely some great information in it and also some interesting takes on their own history and operations. I won't comment on the accuracy of it (Some of it may or may not be 100% accurate and true....), I'll just post it as is for your reading enjoyment.

Of note, I am now an employee of Stoll & Wolfe Distillery in Lititz, PA and work in the spirits production end of the business. I also do tours every other Saturday. Come visit us and if you're up for a tour, which includes a tasting, you can sign up through the Stoll & Wolfe website here:

https://www.stollandwolfe.com

Stoll & Wolfe Distills the First Batch of Rosen Rye in Decades.

American whiskey nerds rejoice- Stoll & Wolfe Distillery in Lititz, PA has done a thing. A big thing. One of the amazing and unique things about the rye whiskey that was distilled in Pennsylvania is that much of it was made with a variety of rye called Rosen rye. On the earliest Michter's jugs, it was even specifically called out as the variety of grain used to produce the Michter's Pot Still Whiskey. As rye drinking, and whiskey drinking in general, waned over the years, Rosen Rye became a "dead" variety that was no longer planted and used for anything. Through Laura Fields at the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation and their Seed Spark project, Rosen Rye was planted in conjunction with Penn State University. When enough was available for harvest, Stoll & Wolfe was selected to be the distiller- since Dick Stoll is part of the operation, it would only seem fitting! This past Tuesday, the grain was cooked and mashed and the yeast was pitched. Saturday saw the first distillation of Rosen Rye in decades, probably 50 some years! Of course Mr. Stoll was there, as were many other folks from the world of American whiskey. It was an excellent day that went wonderfully and produced a whiskey that is rounded, full of flavor, and yet not rough or harsh in any manner. I look forward to seeing what comes out of a barrel in a few months and years! Pictures below are all taken by my wife. A special thank you to all the folks that really made this happen- the farmers, the folks from Penn State, Laura and her team, Lisa Roper and Steve Bashore for their expertise, and the whole team at Stoll & Wolfe! Also, a special note too that Dad's Hat will also be producing a Rosen Rye that should be an equally impressive whiskey. Look for it in the future too!

https://www.delvalfieldsfoundation.org/

https://www.stollandwolfe.com/

 The copper pot still.

 Me running the column still.

 Erik Wolfe checking condenser temperature.

 Dick Stoll and Erik Wolfe. The men that the distillery is named after.

 Mash Cooker. 528 gallon capacity.

 Rosen Rye being distilled in the column still.

 Mr. Stoll taking a taste of the new distillate.

 The distillery and attendees.

 Group photo! (Rear L-R) Jim Wolfe, Erik Wolfe, me. 

(Front L-R) Elaine Stoll, Dick Stoll, Avianna Ponzi Wolfe

The column still bubbling away!

My Thoughts on the Modern Day Michter's in Kentucky.

Well here's a post sure to ruffle feathers, step on fingers, and possibly (Hopefully) inspire some thought on the subject of new versus old. I'll try to keep my thoughts brief and to the point without bringing in much side story or fluff. I'd like to keep this short and readable. I owe my allegiance to no one and no one puts words in my mouth. These are my opinions and do not reflect the opinions of anyone else.

I've been asked a lot recently, with the opening of the Michter's Distillery in the historic Fort Nelson Building in Louisville, about my thoughts on the current owners of the brand. My thoughts have evolved over time- mellowed a bit over time. I never felt the need to address my thoughts on the Kentucky operation since my love and concentration of what I do lies solely with the little distillery outside Schaefferstown, PA. But here we are, and I will lend my thoughts.....


I am going to start out by saying I appreciate what Mr. Magliocco and his company have done with Michter's. The expanding popularity of American whiskey has allowed Michter's to travel further and gain more exposure than the terrible market conditions and small budget Michter's in Pennsylvania had to deal with. The modern product lineup is excellent, and the brown label Sour Mash is a great modern day representation of what once flowed from bottles and decanters made in Pennsylvania (I did a review on it a few years back and can be found on this blog.). I am glad to see the original Michter's pot stills again used to make Michter's whiskey- and on display in what looks to be a beautifully restored building. I plan on making a visit some day. I also encourage others to find Michter's whiskey on the shelf and give it a try. It's worth the price.

Now I'll try and break down a few of my thoughts individually about various aspects of Michter's that have been brought up:

-HISTORY- There are unverified rumors floating around that the folks in Kentucky, at times, have claimed some of their older bottlings are left over whiskey from PA and/or they are the same company and people from PA. I had one person tell me the distillery in Schaefferstown was once referred to as "...our old distillery..". I cannot verify any of this and all Michter's publications and interviews I have seen it is noted that they purchased the name after the PA distillery closed. I can find no verification anywhere of a claim that it was old PA whiskey either. While the wording can be a little tricky, it is clear that Mr. Magliocco and Mr. Newman "resurrected" the old brand and it is not a linear continuation. Reading the "Legacy" portion of the Michter's website, you will see what I mean. Initially, when I heard reports of claiming they are one and the same as the original Michter's, I was quite upset. But upon investigation, it seems most, if not all, reports were false and they never outright claimed to be Michter's from Schaefferstown.

-BOMBERGER'S AND SHENK'S- Here's a fun topic. Mention Bomberger's and immediately everyone brings up the topic of Heritage Spirits Distillery (Now Stoll & Wolfe Distillery) in Lititz, PA. I will preface the following comments by flat out saying I am friends with the owners of Stoll and Wolfe and the Stolls, but again, these comments are my own opinions and not theirs. I don't know the intricate details of the situation, but for those not in the know at all- Heritage Spirits released a whiskey at nearly the same time Michter's released a special bourbon. Both were called Bomberger's- in honor of the distillery in Schaefferstown. A lawsuit ensued and in the end, Heritage Spirits became Stoll & Wolfe. Stoll & Wolfe Distillery has gone on to release a wonderful line of spirits including a bourbon and rye blend, rye whiskey, bourbon whiskey, gin, and vodka. Like with Michter's, I encourage you to pick up a bottle. Did it bring me frustration to see Michter's in Kentucky to get the Bomberger's name and begin also using the Shenk's name (Another former owner of the distillery in Schaefferstown)? Yes. Of course it did. I would have loved to see the names stay local. With the hiring of Dick Stoll by Stoll & Wolfe, it would have been great to see them have at least one product linking them to the distillery in Schaefferstown. After all, they do have the distiller from that distillery now working with them. But, does it really matter? It's a name. And I think Stoll & Wolfe will do just fine, regardless of what name is on the bottle. It doesn't change who made it and the quality of what's in the bottle. And, though I have never had any myself, I understand the Bomberger's and Shenk's releases from Michter's are very good as well.

-WINNING DISTILLER OF THE YEAR- Several years back, before Michter's in Kentucky was distilling for themselves and were having whiskey distilled for them by another distiller, they were given the award of Distiller of the year. Chuck Cowdery, who is 1000x more knowledgeable in American whiskey that I am, and a prolific whiskey writer, covered the subject perfectly in a blog entry of his own a few years back: https://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-can-non-distiller-be-distiller-of.html  Michter's is now a distiller with two distilleries. Now would be a more appropriate time to bestow that award on them.

1753- Ok, here's me being a nitpicker a bit. The modern Michter's in Kentucky uses the year 1753 and talks about Michter's heritage since 1753. To me, this is false. The Michter's name was created in the 1950's by Lou Forman, by combining the names of his two sons- Michael and Peter. It was the distillery in PA that dated back to 1753, not the Michter's name. In my opinion (I know, I'm not the guy in charge...) the 1753 link died with the closure of the distillery in Schaefferstown in 1990. My only real rub there. Here's where a lot of people like to point when accusing Michter's of fudging history a bit. And they aren't entirely wrong. Potentially deceptive? Maybe. But on the other hand, if you buy your whiskey based simply on the founding date of the company, you are crazier that I am. And that's impressive.

To keep this short, I'll close here. Sure, there are things I wish were done differently and there are things I wish stayed in PA. But that's just not reality. And what is reality isn't hurting anything either. Michter's honors the name well and I hope that continues in the future. In the meantime, I'll stick to collecting stuff from the original Michter's here in PA. Sometimes it's easier and more simple to just live in the past and not worry so much about the present and future.........



Obligatory Michter's (The one in PA, of course!) stuff. An article from 1978 with a little distillery history:

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.