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Bottles and Extras January-February 2007 59 ULYSSES S. GRANT His Whiskey History By Jack Sullivan Special to Bottles and Extras Much has been said and written about would be of the most service to the Ulysses S. Grant, the great Civil War country. general and later two-term President. In ”Grant is a drunkard,” asserted his story the subject of whiskey powerful and influential politicians to the comes up frequently. History tells us that President at the White House time after he had a considerable problem with time; “he is not himself half the alcohol throughout much of his life. time; he can’t be relied upon, it is a shame Despite that affliction, he clearly was to have such a man in command of the Union’s most effective military leader an army.” and he remains one of the most ”So Grant gets drunk, does he?” queried interesting and impressive figures of Lincoln, addressing himself to one American history. [Figure 1] of the particularly active detractors of the soldier. “Yes, he does, and I Figure 2: 1955 Old Crow Ad: Grant’s Particular Brand can prove it,” was the reply. Houston & Webster Grant’s particular brand of whiskey has Well,” returned Lincoln, with the Old Crow has always trumpeted its become a matter of historical interest faintest suspicion of a twinkle in his historical connections including depicting because of a purported comment by eye, “you needn’t waste your time getting important figures as customers. The ad President Lincoln during a crucial proof; you just find out, to oblige shown here [Figure 2] purports to show point in the Civil War. The story appears me, what brand of whiskey Grant drinks, Texas hero Sam Houston sharing its first to have been told by Col. because I want to send a barrel of it bourbon with famous orator Daniel Alexander K. McClure, a Lincoln friend, to each one of my generals.” Webster. in his 1901 book, “Abe Lincoln’s That ended the crusade against Grant, Old Crow also claimed Grant as a Yarns and Stories.” It goes this way: so far as the question of drinking was customer. Most biographers of Grant are Lincoln was not a man of impulse, and concerned. skeptical about such claims and have did nothing upon the spur of the While the validity of the Lincoln story decided that it is impossible to know what moment; action with him was the result has been challenged by more recent brand of whiskey Grant as general or of deliberation and study. He took historians, the controversy has not President actually favored. Biographers nothing for granted; he judged men by dampened speculation through the years similarly are unsure about the role Grant their performances and not their about what type of strong drink Grant as President may have played in what speech. actually did favor. It is clear that he came to be known as “The Great Whiskey If a general lost battles, Lincoln lost was partial to whiskey. In Grant’s day, Ring.” confidence in him; if a commander however, whiskey was a potable that was successful, Lincoln put him where he covered a wide spectrum of flavors, A National Scandal ingredients, and differing alcoholic The exposure of the Great Whiskey content. Moreover, at that time brand Ring of 1875 rocked Washington D.C. and names were just beginning to be indeed the entire country like few national advertised and known. Among the earliest scandals before or since. On May 10, was Old Crow, a Kentucky bourbon. Federal agents stormed into the offices of nine St. Louis distilleries, seized illicit Old Crow makes a claim whiskey and box loads of records, and In his book, The Social History of arrested their proprietors. Simultaneous Bourbon, Gerald Carson recounts that arrests occurred in Cincinnati, Milwaukee during one night during the long and and Chicago. Ultimately, indictments were stressful siege of Vicksburg, General issued against 240 whiskey-makers, Grant said to his aides: “See here, before government officials and others; 110 were we go to bed, let’s have a nightcap. Stewart found guilty. Most of them went to jail. [an aide] has got some prime Old Crow Thus ended a massive scheme to defraud whiskey around here somewhere.” Stewart the U.S. of excise taxes on distilled spirits. got the bottle and then watched as Grant The fallout from the raids would roil the filled a large goblet with Old Crow whiskey Nation for months and reach right into the and tossed it down. ”It was a whopping big White House. Shown here is a bottle shaped Figure 1: Ulysses S. Grant as President drink...” to look like a two story log cabin with a 60 January-February 2007 Bottles and Extras Certainly General Babcock found her enchanting. In St. Louis to collect a share of kickbacks from local whiskey men, he met her through a friend and the two almost immediately began an affair. Babcock’s visits to St. Louis to pick up graft payments for himself and, some have alleged, the Republican Party, became more frequent. He may even have gathered a few bottles of contraband whiskey and given them to the President. Back in Washington, he repeatedly referred to “The Sylph” in messages to cronies that eventually became public through court records and titillated the Nation. Because Babcock was a close colleague of Grant, the press and public began to ask: “What did the President know and when did he know it?” — the same Figure 5: General Orville Babcock questions that later would fuel speculation Figure 3 (L): Old Cabin Bitters Bottle Sylph.” This was the name given to her about Richard Nixon in the Figure 4 (R): Kelly’s “Proprietary” by one of the conspirators, General Orville Watergate scandal. Revenue Stamp E. Babcock [Figure 5], who also peaked roof. It is a Kelly’s Old Cabin happened to be a White House aide, President Grant Testifies Bitters [Figure 3]. Examples have sold to personal secretary to President Grant. Grant was in his second term as bottle collectors in recent months at prices A contemporary observer described Ms. President when news broke about the approaching $2,000. Kelly was James B. Hawkins this way: “Her form was petit Whiskey Ring. His Secretary of the Kelly of New York, a whiskey man, who is and yet withal, a plumpness and Treasury, Benjamin H. Bristow [Figure 7] shown on a self-produced “proprietary” development which made her a being whose discovered that in St. Louis alone at least revenue stamp [Figure 4]. This is an ironic tempting luscious deliciousness was $1.2 million in tax revenues annually were touch since it was an attempt to irresistible.... She was the essence of not accounted for. The total cost of the evade federal revenues on alcohol that lay grace, distilled from the buds of perfection, scam to the U.S. approached $3 million a at the heart of the Great Whiskey and with a tongue on which the year at a time when fifty cents would buy a Ring. oil of vivacity and seduction never ceased hefty meal. Knowing that the Kelly also had a St. Louis address and running; she was indeed a sylph and corruption involved Republic political a partnership there with a man named a siren, whose presence was like the flavor appointees, Bristow discussed the John H. Garnhart (sometimes spelled of the poppy mixed with the investigation with Grant who told him to “Garnhard”). Garnhart began a wholesale perfumes of Araby.” While she might not proceed with vigor without regard to liquor business in about 1854. He was a have lived up to this extravagant party labels or government positions. “rectifier” who took raw spirits, added other description, one of her few extant likenesses Grant’s response likely occurred before ingredients, and sold them as whiskey. [Figure 6] indicates a certain he was aware of Babcock’s involvement Among the spirituous products he appeal. in the Great Whiskey Ring. Always loyal apparently concocted with Kelly’s collaboration was Old Cabin Bitters. When the May 10 raid occurred, Garnhart was one of those arrested. His company disappeared forever from St. Louis city directories. For one year, Adler, Furst & Co. was listed in directories as “successor to J. H. Garnhart & Co.”, then it too disappeared. My research has failed to determine the fate of Kelly but his Cabin Bitters brand vanished about the same time. General Babcock and “The Sylph” The “femme fatal” of the Great Whiskey Ring was a St. Louis woman of easy virtue named Louise “Lou” Hawkins, who ultimately would become known to Figure 6: Louise Hawkins, millions of Americans simply as “The aka “The Sylph” Figure 7: Secretary Benjamin Bristow Bottles and Extras January-February 2007 61 to his staff, Grant later agreed to was a Southern product, from the H. Myers be deposed in Babcock’s graft case. He was Company of Savannah, Georgia. willing to go to St. Louis to testify but was Northern General Philip Sheridan could persuaded by presidential advisors to claim his name on three whiskeys: In answer questions from prosecution and 1876 the Bryce Smith Company of New defense lawyers only in the White House. York City registered its Sheridan Whiskey Even so, it was the first and only time in brand. Subsequently the Joseph Davis Co. American history that a sitting American of Minneapolis applied to the U.S. President has testified in a criminal case. government in 1906 for exclusive use of Grant’s usually good memory seemed the general’s name for “Sheridan Rye,” to fail him at times during the examination apparently ignoring the Sheridan Rye brand but he was strong in his defense of General being merchandised by M.

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