ANDERSON & NELSON DISTILLERIES CO., Louisville, KY. (1886-1919)

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ANDERSON & NELSON DISTILLERIES CO.
Louisville, KY.
1886-1919
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The company was originally known as Newcomb, Buchanan & Co, which in 1871 was already the largest distilling company in Kentucky. Previous incarnations of the company are unknown at this time. The following timeline is based on the Coyte papers, cited in OASG, 1988), and information from city directories .

1871-1875: Newcomb, Buchanan & Co. The president Geo. C Buchanan, who had built the Anderson, Buchahan, Graystone and Nelson distilleries.

1876: The company reorganized and was now known as The Newcomb Co.

1877-1884: Another reorganization yielded The Newcomb-Buchanan Co.

1885: The Anderson & Nelson Distilleries Co. was incorporated with Herman Becurts, President, Fred W. Adams, Secretary and Manager. Geo Buchanan managed sales. The financing for the reorganization was provided by the UK-based Paris, Allen & Co.

Coyte shows that the company by this time controlled six distillery warehouses and nine major brands of whiskey:
RD#4, Newcomb-Buchanan Co., Nelson brand;
RD#97 Anderson Distillery Co., Anderson brand;
RD#352 Jacob Ambs & Co., Woodcock brand;
RD#353 Geo. C. Buchanan, "Buchanan";
RD #353 Jno. Endress & Co., Grape Creek;
RD#368 R. P. Pepper & Co., Old R. P. Pepper ;
RD#368 J. A. Monks & Sons, Pee Dee;
RD#369 Geo. C. Buchanan, Graystone;
RD#369 J. A. Monks & Sons, Monks.

The Graystone was operating as The Allen-Bradley distilleries.

1890: The Graystone distillery burned to the ground and its substantial output was was later replaced by the Elk Run. Mr. Buchanan contined to travel selling whiskey. The Jesse-Moore-Hunt Co. of California gained an interest in the company.

1905: The company was absorbed by the Trust (KD&W) and by 1912 they were producing Anderson, Nelson, Buchanan, Slocum, Jefferson, Jackson, U. S. Club, Elk Run, and possibly other brands. In addition they distilled for other trust companies such as Regan and Imorde.

1918: A large alcohol plant was built adjacent to the Nelson plant on Hamilton avenue.

1920-1933: During prohibition the warehouses of the company were used by the American Medicinal Spirits Co. for concentration warehouses. Some warehouses along the creek were fitted with large steel tanks for the U.S. Industrial Alcohol Co. They were only partially filled during a flooding of Beargrass Creek and the tanks broke loose and demolished the warehouses. The distilleries, except Elk Run, were dismantled, buildings on low ground razed, and the property leased to Amil Klempner for a scrap metal yard.

The company used the brand names:
"Anderson", "Avon Glen", "Deerlick", "Forest Brook", "Gold Springs", "Linden Spring", "Nelson", "Rippling Spring", "U. S. Club", and "Woodleigh."

Business name timeline:
The Anderson & Nelson Distilleries (Distilling) Co.

Address timeline:
116 E Main (1886-1897), 132 E Main (1902-1909), 116 E Main (1909), 1726 Hamilton Ave (1914-1919)

Business category timeline (abbreviations decoded below):
W D

Years that company appeared in directories
Years directories were consulted
Louisville directory notes

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Appearance in directories:
1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919

Directories consulted:
1866, 1867, 1869, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919

Louisville directory notes:
W = Wines & Liquors, I = Importers, D = Distillers, R = Rectifiers, DA = Distiller's Agents, B = Brokers (1892), S = Saloons (1905), M = Mail Order House (1915). Listings for wholesalers from 1866 to 1869 and for distillers 1866 through to 1906 were compiled from a typescript prepared by Norma Snyder. 1887 and 1889 wholesaler listings are partial, missing last names in the alphabet, 1890, 1895 missing their entirety. No copies of listings in any category for 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901. 1888 has a partial list of Importers (not found in copies for other years). 1905 copies include Saloons (not incorporated). 1906 is incomplete for distillers, missing wholesalers.

1881 witnessed a major city-wide street reorganization so all addresses change. In 1909, there is a second renumbering and this year shows both old and the new number in brackets.

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