JAS. THOMPSON & BRO.
Louisville, KY.
1891-1919
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There appears to be no concensus on how James Thompson and the Glenmore distillery fits into the pre-pro landscape: every printed and online source gives a different version. The following knits together the common threads where substantiated by impartial government and city records:

James Thompson is reported to have been born in Londonderry, Ireland on May 5, 1855. He emigrated to the US in 1871.

In 1876, Thompson joined Brown, Chambers & Co., the company that was to become the Brown-Forman Co.

Somewhere around 1889 or 1890, Thompson leaves the company and sets up in partnership with his brother Francis P Thompson as Jas. Thompson & Bro.

In 1898, the R Monarch distillery in Owensboro (RD #24, 2 nd Dist.) enters bankruptcy.

In 1901, the Monarch distillery is put on the auction block and Jas. Thompson buys it for $30,000. It then becomes known as the Glenmore.

Downard (1980) maintains that Thompson renamed the Monarch after the castle that had stood near his home in Ireland, but Monarch had long been producing brands that included Kentucky Tavern and Glenmore at the plant. The distillery is also recorded to have been doing business as Glenmore Distilling Co. in 1889 or earlier. It is possible that Thompson & Bro already had a business relationship with the distillery before the acquisition, but regardless, the Glenmore Distilleries Co. name persisted.

Thompson's brother-in-law, H.S. Barton was made master distiller and manager, positions he held until 1919. The plant, one of the largest in the state at that time, had a capacity of 5500 bu. The Thompsons maintained the Glenmore as a concentration warehouse, bottling and distributing medicinal whiskey during prohibition.

Business name timeline:
James Thompson & Bro.

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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BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME!

Appearance in directories:
1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 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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