Old Crow is a brand of whisky that was named for Dr. James C. Crow (1789–1856), who perfected the sour mash process for fermenting and distilling bourbon. See sour mash. The first use of the name is unclear, but it is believed to have been applied in the 1830s to whisky made by Crow at the Old Oscar Pepper distillery on Glenn’s Creek in Versailles, Kentucky, on the grounds of what is now the Woodford Reserve distillery. After its founder’s death, the Old Crow brand continued to be made there. It remained a “small-tub,” “old fire copper”-style whisky (that is, mashed in small lots and pot-distilled over a wood fire, both considered marks of quality) until Prohibition.
Old Crow was one of the first American whiskies to become established as a brand, with merchants advertising it by name as early as 1845. It remained a popular and well-regarded whisky even after several changes of ownership. After Prohibition ended in 1933, it went in the large National Distillers portfolio. Although not one of their four flagship whiskies, Old Crow was one of the bestselling bourbons on the market into the 1960s. See Old Overholt. National would make Old Crow until 1987, when the company’s assets, including the Old Crow brand, were sold to James B. Beam Distilling.
Beam, of course, already had a flagship bourbon, so Old Crow has languished somewhat as a bargain-priced bourbon, despite the occasional attempt to revive its fortunes. Currently, it is a three-year-old, 80-proof bottling, made to the same mash bill as Jim Beam. It maintains a cult status in some circles, partly due to its lack of advertising, partly due to its price.
The brand has a number of connections to popular culture. It was a favorite of both the classic American humorist Mark Twain and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Old Crow is also the brand most commonly named as General Ulysses S. Grant’s favorite.
See also Crow, James C.
Courtenay, W. F. “Old Crow Whiskey.” Vicksburg (MS) Daily Whig, October 30, 1845, 2.
Cowdery, Charles K. Bourbon, Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey. Chicago: Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2004.
Johnson, E. Polk. A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians, vol. 3. Chicago: Lewis, 1912.
By: Lew Bryson