Every time I am asked to talk about Pappy, I do my best to cherish the man who meant so much to the distilling industry. The Pappy Van Winkle revolutionized bourbon marketing and did things that were cutting edge for the time, such as championing the use of “wheat” in their recipe.

He also testified before Congress multiple times, protecting smaller distillers, and stood up to the larger guys amidst price fixing scandals. I wrote about him a lot in Bourbon: The Rise, Fall & Rebirth of An American Whiskey.

One thing I never knew: How he raised money after Prohibition. He put out a bond call and had people invest into his whiskey. “You own this commodity outright in your own name… It is constantly improving in quality and enhancing in value. It is always under U.S. Government guard and control. It is insured against the natural hazards. Could anything be safer?”

Well, little did Pappy know: I am inventing a time machine and investing heavily and then bringing the barrels back with me to sell on the secondary marketing. Anybody want to join me?

Okay, for real though, take a look at this 1936 call for buying bonded warehouse receipts, a unique piece of Stitzel-Weller history.