During the 1850s, Charles W. Grimes constructed a distillery on Boone Creek, at Grimes Mill Road. The distillery was located upstream from his mill. He distilled Old Grimes Copper Whiskey. After the Civil War, he rebuilt the distillery and constructed a bonded warehouse. [i] His investment was valued at $8,000. Annual production was three hundred twenty-five barrels, valued at $21,000 (including excise taxes). The plant generated profit of $8,500.[1]
Grimes Distillery Warehouse Receipt, 1870
In 1872, Richard P. Stoll, Deputy Collector of the Internal Revenue Bureau, sold the distillery at public auction. The distillery was assessed $551 for unpaid “excise and capacity taxes.” Henry C. Clay, Charles Grimes’ nephew, purchased the property. Later, William W. Grimes, Charles Grimes’ son, operated the distillery for a period. Beginning in 1880, Henry C. Clay & Company operated the distillery until the middle of the 1890s.[ii] The distillery was dismantled and the mill later converted into the Iroquois Hunt Clubhouse.
[1] Three hundred twenty five barrels contained fourteen thousand gallons of whiskey, valued at $65 per barrel or $1.50 per gallon. Costs included:
|
Corn (5,000 bushels) |
$ 2,000 |
16% |
|
Rye (700 bushels) |
$ 525 |
4% |
|
Barley (150 bushels) |
$ 190 |
2% |
|
Wood (40 cords) |
$ 120 |
1% |
|
Coal (2,800 bushels) |
$ 556 |
4% |
|
Distillery Wages |
$ 620 |
5% |
|
Excise Taxes |
$ 8,400 |
67% |
|
Miscellaneous |
$ 89 |
1% |
|
TOTAL |
$12,500 |
100% |
Cost per barrel was $38.50 per barrel or $.90 per gallon. Profit was $26.50 per barrel or $.60 per gallon.
[i] Harry G. Enoch, Grimes Mill, Heritage Books, Bowie, Maryland, 2002, page 77 – 87.
[ii] Perrin, page 212 and Cecil, page 71.
