Couple finds more than 66 bottles of Prohibition-era whiskey hidden in the walls of their New York

[malaise]

home
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/25/us/whiskey-bottles-found-new-york-home-walls-trnd/index.html

When a New York couple was told their over 100-year-old home was built by a notorious bootlegger, they passed it off as small town legend.

But during a recent home renovation, the couple discovered something that revealed the legend could be true.
In early October, Nick Drummond and Patrick Bakker said they found more than 66 bottles of whiskey from the Prohibition-era hidden within the walls and floorboards of their home, which was built in 1915.

"Our walls are filled with bundles of booze!" Drummond, who documented the unexpected find in a series of posts on social media, wrote on his Instagram. "I can't believe the rumors are true! He was actually a bootlegger! "
The couple had been living in the house nestled in the small village of Ames, located about three hours away from New York City, for a little over a year before they decided to begin major renovations two months ago.

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Love this story -some of the bottles are worth as much as $1,000

[StarryNite]

1. Fun read.

Cheers!

[malaise]

6. The video is even more fun

There are more than a few bottles of Old Smuggle

[Cha]

55. It was great.. Mahalo for the Rec.

How exciting for the guys!

[malaise]

56. A real feel good story - for a change

[Cha]

57. Yes, that we all

can use!

[pandr32]

2. What a bonus!

I bet they're thrilled.
I found a $20 bill in the pocket of one of my jackets once and thought that was exciting!

[malaise]

7. I found a few thousand JA dollars in a travelling bag

last year and still laugh when I remember.

I'm betting that other neighbors do some digging. Made me smile.

[yankeepants]

3. Cha Ching! That will help out with the renovations. Good for them!

[cwydro]

4. Love this!

Wow, what a plus.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Outstanding!

This is a fun story.
Nice find!

[malaise]

8. Saw it on Local 10 and looked it up

[smirkymonkey]

9. Very cool story!

I'm not a whiskey drinker, but I wonder how it tastes?

[malaise]

10. I drank whiskey back in the day but I am no expert on the best ways to age it

I do know that the older the whiskey, they better the taste and the more it costs so I imagine that this is fabulous - aged and mellow.

[whopis01]

21. Aging is done in barrels before bottling

It is the interaction with the wood of the barrel that impacts the flavor. Not sure that just sorting in glass for so many years is going to have a similar effect.

[malaise]

22. I kind of had that in the back of my mind but I am clueless about

what goes on if it stays in the bottles for all these years. Thought it might mellow.
Thanks

[whopis01]

23. Either way it certainly increased the value in this case. n/t

[GulfCoast66]

44. That is correct. But they are still worth a lot to Whisky fans.

Whisky techniques have change some over the years as it became more of a factory thing although the basics remain the same. It’s really a simple process.

But to be able to taste 100 year old whisky and see how taste have changed would be cool.

I’m a big bourbon fan. I once had some from the early 70’s and frankly thought it harsher than modern bourbon. Could have been my imagination. Maybe they did not age it as long. To be bourbon it has to stay in the barrel for a minimum of 2 years although most decent bourbons go 4-6 or more. Perhaps that was not the case then.

[Withywindle]

58. I think if it was Prohibition era it was probably more hastily made

It might be dangerous rotgut stuff, there's no quality control when it's illegal. (Of course you know this)


If it came from an area with a long moonshine tradition, I'd give it respect. But during Prohibition, lots of people sold turpentine for big bucks, and people died from it, so I'd be skeptical until it was tested.

[Chainfire]

11. I don't think that it "ages" in bottles. But regardless of the quality of the whiskey

it should be a hell of a collector's item.

[malaise]

12. Thanks

[Ferryboat]

13. There is a niche market for old booze.

Once word gets out that prohibition booze has been found, there will be competition for bragging rights amongst that crowd.
Quite the score.

[SunSeeker]

14. 66 bottles of booze in the wall, 66 bottles of booze.....

[malaise]

16. Brilliant - I see what you did there

[Wellstone ruled]

15. Dang,what a way to pay for a Remodel.

[malaise]

17. Yah think

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. Harpy Thasgvn! They's a few lil bottles left, ossifer ...

[malaise]

19. Video not playing here

What's the title?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

20. Johnny Bond - Ten Little Bottles

Dang. I listened to it in 'preview' before posting.

Here's another, slightly shorter, version:

[malaise]

25. Nice

Sometimes Youtube links don't work overseas. Once you give me the name I can look it up.
That new link works

[Hermit-The-Prog]

27. I first heard that on an AM radio

I was just the right age to think it hilarious, memorize it and drive my siblings nuts with it.

First thing that came to mind when I saw your OP.

[malaise]

29. I can just imagine that

It is hilarious

[LakeArenal]

24. Happy Thanksgiving Nick and Patrick.

Nice ending to a nice day for us.


Wishing everyone the same.

Peace on Earth. Goodwill towards all.

[malaise]

26. Back at you LakeArenal

[KY_EnviroGuy]

28. "The original owner of the house was a German man known as Count Adolph Humpfner"....

from Bavaria and a known crook who died under suspicious circumstances.

I wonder if he was related to the Drumphs??

Sounds like as valid a conspiracy theory as most all those the Rethugs pass around.....


KY........ ......

[malaise]

30. Very interesting

Thanks KY - movie coming up!

[Warpy]

31. Might be better to sell it than try to drink it

Bootleg booze was often pretty nasty stuff, full of wood alcohol and worse.

I hope the NY Historical Society gets a bottle or two.

[malaise]

34. This was a well known Scotch whiskey

Old Smuggler blended scotch is a value brand of scotch that is said to have been produced as far back as 1835. It's name is meant to honor the tradition of illicit distilling in the Scottish Highlands.

https://www.proof66.com/whiskey/old-smuggler-blended-scotch.html

[Warpy]

49. Labels were easy enough to print during Prohibition

and generally weren't all that accurate. "Just off the boat" was a popular fiction, even though that's how a lot of it got into coastal cities.

[malaise]

52. Thanks for that - clueless me

LOL

[CaptainTruth]

32. Good for them! But WHY does the media say things like "more than 66"?

For God's sake, if it's 67 just say 67. It's a pet peeve of mine.

[SunSeeker]

36. They do it to avoid being wrong. They state the number they know for sure it is.

Especially now, when they're being accused of being "fake news," they're pretty skittish about asserting a specific number/fact that they may need to issue a correction over later.

[GulfCoast66]

50. Because they are still finding them.

Seems they are all over the house.

[BMW2020RT]

33. Party time!

"We heard our house was once owned by bootleggers. Now we have proof." Har

Drinkers should consider testing the contents of those bottles before consuming in case they were cut with gasoline or kerosene. Just sayin'.

[2naSalit]

35. Sounds like that could pay for the renoyations...

Or at least a portion of them.

[JohnnyRingo]

37. And I feel a song coming on...

Rare because of the story accompanying it, but people weren't very fussy about quality back then. Of course, this is the stock he put away, so it might be top shelf.

66 bottles of whisky in the wall..♪..♬
66 bottles of shine..♬♪
Take one down, pass it around.. ♬
I lost count.

[malaise]

39. Sunseeker nailed it at #14

[JohnnyRingo]

41. No, I nailed it.

hahaha
You're gonna pick a fight. Sunseeker is the Art Garfunkle of songwriters.

[malaise]

42. Hahahahahahha

Yours is original - well the lyrics are

[bdamomma]

47. For sure

Old Smuggler it was called, I bet it is top shelf. I love stories like this. Can you imagine there could be more stories like this.
But worth $1000.00 that is no chump change.

[BigmanPigman]

38. I was hoping for something like that when we moved into a 1865 house

in Center City, Phila. There was a floorboard in my parents' bedroom that was unlike the rest and my dad pried it open to discover a secret hiding place. It was empty!

[malaise]

40. Ha

You're lucky your dad didn't find a body

[Doodley]

43. "More than" 66 bottles. What happened? Did they lose count after 66 bottles, or pass out from

celebrating all this new-found bootleg.

[GulfCoast66]

51. The article implies they are still finding them. Or maybe the video.

Seems they are all over the house.

Lucky guys.

[Talitha]

45. That's awesome - and Geraldo will be SO jealous!!

[BobTheSubgenius]

46. If either of the couple can also do TV, Geraldo might go from jealous to suicidal.

[malaise]

53. I'd toast with whiskey

[KWR65]

48. They need to pay the liquor tax for the bootleg Whiskey.

Or they will go to jail. Uncle Sam always wants his taxes even if it has been 90 years since it was made.

[malaise]

54. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah