Liquor Ads from the New York Times December 23, 1937 Part I

I was recently checking out the New York Times archive website known as The Times Machine. If you've followed me for a while, you'll know that I research old newspapers to see what spirits are being advertised. For me, doing so offers me a glimpse at which spirits were popular at the time the newspaper was printed.  Here are the booze ads that were in the New York Times for December 23, 1937:

A couple of ads standout to me. There's an ad for Benedictine, Martini and Rossi and Cinzano. All three brands are still readily available today. Seagram's is also a relevant brand name though I don't think its as popular today as it was back then. Though to be honest, I did pour a couple of Seagram's 7 and 7's a few nights ago. Also, the ads are for such spirits as Scotch Whiskey and fortified and aromatic wines such as Vermouth and Dubonnet. Absent are ads for Vodka. Vodka wouldn't become popular in the United States for another couple of years with the rise of Smirnoff and the creation of the Moscow Mule in the early 1940s. There is one other thing that stands out.

Here is a close up of the ad in the top right corner:

The ad is for the Hiram Walker line of spirits which includes Canadian Club Rare Whiskey, Stodart's Rare Highland Blended Scotch Whiskey, Hiram Walker's Private Cellar Blended Whiskey and Hiram Walker's Distilled London Dry Gin. The last one stands out to me: Hiram Walker's Ten High Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Why does this stand out to me? Well, simply put, this is our well Bourbon at Finn's Corner. 

This is how the ad describes the Ten High Straight Bourbon Whiskey:

Double your enjoyment with Hiram Walker's national favorite Ten High - the superb straight bourbon whiskey that has "No Rough Edges" because it is aged both in winter and summer for 2 whole years! 90 proof.

As per the label, the Ten High that we carry was established in 1879 but isn't as strong as the one from 1937. It now clocks in at 40% ALC/VOL 80 proof. 

Well that's enough for now. There are a few other booze ads that stand out to me from the December 23, 1937 issue of the New York Times. The next post will highlight a spirit that at the time was marketed to sportsmen as being "The Sportsmen Whisky" and now is a favorite shooter for frat boys. Keep an eye out for it. 

Until Then Keep Drinking, 

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