190x Alexander Young Distilling Co., Philadelphia, PA U.S. Bonded Warehouse Internal Revenue Certificate

Alexander Young Distilling Company. United States Bonded Warehouse. Young’s Pure Rye Whisky. Unissued, dated 190x.

Alexander Young (b. Aug. 26, 1798) was a native of County Derry, Ireland. He arrived in the US on July 15, 1821. He already had some knowledge of the malt distillery business, but desirous to learn the art of extracting whiskey from raw grain, he went into J. W. Dower’s distillery on the Schuylkill river, between Race and Vine streets. He paid $50 in cash for this instruction, plus his services for many months. After working in a subordinate position for one year, he had saved money sufficient to purchase a small still, and commenced business for himself. The location was reported to be at 5th & Alaska (Alaska was renamed Kanter St in 1897).

After a year, Young went into partnership with John Maitland, and for two years they produced a very pure and excellent kind of “malt whiskey.” They also distilled New England rum from molasses. They were the first firm that discovered the process by which an immense increase of spirit was obtained from the grain, producing 14 quarts of whiskey from 56lb of grain.
In 1825 there stood at the corner of 4th and South Sts a large building used as a theatre (“Old South St Theatre”, formerly “The Apollo”), but as the population moved towards the western and northern part of the city, it was closed and rented to Pat. Lyons, another distinguished Irishman, who used it for a hay press. In the fall of 1825, John Maitland bought the building and converted it for use as a distillery at a cost of $20,000. With Young as foreman, they continued their their former business on a larger scale. They continued in this way for 12 years, making important discoveries and improvements in the business.

In 1837, John Maitland’s son, William J. Maitland, replaced his father as partner Young’s partner, and the business continued together until the death of Maitland, in 1847. Upon the death of his partner, Young bought out the establishment for $20,000. Young at once began to enlarge and improve the facility, spending in a few years over $60,000 on the building and machinery, and adding every improvement and extension that could add to the value of the establishment or the facilities for the business. He had an artesian well dug on the premises to provide 70 gallons per minute of pure water for distilling purposes.

Alexander Young died in November 1884 and the distillery was left in the hands of his sons for the next three years. In 1887 a corporation was formed to run the plant. It consisted of Lewis T Young (President, Alexander’s youngest son), Richard Young, (VP), Wilson Young (Secretary and Treasurer, Alexander’s elder son), James P Young and Mrs Lavinia T Davison (Alexander’s daughter). The company ceases listing in city directories in 1921, a victim of Prohibition.