1903 McGinnis Pure Rye Whiskey Quart Unopened?

[OldMcginnis]

Hello & thank you for the read,

I need some advice on what to do with a bottle of Whiskey that was my Grandfathers. Not sure what it is worth, nor how to get it to a collector who would give it a good home.

It is an unopened Quart of McGinnis Pure Rye Whiskey. The front label reads "McGinnis Pure Rye Whiskey, Bottled in Bond, at the Distillery, A. McGinnis Co Distillery, District of Maryland, Baltimore MD". The label looks dirty/old, but pretty much in tact.

The tax stamp covering the cork reads "One Quart, Distillery 28, State of Maryland, A. McGinnis Co, Tax Paid, Bottled in Bond, 46249, Bottled Spring 1909, Made Spring 1903, Proof 100". The tax stamp's edges are worn away in some places, but still on the bottle & in tact.

There is a label on the side that reads "Caution Notice, This bottle has been filled and samped unde the provisions act of Congress, approved March 3, 1897..." It goes on a bit. This label is entirely in tact & readible.

The back of the bottle has "A.McGINNIS COMPANY BALTIMORE MD" in raised glass lettters non the back, and "1334" on the bottom. The bottle is square (similar in shape to a Jack Daniels bottle), and brown in color.

Any tips/suggestions on what I should do with this quart would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Stan (Tampa, FL, USA)

[Chef!]

No tips but may I suggest a picture. I find such rare bottles (of any beverage) very neat.

[OldMcginnis]

Good suggestion Chef! Here are some pictures.

[OldMcginnis]

It's interesting from a historical perspective - I can't find much information on Mcginnis other than a couple of historical articles about the McGinnis distillery getting robbed reported in the January 8, 1926 issue of the Westminster Democratic Advocate newspaper:
http://hscc.carr.org/research/yesteryea ... 980308.htm
http://hscc.carr.org/research/yesteryea ... 980315.htm

I've also found 1 reference in the Maryland State Archive about McGinnis Pure Rye (decanter) in a special collection: http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/m ... m&id=90044

[OldMcginnis]

I've found an article about what became of the McGinnis Distillery in the NY Times - June 24, 1926, Page 8

[OldMcginnis]

I was able to find some information on a pre-prohibition website (http://www.pre-pro.com). They have a few pictures of "Mcginnis Pure Rye" bottles (apparently, this was the common name of the whiskey), and this information:

Business name timeline:
A McGinnis Co. (1905-1908), McGinnis Bros & Co. (1909), A McGinnis & Co. (1910)

Address timeline:
208 E Lexington (1905), 415 American Bldg (1906), 511 American Bldg (1908-1910), 408 American Bldg (1911-1912)

http://www.pre-pro.com/midacore/view_ve ... id=BWI8893

[AVB]

You might want to post on http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/index.php to ask for more info.