On January 16th, 1920 the Volstead act brought prohibition into full force across the entire United States. The manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages became illegal and forced the country’s distilleries, wholesalers and bars to shut their doors. Or at least, that’s what the law said. The reality was many of these firms simply moved underground, turning to selling booze illegally at considerably higher prices and sourcing their alcohol from more questionable sources.
Prohibition in America became the breeding ground for some of the 20th century’s most notorious and celebrated names. Figures like Al Capone, George Remus, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlie Chaplin, and Ernest Hemingway all cemented their legacies during this tumultuous era. And while the nation was officially dry, these icons continued to drink and revel in hidden establishments scattered across the United States.
The most famous of these underground bars, known as speakeasies, was the Cotton Club. Located at 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue from 1923 to 1936, the New York club was acquired by notorious bootlegger and gangster Owney Madden. The club hosted some of the most famous black musicians of the time. Madden held shares in over 20 speakeasies throughout the 20s, with his bootlegging background allowing them to be well stocked. The Cotton Club notably had a deep list of booze, and of particular significance was the club’s house whiskey, Chicken Cock rye from Canada.
Chicken Cock was introduced in the 1860s by Tarr & White, who produced the whiskey at their distillery near present-day Lexington. Built in 1800, the site operated as the Chicken Cock Distillery from 1863 to 1880. Production continued until 1901, when the Whiskey Trust—precursor to the American Medicinal Spirits Company and later National Distillers—took control. The Trust shuttered the facility in 1912.
The Chicken Cock label lived on, and by 1920 the Distillers Corporation Limited in Canada had either acquired the brand outright or secured the rights to produce it. While the original Kentucky-made Chicken Cock was a sweet mash whiskey, the Canadian version was made from rye. With Prohibition silencing nearly every American distillery, Canadian producers faced no such restrictions and ramped up production to meet demand. Spirits like Canadian Club and Chicken Cock rye slipped south across the border through bootleggers, finding eager customers in the United States. Distillers Corporation Limited became infamous for smuggling vast quantities of whiskey into America, often working with French rum runners to move their contraband.
During Prohibition, the average drinker was consuming “bathtub swill”—cheap, homemade liquor that was not only unpleasant but sometimes deadly. Despite the risks, it was often the only alcohol working-class Americans could afford. A medicinal whiskey prescription could cost around $6 USD for a pint, while illegal moonshine went for as little as 25 cents a gallon.
The Distillers Corporation Limited took steps to protect their rye, packaging it in sealed tins with a special can opener key to prevent bootleggers from tampering or diluting the whiskey. It was expensive, but in glamorous venues like the Cotton Club, price was rarely a concern—authenticity and quality mattered far more than cost.
Chicken Cock returned to the American Medicinal Spirits Company, now bottling the brand from their existing American produced stocks. Below is an example of 1917 vintage Chicken Cock produced at the Coon Hollow distillery and bottled by AMSCo.
American Medicinal Spirits Co would become National distillers in the late 1920s/early 1930s, going on to become one of the biggest firms in the American spirits industry. They attempted to revive the Chicken Cock brand with young post prohibition whiskey as well as using it for a neutral grain spirits blend, but they eventually gave up in the 1950s. Thus the brand sat dormant.
The revived brand pays tribute to Chicken Cock’s legacy, yet there is something uniquely historic about the original bottles preserved in a sealed tin. This 1920s relic conjures images of contraband stowed beneath decks on risky runs from Canada to New York, or hidden under floorboards to evade discovery. Many bottles from the era were poured at legendary venues like the Cotton Club, but it is remarkable to imagine the long journey this particular tin has taken—concealed behind walls, tucked away in cupboards, and surviving more than a century.
The whiskey inside promises a character unlike anything made today: rye crafted before GMO grains, in a time when production was smaller, more artisanal, and fermentation was the true focus. This tin is more than just a container of rare spirits—it is a tangible piece of America’s drinking history, a snapshot of a bygone era.
Read the full article at The Rye Whiskey That Fuelled New York’s Speakeasies
