James C. Crow
Encyclopedia
Born in Inverness, Doctor James C. "Jim" Crow (1789-1846) was the Scottish
creator of the sour mash
process for creating Bourbon
Whiskey.
Dr. Crow graduated in medicine from Edinburgh University in 1822. He moved from Philadelphia to Kentucky in 1823 and began working for a distiller, bringing his scientific and medical training to the process.
Dr. James C. Crowe, a Scottish chemist-physician, began experimenting in 1835 at his Glenn's Creek Distillery in Woodford County Kentucky with a saccharimeter to measure sugar content. This litmus paper test to determine the mash acidity resulted in Crowe's decision to age his "Old Crow" whiskey before selling it. [The Kentucky Encyclopedia - University of Kentucky Press - 1992 pg 266]
Dr. Crow moved to the town of Millville and for the next twenty years he was in charge of the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, now known as Woodford Reserve
. Later he went to work for the Johnson Distillery. That distillery eventually became Old Taylor. He worked there until his death in 1856.
Dr. Jason S. Amburgey, an employee of the same distillery as Dr. Crow, is also sometimes credited with creating the sour mash process.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
creator of the sour mash
Sour mash
Sour mash is a process in the distilling industry that uses material from an older batch of mash to start fermentation in the batch currently being made, analogous to the making of sourdough bread. The term sour mash can also be used as the name of the type of mash used in that process, and a...
process for creating Bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
Whiskey.
Dr. Crow graduated in medicine from Edinburgh University in 1822. He moved from Philadelphia to Kentucky in 1823 and began working for a distiller, bringing his scientific and medical training to the process.
Dr. James C. Crowe, a Scottish chemist-physician, began experimenting in 1835 at his Glenn's Creek Distillery in Woodford County Kentucky with a saccharimeter to measure sugar content. This litmus paper test to determine the mash acidity resulted in Crowe's decision to age his "Old Crow" whiskey before selling it. [The Kentucky Encyclopedia - University of Kentucky Press - 1992 pg 266]
Dr. Crow moved to the town of Millville and for the next twenty years he was in charge of the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, now known as Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey produced by the Brown-Forman Corporation. It is distilled at the company's Woodford Reserve Distillery, and marketed under the former company name for the distillery, Labrot & Graham. The distillery is located in...
. Later he went to work for the Johnson Distillery. That distillery eventually became Old Taylor. He worked there until his death in 1856.
Dr. Jason S. Amburgey, an employee of the same distillery as Dr. Crow, is also sometimes credited with creating the sour mash process.