Centenarian Art Rix shares a story about taking a trip to Omaha during the prohibition era and how he and his wife ended up at a speakeasy that served Templeton Rye.

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Doug Thompson shares stories about his grandfather, Charles “Red” Thompson, and his connections to the Purple Gang, Al Capone and Templeton Rye during the Prohibition Era.

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Bob Hoffman of Carroll County, Iowa, talks about growing up in Templeton and how he and his friends would capitalize on the success of the bootleggers by redeeming their empty bottles for five cents each. Once they redeemed the bottles, the hotel clerk on Main Street would put them in a storage shed on his lot for safekeeping. Find out in the video below how Bob and his friends “liberated” the bottles to keep them moving.

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Templeton Rye’s own Merlyn Zubrod shows us his handmade custom Templeton Rye bottle displays and talks about the inspiration behind them.

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This is the last of our 4-part Happy Hour at The Plaza TR story videos series. In this video, the residents share a few more memories about Templeton Rye during the prohibition era and raise their glasses to The Good Stuff.

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We continue our 4-part TR story series this week with part 3 of Happy Hour at The Plaza. In this video, a resident of The Plaza named Hilda shares a few stories involving the revenuers, drunk hogs and her father hiding Templeton Rye under the swing set.

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We continue our 4-part TR story series with a video of residents of The Plaza, an assisted living facility in Manning, Iowa, reminiscing about The Good Stuff with Templeton Rye’s Keith Kerkhoff and Jason Walsmith during their weekly happy hour.

One resident tastes the “legal” Templeton Rye for the first time at the age of 91. Another resident, Florence Parson, shares a story about a doctor nursing her mother back to health with Templeton Rye in 1929.

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The Plaza is an assisted living facility in Manning, Iowa. Manning is a neighboring town to Templeton, and many of the people who live there are lifelong residents of the region. Every Friday afternoon they have a happy hour. On this particular Friday, the function was hosted by Templeton Rye. After a couple of sips, everyone started reminiscing.

We kick off this TR story series with a video of Merlin Rostermundt of Manning, Iowa, sharing his memories about Templeton Rye and his grandfather’s visit from The Feds.

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This thermometer and hydrometer were given to Templeton Rye founder Scott Bush by his maternal grandmother, Mary Margeret Blum Schroeder. They were given to Grandma Schroeder by her mother, Mava Bennett Blum.

Mava, who is Scott’s great-grandmother, was born in 1903 and was one of the first female graduates from Creighton University in 1924. During her teens, she would accompany her father Jess Bennett, on various “runs.” Jess, born in the 1870’s, was an entrepreneur and owned at least one bar in Omaha. His other business was bootlegging, particularly around Defiance, Iowa.

Mava had many stories about these times but told only a few, including being chased and shot at by the Feds and abandoning several cars. Jess was apparently also quite a card player with winnings including a wheat farm in South Dakota, a gold tooth and a beautiful diamond ring still worn by his granddaughter Mary today.

Photo credit: Mandy Miller Photography
Templeton Rye President Scott Bush and his grandmother Mary Margeret Blum Schroeder

Ron Hodne from Manning, Iowa, talks about his Chicago connections to Templeton Rye during the Prohibition Era.

View more stories on YouTube at our Templeton Rye channel.

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Sandra Hines talks about her memories of Templeton Rye growing up in Carroll, Iowa, and how the telephone operators would warn the local tavern owners of raids during the prohibition era.

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Larry Brunning talks about his uncle who used to bootleg Templeton Rye into Chicago.

View more stories on YouTube at our Templeton Rye channel.

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Templeton Rye President Scott Bush and Master Distiller Meryl Kerkhoff

Eighty years ago, when bootleg Templeton Rye was in the height of its
production, a very important event happened in tiny Templeton, Iowa. Our
Master Distiller, Meryl Kerkhoff, was born and started a course of
history that would eventually bring The Good Stuff to your glass.

A large group of friends and family came together at the VFW in Manning,
Iowa on Saturday night to celebrate. There was plenty of Templeton Rye
being poured, as well as the traditional cold sandwiches, potato salad,
beans, baked goods and enough birthday cake for the entire town.
Meryl is a living treasure for our company and everyone who knows him.
Happy Birthday, Meryl!

Pictured from left to right: Distillery Manager Kevin Boersma, President Scott Bush, Master Distiller Meryl Kerkhoff, Assistant Master Distiller Keith Kerkhoff and Creative Director Jason Walsmith

Pictured from left to right: (front) Dan Kerkhoff, Scott Kerkhoff, Ron Kerkhoff (back) Keith Kerkhoff, Mary Bertelsen, Imelda Kerkhoff, Meryl Kerkhoff and Marty Kerkhoff

We tracked down and interviewed Shane Smith about his Great Grandfather, who distilled whiskey on the farm, and his Great Uncle who sold lots of sugar at his store in Halbur, Iowa.

View more stories on YouTube at our Templeton Rye channel.

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In 1931, a cardboard cutout of a little brown jug with the words X-Mas Spirits was raised along with the holiday lights above Main Street in Templeton. Many claim it was done with the aid of at least one person who occupied an important position in the civic and municipal affairs of the town. A picture of the little brown jug ended up on the front page of the Des Moines Register, which led to the most intense and sustained period of federal raids on booze-making around the town of Templeton, ever.

This holiday season, a little brown jug hangs once again in Templeton. Replicas of the original X-Mas Spirits jugs can be seen hanging at the St. Peters Castle jail and on the Templeton Rye Main Street display at the Des Moines International Airport.

A little brown jug hangs at the St. Peters Castle jail in Templeton.

Another X-Mas Spirits jug hangs on the Templeton Rye Main Street display at the Des Moines International Airport.

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This Flickr post by Genie Gratto couldn’t be more timely with the holiday travel season upon us. Genie, a resident of Oakland, California, shares her story below about how her friends “smuggled” a few 3-oz. bottles of Templeton Rye from Iowa to the West Coast.

Photo credit: inadvertentgardener via Flickr

Friends from Iowa came to visit last weekend, and I had asked them to bring me a bottle of Templeton Rye. However, they were flying with carry-on bags only, so they said they’d have to see what they could do. Thusly and therefore? Here’s a TSA-approved, quart-sized bag of three-ounce bottles of Templeton. My friends rule.

Cheers to Genie’s friends for their craftiness and ingenuity. Looks like the sly spirit of the Iowa farmers who bootlegged whiskey during Prohibition is alive and well.

Templeton Rye’s founder, Scott Bush, was recently featured on Iowa Public Radio’s The Exchange with Ben Keiffer. We’ve posted the audio file in its entirety below. Click the play button to begin listening.

For those of you interested in an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the history of Templeton Rye, we are now offering The Ultimate Templeton Experience: an exclusive trip for groups of up to 20 people aboard our private TR shuttle bus. We’ll pick up your guests at a designated meeting spot, provide transportation to and from Templeton, Iowa, and treat your group to lunch and refreshments — both aboard the bus and at the distillery.

The experience is perfect for groups of friends or corporate outings, and can be customized to include any of the following activities:

Please e-mail us at templetonexperience@templetonrye.com for more details and available dates.

On December 5, 1933, the United States Congress repealed the Prohibition Act, restoring Americans the freedom to enjoy their spirits again — legally, that is. On Friday, December 5th, Iowans all over the state will celebrate the end of the “Noble Experiment,” as coined by fellow Iowan Herbert Hoover.

We’re teaming up with the following bars to sponsor Prohibition Repeal Parties:

Sweet Fanny’s - Sioux City, Iowa
CJ’s Bar and Grill - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Jameson’s - Waterloo, Iowa
Royal Mile - Des Moines, Iowa
Depot Lounge - Grinnell, Iowa
Legend’s Bar and Grill - Ames, Iowa
Short’s Burgers & Shine - Iowa City, Iowa
Silver Dollar Saloon - McGregor, Iowa
Pastimes Bar & Grill - Huxley, Iowa
Vito’s Bistro - Iowa City, Iowa
Mac’s Tavern - Davenport, Iowa
Beckett’s Public House - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
11th Street Precinct - Davenport, Iowa
Swamp Fox Pub & Grille - Knoxville, Iowa
Barley’s - Council Bluffs, Iowa
Uncle Buck’s - Ottumwa, Iowa
Whitey’s - Manning, Iowa

These modern-day speakeasies will feature Templeton Rye drink specials and select guests will receive Templeton Rye flasks, t-shirts and other items. Come out and join us!

Gene Wiese of Manning, Iowa, talks about the “unspoken” presence of Templeton Rye in his hometown:

View more stories on YouTube at our Templeton Rye channel.

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