What I know of this comes from a wonderful article that Baltimore Sun columnist James H. Bready wrote for the Winter 1990 issue of the Maryland Historical Society's magazine. I doubt if quoting the whole paragraph would be copyright infringement, so here goes.
Bready is giving examples of the increase in non-Baltimore rye distilleries...
"The noisiest invasion of all was in consequence of a decision by Hannis Distilling of Philadelphia to sell its Mount Vernon Rye (the brand, not the distillery). The buyer was the Cook and Bernheimer Co., a New York City wholesaler. But the decision left a Boston liquor kingpin, George W Torrey, apparently feeling jilted. He vowed reprisal. Taking over a Fleet Street brewery that the Wneke-Airey Co. had converted to whiskey-making (under the name Cecil Distillery), Torrey put out an imitation. His brand, also sold nationally was "The Only Original and Genuine Mt. Vernon Rye." The distinction between "Mount" and "Mt.," he calculated, would be lost on the multitude. In an advertising war, New York versus Boston, Cook and Bernheimer cried, "SQUARE BOTTLE"; Torrey, "ROUND BOTTLE." Mt. Vernon boasted that it was bottled in bond; Mount Vernon (which was not) boasted that it had won first prizes at world's fairs (Philadelphia 1876, New Orleans 1885, Australia 1887, Chicago 1893). And east Baltimore had its Mt. Vernon Distillery; west Baltimore, its Mount Vernon Distillery. Such shenanigans could not last, and did not. The public's favor remained with the square bottle. But absentee ownership was the main story, twice told. Before Prohibition and again after Repeal, outsiders took over, consolidated, and in time suppressed local whiskey making."
Ah yes!
More taste!
Less Filling!
Hamburgers Fit for a King, Not for a Clown :pain10:
Some things never change; recently I've seen TV commercials in which a well-known home repair hostess, standing in front of a faded, vaguely familiar-looking logo from the '50s, assures us that, although other plumbing contractors may try to steal its image, there is only one true, original
ROTO-MAN...
Unfortunately, the original (and for most people, the only) trademarked, TV-jingled plumber was (since 1935, and still is)
RotoROOTER, not the one making the claim of originality. Either of those companies can help clear the way to where this form of promotion belongs, but it's still fun to watch 'em do it.
"... that's the name, and away go troubles, down the drain"
- TV jingle circa 1954 - present
"Same as it ever was; same as it ever was"
- David Byrne - 1976