Virginia Gentleman Whiskey - *Cough* Smooooooth.

From the 1959 pages of Esquire Magazine, the publication of rich, young, white douches comes this ad for Virginia Gentleman Whiskey, which is distilled and bottled in Fairfax County, Virginia.... by redcoats?

I could be wrong, but aren't those British officers in that illustration? Britishness, of course, doesn't preclude these two from the halls of gentility, but it's just confusing, is all. "A most historic American Bourbon". Maybe the man who owns the plantation is extending the "invitation to taste" to the British soldiers as a peace offering? Maybe he's trying to suck up to the colonial British by having his (apparent) slave deliver the whiskey to them, as a demonstration that he and they were sympatico? I wouldn't care if I had a dram of VJ in my belly, that's certain.

The chronology of a small brand like Virginia Gentleman is not thoroughly documented on the web. All I could find was a current review of Virginia Gentleman, and guess what? The label's different! See?

Somewhere between 1959 and today, we had the whole Civil Rights Movement, and apparently they heard about that, even in Virginia. So, a new image was called for. Strange that the painting they chose was, again, so English. What is it with these guys? I've never really tried whiskey, apart from those times around Christmas time, back in my days working at a cartoon studio. This one guy would bring in a bottle of whiskey and "add a little Irish" to our coffee, upon request. The boss was cool with it and treated us as grownups and as a result, no fights broke out and nobody got fired or anything. Our bellies warmed with coffee and firewater, we'd go back to animating cartoons for children, on through the dark Chicago winter. I've never had whiskey straight, though. Maybe I'll look into it. One drink and I'll wonder what I was wondering about, I'm sure. Not 'till after five, Phil.

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