Old Horsey Rye Whisky 1839 Vintage Men's T-Shirt

Design Description

Around 1839, Outerbridge Horsey — yes, that really was his name — inherited land in Needwood, Maryland, and decided that simply farming it wasn't ambitious enough. Instead, he established a distillery and began producing rye whiskey, initially on a small scale for local customers. Operating in the tradition of Maryland's farmer-distillers, Horsey's business gradually grew into a respectable midsize operation, processing fewer than 400 bushels of mash daily and generating approximately $25,000 in taxable revenue annually. Throughout his nearly 60 years in the whiskey business, Horsey remained committed to one guiding principle: quality over quantity.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Horsey's operation was his unconventional approach to aging whiskey. Rather than simply leaving barrels to mature in a warehouse, he shipped them by sea around Cape Horn to San Francisco, then returned them to Maryland by railroad for bottling. Horsey believed the constant motion of the ocean voyage improved the aging process, producing a smoother, more mellow whiskey. He was so convinced of the benefits that crates of his Old Horsey Rye proudly proclaimed, "This whiskey was shipped by sea to San Francisco, thus acquiring a unique and most agreeable softness." Whether the lengthy journey actually improved the whiskey is debatable, but it certainly made for one hell of a marketing story.

The Civil War brought serious setbacks when fighting around Needwood resulted in the destruction of Horsey's distillery. During the conflict, he traveled to Europe, visiting distilleries in Scotland and elsewhere to study their techniques and learn more about producing premium spirits. After returning to Maryland, he rebuilt his operation and eventually promoted it as "the first Eastern pure rye distillery of the U.S." His whiskey was sold in elaborately labeled bottles using the Scottish spelling "whisky," distributed through regional dealers, and marketed from a company office in Baltimore. Establishments carrying Old Horsey were even provided with decorative metal horses approximately four inches tall to display behind their bars.

Following Horsey's death in 1902, his family apparently had little interest in continuing the whiskey business and sold the distillery. Under new ownership, production doubled by 1907, effectively abandoning Horsey's longstanding philosophy of putting quality ahead of volume. As the brand's reputation faded and consumers gravitated toward competing labels, Old Horsey gradually lost its following. Prohibition ultimately brought production to a halt, and unlike many surviving American distilleries, the operation never resumed after repeal in 1933. By the time the whiskey business was legal again, Old Horsey Rye had ridden off into the sunset, leaving behind a fascinating chapter in Maryland distilling history and one of the more unusual whiskey-aging methods ever attempted.  Product Details

Like all our designs, this one is treated with our signature ‘relic-ing’ process which includes our own secret recipe of hand-painted chipping, cracking, fading, and just the right touch of yellowing to ensure that it looks the part of a true vintage imprint.** We lay these works of art down on premium Bella+Canvas 3001 Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tees, one of the softest, best-wearing t-shirts available today, via state of the art direct to garment (DTG) printing which allows us to create a vintage effect that simply can’t be accomplished with other printing methods. In short, these shirts are everything you’ve dreamed of and more – it feels soft and lightweight with just the right amount of stretch, making it comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton*
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• 32 singles for a softer hand
• Dyed and cut in the USA
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed construction
• Tear-away label
• Modern retail fit
• Runs true to size

*Heather CVC Colors: 52% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. Athletic Heather and Black Heather CVC: 90% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. Heather Prism Colors: 99% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. Heather Prism Blue: 90% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. **Due to the nature of the printing process and different sizes of shirts offered, imprint position and scale may vary slightly from the product images, but we do our best to be as accurate as possible. Screen colors may vary due to differences in screens. Due to the natural nature of cotton, whites may appear off-white rather than bright white. Size Chart

Not sure what size is your best fit? We recommend taking one of your current t-shirts, laying it flat and measuring it. The measurements in the chart below are taken with the shirt laying on a flat surface. To get the length, measure from the high shoulder point down to the bottom of the shirt. To get the width, measure approximately 1-inch below the armhole, across the chest, from seam to seam. While our tees are all made using premium, pre-shrunk, ring-spun cotton, there can be some shrinkage depending on your personal wash and dry cycles. With that said, if you’re on the fence, we always suggest going up a size. All sizes are provided in inches! Please note that variations in sizing of up to 1.5 inches are possible.