Old Overholt Whiskey

[ragpicker]

I grew up in a Mennonite sub-culture that basically taught that Christians do not drink alcohol. They never told me that Mennonites used to produce and sell alcohol.

How much what I grew up being taught was an appropriation of prohibitionism? When did it go from Mennonites producing, consuming, and even selling alcohol, to “We are Christians. Christians don’t drink alcohol.”? What drove that change? Why do modern ultraconservative Mennonites practice dishonesty on the subject by omitting the truth about the historical Mennonite involvement?

There’s more than one iconic whiskey label that has a direct historic connection to Mennonites.

It was stated in a saved newspaper clipping from back at the height of fraud in the alcohol industry, that if you wanted to buy your spirit from someone you could trust, go to the Mennonite distillers. I wish I could find the reference to that and go see it for myself.

On a sidenote, the history of whiskey production in the United States is extremely fascinating. Fraud, government corruption in high places, etc. etc. There are laws and programs in place even today that are connected to this.

[ken_sylvania]

Was the Temperance movement among Mennonites at all related to the movement against tobacco? Did one happen before the other or did they happen simultaneously?

[ragpicker]

Was the Temperance movement among Mennonites at all related to the movement against tobacco? Did one happen before the other or did they happen simultaneously?

I don’t know. Good question.

[steve-in-kville]

On a sidenote, the history of whiskey production in the United States is extremely fascinating. Fraud, government corruption in high places, etc. etc. There are laws and programs in place even today that are connected to this.

This shouldn't be blocked: https://lebtown.com/2021/11/18/whiskeys ... e-example/

[Ernie]

"Prohibitionism" is definitely unscriptural.

The "Temperance Movement" seems to be very scriptural. Seems like something that Mennonites would have encouraged from the Bible.

Was there any segregation between Prohibitionism and the Temperance Movement, or were they basically the same thing? Did one evolve into the other?

[Ernie]

https://www.whiskyadvocate.com/true-sto ... rholt-rye/

[steve-in-kville]

What I have found ironic, having been associated with various Anabaptist circles, is us "progressive/mid-stream" Brethren preach harder against the consumption of booze than the Mennonites do. Maybe because there is a history there?? Not sure

[ragpicker]

https://www.whiskyadvocate.com/true-sto ... rholt-rye/

I think the lesson is that the sons should have stayed Mennonite, and then the quality would still be top shelf. Am I getting it right?

[Josh]

Like many things now firmly entrenched in plain communities, this was an influence from the Wesleyan Holiness movement. Other artefacts include:

- anti-tobacco stance
- anti-beard
- revival meetings
- Sunday school
- emphasis on crisis conversion experience
- “hellfire” sermons
- modest clothing, but not a specific traditional uniform
- travelling preachers
- women having long, uncut hair

Of note is that the more Old Order a group is, the more staunchly they resist these things.

One of the purest expressions one can find of the above values is in the Apostolic Oneness Pentecostal circles; one could all them the “Old Order” of the Wesleyan Holiness revivalists.

Another place would be Allegheny Wesleyan College.

Pretty much everything that ultra conservative Mennonites, Beachys, etc. distinguish themselves from Amish in regards to is from the above Holiness influences.

[mike]

What I have found ironic, having been associated with various Anabaptist circles, is us "progressive/mid-stream" Brethren preach harder against the consumption of booze than the Mennonites do. Maybe because there is a history there?? Not sure

I think the old orders such as Amish, Hutterites, and Groffdale conference Mennonites have never really had prohibition-style teaching against alcohol. You hear stories of alcohol consumption in these groups, especially among young people but also older folks. There's the occasional alcoholic according to what I've heard from my parents.

The same Mennonites who were influenced by certain streams of evangelical Protestantism in the late 1800s and early 1900s (i.e. Sunday schools, revival meetings, and other fundamentalist ideas) probably also latched on to Prohibitionist ideas. So these days if you want to imbibe a little and still be (conservative) Anabaptist, you basically have to drive a horse and buggy.