Whisky and Beer

Whisky and Beer. The Spirit of Prescott. , The St. Lawrence River provided Prescott with an ideal location for brewers and distillers in the early days. At first these firms catered to local demand. As early as 1819 there were about fifty houses and stores in Prescott, including many taverns on Water Street, the main business thoroughfare. Prescott was known as a hard drinking town., The Prescott Brewery was operated by William Ellis on the lands now occupied by the Coast Guard Base. In 1861 his operation employed ten men and produced 5000 barrels of beer with a value of $35,000. Shortly after, the brewery was taken over by the Labatt family of London, Ontario. It operated until prohibition began. The building later became an armoury and burned down in 1960., The Grenville Brewery, just west of Prescott, was owned by J. McCarthy and Son. It was founded in 1869 and was one of Ontario's largest and most successful breweries. A large loading dock was built on the riverside to supply the brewery. The McCarthy homestead is the only original building that remains on the site near Bradley's Creek., In the 1850's a distillery was operated in Prescott on the waterfront property at the foot of Ann Street by C.P. Egert and the Averells of Ogdensburg, N.Y.. They engaged a young man named John P. Wiser to manage the business. By 1863 Wiser had aquired ownership and over the next half century J.P. Wiser and Sons, as it was later named, grew into one of the leading distilleries in Canada. Its whisky was known for its high quality. When the business was sold in the early 1930's the buyer, Corby Distilleries, closed and dismantled the distillery. However, the Wiser brand is still sold worldwide today, over 150 years after its first appearance in Prescott, Ontario., [Illustration captions, left to right, read] , . Labatts Brewery, Prescott, . Thomas Dowsley [advertisement], . Grenville Brewery Prescott, . Crighton's Brewery in centre of picture, c. 1839, . View of the Prescott Distillery from the River: Cattle Barns to the Right.