Ep. 77: Liberty Pole Whiskey with Founder Jim Hough

Author: David Levine
Published: Wed 15 Feb 2023
Episode Link: https://whiskeyringpodcast.podbean.com/e/ep-77-liberty-pole-whiskey-with-founder-jim-hough/

Liberty Pole Spirits - also known as Mingo Creek Distillery - is producing traditional-style bourbons and ryes with the spirit of the Whiskey Rebellion in its veins. Centered around the idea of a liberty pole, the only thing associated with the Rebellion that wasn't already copyrighted, according to founder Jim Hough.

Liberty Poles are symbols of dissent, freedom, and independence, dating back at least to the assassination of Julius Caesar. They were used heavily during revolutions and rebellions throughout the subsequent centuries, including the refusal to pay Hamilton's Whiskey Excise in the 1790s.

Liberty Pole Spirits leans heavily into the history of the Rebellion and of what is now Washington County, PA (the name, understandably, came later) while incorporating some new themes into their whiskies (peat, anyone?) Between the Bassitt Town whiskey, aged as long as it took to get from Mingo Creek to Pittsburgh (about 12 hours by horse), peated and unpeated bourbons and ryes, and a healthy dose of history, Liberty Pole pays homage to the stories of those who came before.

Plus, the whiskies are pretty damn good, too.

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Thanks for reading! Now here’s Jim Hough of Liberty Pole Spirits.

Liberty Pole Spirits