Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-07
IMITATION OF FOREIGN LIQUORS.

Judge Smalley, of Vermont, has been
holding the United States District Court at
Albany, New York, for the last two weeks,
in place of Judge Hall, who is i'll. The
case which has excited most interest is one
in regard to spurious liquors, reported as
follows:
In October last, some nineor ten "eighths"
of the brandy was seized in the Champlain
District, as having been smuggled-it hav-
ing all the appearance of the imported arti-
Gle. The owner contended that il was not
an imported article. but was manufactured
in this country. The District Attorney on
the trial attempted to prove that the liquor,
cask of which was produced, was genuine
article of French brandy, and dor this pur-
pose called an experienced hotel-keeper and
druggist, both of whom, after tasting It,
pronounced it fine imported brandy, such
as they had often paid Sl2 to SIS per gallon
for The defendants counsel then produced
several small bottles, containing liquor of
the same outward appearance, and, pouring
some into wine-glasses, asked the witnesses
to taste thereof, and say what it was. They
declared, each and all, this miserable stuff
was not fit to be drank, except one bottle,
which they considered very good brandy.
The counsel thereupon proved that all but
the one bottle was taken from the identical
cask which had been SO highly extolled, and
the one was a common Bourbon whisky,
manufactured here in Albany!
The cooper who made casks was called,
and testified that they were manufactured in
Brooklyn-the willows around the hoops
being imported-that they were intended to
be perfect imitation of the French cask !;
that to give the appearance of sea voyage,
they were washed in solution of copperas
which rusted the hoops and discolored the
wood that there were several such manu-
factories in Brooklyn and New York, and
thousands or casks made every year. One
extensive dealer swore to the manufacture of
the article, which was neutral spirits, flavor
ed with an article known to the trade as coil
of cognac," and colored with burnt sugar;
the imported soil of cologne" costing one
hundred dollars and upwards per pound ;
that mandatory of this oil existed in
Cincinnati; that he did not know the value
of imported brandy, as he had neither sold
nor bought gallon in ten years; that thou
sands of gallons of this spurious article were
sold yearly by his house, and that many
similar establishments existed in New York
that many experts were so deceived that
frequently they declared the spurious SUI
perior to the genuine article-that gin was
also manufactured to large extent, as well
as other liquors-that, in short, very little
genuine liquor was sold in this country.
Other witnesses were called who tasted and
testified that the article seized was a very
good imitation but without drop of real
brandy in it. The jury, without leaving
| their seats, found verdict for the defend
ant. After the verdict, Judge Smalley said
that in the whole course of his legal ex-
perience he had never heard more extra
ordinary case than this, and referred with
much emphasis to the testimony, showing
| the extent to which the community was i'm
posed upon by this base system of counter
feiting-which, unfortunately, there was no
law to punish