Isaac Wolfe Bernheim (November 4, 1848 – April 1, 1945) was an American businessman notable for starting the I. W. Harper brand of premium
bourbon whiskey
Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...
(a historically important brand currently owned by
Diageo
Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...
). The success of his distillery and distribution business helped to consolidate the
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
area as a major center of Kentucky bourbon distilling. Bernheim was also a philanthropist, establishing the
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 16,137 acre (57 km2) arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky (25 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky, United States).
Bernheim was founded in 1929 by Isaac Wolfe Bernh ...
in
Bullitt County.
Early years
Isaac Bernheim was born in Schmieheim, now part of
Kippenheim
Kippenheim ( gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Kibbennä) is a town in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Kippenheim has restored its pre-war synagogue.
Notable residents
*Stef Wertheimer
Stef Wertheimer ( he, זאב סטף ...
in Germany and emigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1867 with $4 in his pocket. He originally planned to work in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. However, the company where he wanted to work went bankrupt, and he was forced to follow a different line of work. He became a
traveling salesman or "peddler" traveling throughout
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
on horseback selling household items to housewives and made a respectable living. However, he was forced to stop peddling when his horse died.
Distilling business
Following the death of his horse, Bernheim moved to
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missour ...
, where he worked as a bookkeeper for a wholesale liquor company, Loeb, Bloom, & Co. He was able to save enough money to bring his brother Bernard to America. He quickly moved on, however, and with the help of his brother Bernard Bernheim and their friend Elbridge Palmer as a silent partner, he was able to open up his own liquor sales firm called Bernheim Brothers in 1872.
In 1875, Palmer's interest in the business was bought out and Isaac's brother-in-law Nathan Uri (the brother of Isaac's wife Amanda) became a partner in the business, and the company was renamed as Bernheim Brothers & Uri. Because of their business's proximity to large waterways, the company grew rapidly.
Bernheim Brothers & Uri moved its operations from Paducah to Louisville (on Main Street between 1st and 2nd) in 1888, and Uri left the business in 1889. The company then continued under its prior firm name of Bernheim Brothers and continued to expand.
Bernheim Brothers bought the Pleasure Ridge Park Distillery in Louisville and it began operating as the Bernheim Distillery. In March 1896, the distillery's bonded warehouse at Pleasure Ridge Park, which it shared jointly with another whiskey business, was destroyed by fire.
[Veach, Michael R.]
The Pleasure Ridge Park Distillery
Filson Historical Society, July 5, 2011. The loss of the property itself was covered by insurance, but the cost of the unpaid whiskey tax on the lost product proved difficult to settle for the business – the matter was not settled until near the end of 1897. The courts eventually ruled that the tax was not due since the whiskey had been destroyed by the fire before it was sold.
[ The company's new distillery plant (on the north side of Main Street, near 2nd) began operating in April 1897.
]
I. W. Harper
The company began the production of an elite whiskey
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden cask ...
brand it called "I. W. Harper". (The "I. W." in the name may have been an abbreviation for "Isaac Wolfe", with a different surname chosen for marketability.) During the Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
era in the U.S. (1920–1933), Bernheim Brothers was one of only ten distilleries allowed to continue to make bourbon, as they had received a license to produce it for medicinal purposes.
A few years after Prohibition ended, Bernheim sold the business to the Schenley Distilling Corporation (in 1937).
Community activity
Isaac Bernheim became a notable philanthropist in Louisville. He established the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 16,137 acre (57 km2) arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky (25 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky, United States).
Bernheim was founded in 1929 by Isaac Wolfe Bernh ...
on in Bullitt County, south of Louisville and from Shepherdsville in 1929. He purchased the land in 1928 at $1 an acre ($247/km²) – the low price being because most of it had been stripped for mining iron ore. The Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
landscape architecture firm started work on designing the park in 1931 and it opened in 1950. Bernheim Forest was given to the people of Kentucky in trust and it is the largest privately owned natural area in the state. Bernheim, and his first wife, Amanda are buried at the Bernheim Forest. After Amanda died, Bernheim married her sister, Emma Uri Levy. They lived in Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. The memorial "Let there Be Light" by George Bernard Grey sits over their final resting place. Bernheim's daughter and son-in-law were buried in the forest as well as several other family members.
Bernheim was a prominent member of the Jewish community, and was active in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...
and the American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...
. He donated to establish the first library at the Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. In Louisville, he funded the first home for the Young Men's Hebrew Association
A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...
and funded an addition to the Jewish Hospital. Bernheim, an adherent of Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...
, continues to have great-grandchildren who follow in his footsteps in the continuation of the Reform Movement and philanthropic activity. In 2007 in his honor, his granddaughter Amanda Roth Block donated to the Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in New York City to President Rabbi David Ellenson
David Ellenson is an American rabbi and academic who is known as a leader of the Reform movement in Judaism. Ellenson is currently director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies and visiting professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies at ...
a lithograph, "Moses and the Burning Bush", which was inspired by her grandfather's dedication to the Reform movement. Bernheim's library at the Hebrew Union College was renovated to be the home of priceless documents and rare Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
scrolls.
Bernheim also financed two statues installed in the statuary hall of the U.S. Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...
, making them the only two statues there to be privately purchased. In addition, he financed a statue of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
outside the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library
The Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) is the public library system in Louisville, Kentucky, and the largest public library system in the U.S. state of Kentucky.
History Formation
The Louisville Free Public Library was created in 1902 by an ...
and the statue of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
outside the Jefferson County courthouse.
Upon visiting his hometown of Schmieheim, Germany in the early 20th century, he discovered the village had no running water, and made a large contribution to improve the situation, enabling the town to install its first plumbing system. He also built a home for the elderly and a home for children.
The modern Bernheim distillery and brands
In 1992, a large distilling plant called the Bernheim Distillery was opened in Louisville (on West Breckinridge Street near Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network of ...
) by United Distillers
United Distillers was a Scottish company formed in 1987 from combining the businesses of Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness. The company owned six single malt Scotch brands, which were relaunched as the ''Classi ...
, which was owned by Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
. United owned the I. W. Harper brand at the time the distillery was opened, but it had cheapened the quality of the brand in the U.S. market, focusing instead on Asia and Europe (especially Japan, where the product became a top brand of bourbon). They then took the brand off the U.S. market entirely. United became Diageo
Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...
in 1997 when Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc was a leisure, manufacturing and property conglomerate headquartered in England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it merged with Guinness plc to form ...
, and Diageo continues to own the brand but no longer owns the distillery. The modern Bernheim distillery is not to be confused with the prior Bernheim distillery sites.
The Bernheim distillery was purchased by Heaven Hill Distilleries
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a varie ...
in 1999, and it was substantially refurbished to become Heaven Hill's main distilling plant. Heaven Hill purchased the site after a 1996 fire destroyed its prior distilling plant in Bardstown.
In March 2015, after the brand had been off the U.S. market for 20 years, Diageo announced that it was reintroducing the I. W. Harper brand in April 2015, using spirits distilled at the new Bernheim distillery, aged partly at the Stitzel-Weller warehouses, and bottled at Diageo's George Dickel
George Dickel is a brand of Tennessee whisky produced in Tullahoma, in Coffee County, Tennessee. Today owned by Diageo, the modern brand was introduced in 1964, though the distillery has a longer history. Whisky production and aging takes pl ...
plant in Tullahoma, Tennessee
Tullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in southern Middle Tennessee, United States. The population was 20,339 at the 2020 census. In 2019, the population was estimated to be 19,555. It is the principal city of the Tullahoma micropol ...
.[ However, as of February 2017, the brand is not listed as a current product on the Diageo web site] and the brand's web site hasn't been updated since March 2015.
The Bernheim Original
Bernheim Original is a wheat whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by Heaven Hill Distilleries
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentuc ...
wheat whiskey brand introduced by Heaven Hill in 2005 was also named after the Bernheim brothers, the distilling company they founded, and the modern distillery that bears their name.
Written works
*''The Story of the Bernheim Family'' (1910)
*''The Closing Chapters of a Busy Life'' (1929)
References
External links
Bullitt Memories: Isaac Wolfe Bernheim
The Story of the Bernheim Family
University of Louisville webpage on Isaac Bernheim's papers
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070210081451/http://www.bernheim.org/arboretum.htm Arboretum Information pagebr>Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest timeline
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernheim, Isaac Wolfe
1848 births
1945 deaths
Jewish American philanthropists
German emigrants to the United States
American people of German-Jewish descent
Businesspeople from Louisville, Kentucky
People from the Grand Duchy of Baden
People from Paducah, Kentucky
American drink distillers
People from Ortenaukreis