# Did Famous Americans Really Drink Old Crow Whiskey? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094 "2004-11-05T00:47:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/1 "2004-11-05T00:47:09Z")
Many years ago, the makers of “Old Crow” whiskey put out a series of advertisements, in which famous Americans (generals, politicians, etc.) were portrayed as drinking their brand of whiskey. The adas offered a reward to people providing information (linking famous historical figures) to Old Crow whiskey. Is this leagal? Can you advertise a product and claim that its good because Robert E. Lee drank it? And…is “Old Crow” still in business? Anybody know when those ads ceased being used? ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/2 "2004-11-05T02:37:20Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > …is “Old Crow” still in business? [Apparently Not](http://www.whiskymag.com/directory/local/glenns_creek.usa/whisky_producers/distillery_mothballed/) ---
**Author:** ![jweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweb)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/3 "2004-11-05T04:24:18Z")
I think Old Crow is still around… coulda sworn I saw a few bottles of it the last time I was at the friendly neighborhood liqour store… However, I will never, ever drink that stuff again. We had this tradition at college called the “Crow Shoot.” Participants would gather at a designated place and time, each two people bringing a bottle of Old crow and a 6-pack of beer. The worst tasting beer we could find. (Pigs Eye, Stroghs, Hamms Extra Light, Schlitz, Pabst Ice, etc.). The rules were simple: All the beer goes into a 55-gallon garbage drum filled with ice and water. Everyone has a shot glass. You line up, take a shot of Crow, and grab a beer out of the garbage drum blind. You have 15 minutes to drink that beer. Another shot, another beer, 12 minutes. Then 10 minutes. Then 8, then 6… till all the beer and Crow are gone. Ahh… the memories… I swear, somtimes it’s a wonder I’m still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/4 "2004-11-05T04:33:51Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is this leagal? Can you advertise a product and claim that its good because Robert E. Lee drank it? Perfectly legal. In fact, you can say or write pretty much anything you want about dead people. Can’t libel or slander a dead guy. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/5 "2004-11-05T13:38:28Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is this leagal? Can you advertise a product and claim that its good because Robert E. Lee drank it? I thought that ads had to be accurate. E.g. you couldn’t claim that it cured cancer or was twice as good as the opposition without some basis ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/6 "2004-11-05T22:26:00Z")
The bottle of Old Crow I bought two days ago says, on the label, that it’s made in Frankfort and Clermont in Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/7 "2004-11-05T22:42:36Z")
Old crow is now made by Beam. And it’s still around. It’s not a bad bourbon if your mixing it. I don’t care for it neat or on the rocks. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/8 "2004-11-06T14:31:12Z")
I recall seeing those OLD CROW ads in old magazines from the 1950’s…does anybody know when they ran till? I could swear that I saw one where they claimed that Gen. Robert E. lee drank the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/9 "2004-11-06T21:25:00Z")
I found a couple of ads featuring historical people drinking Old Crow on [EBAY](http://collectibles.listings.ebay.ca/Distillery_Old-Crow_W0QQsacategoryZ825QQsocmdZListingItemListQQsocolumnlayoutZ3QQsocurrencydisplayZ2QQsonewuserZ1QQsotextsearchedZ2). One featuring Walt Whitman is dated from a magazine in 1962. Maybe the one with R.E.L. will show up. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/10 "2004-11-06T21:29:01Z")
[Here’s](http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=825&item=7108875262&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V) an ad with Andrew Jackson drinking it! It wouldn’t surprise me if they had one with Robert E. Lee. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-famous-americans-really-drink-old-crow-whiskey/273094/11 "2004-11-06T23:51:15Z")
For some reason, I seem to remember one of those with Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. Presumably, congratulating each other on the Compromise of 1850.