MILLER’S EXTRA | TRADE MARK | E. MARTIN & CO. | OLD BOURBON
29 January 2012
While hunting for Continental Whisky (note alternate spelling of whiskey) information online I came across some some wonderful pictures of MILLER’S EXTRA OLD BOURBON flasks and cylinders. I have to admit, I really do not know much about the bottle other than reading periodic posts on Western Glob Top Whiskies and seeing them show up at American Bottle Auctions. I’ve seen them before within collections but must have been distracted by other bottles to focus on the Millers Extra.
These are fascinating bottles to me looking inwards as they come in a flask and cylinder shape, the color range is wide, the typographic embossing is great, the crudity and the circle size. What a combination.
In looking at my copy of the great Whiskey Bottles of the Old West by John L. Thomas (copyright 2002) I repost the following Miller’s Extra fifth (cylinder) information found on page 22, 51. MILLER’S (March 28, 1871 to beyond July 20, 1875)
This is an applied top bottle related to the Cutter line. It is usually found in a light shade of amber with some examples having a slight green tone. Broken Miller’s fifths along with the flasks have been found in ghost towns near Bishop (Cerro Gordo, Queens Canyon, etc.) and Lone Pine, California. Pieces of a fifth, and whole and broken flasks were found in the Oquirrh Mountains west of Salt Lake City. Two of the whole Miller’s fifths were found along the Oregon coast.
From Whiskey Bottles of the Old West by John L. Thomas (copyright 2002) I repost the following Miller’s Extra flask information found on page 99, 19. MILLER’S (Large Embossed Pattern) (March 28, 1871 – 1879)
Miller’s Extra was a familiar name to the early western miner, and it stood for good drinking whiskey. The containers it came in have turned up in great numbers in early mining camps of the West. Edward Martin and Daniel Henarie, partners under the firm name of E. Martin & Co. petioned the U.S. Patent Office March 28, 1871, to register the record the Miller’s embossing pattern. They claimed to have begun using this mark on their packages as early as September 1869 in San Francisco.
In 1969, there were about a hundred and fifty of these flasks in western collections.
Photo courtesy of the Utah Historical Society. Typical miner’s boarding house’ thought to be mountains near Stockton, Utah. Late 1870’s?
From Whiskey Bottles of the Old West by John L. Thomas (copyright 2002) I repost the following Miller’s Extra flask information found on page 99, 20. MILLER’S (Small Embossing Pattern) (March 28, 1871 – 1879)
This is the much rarer flask than the Miller’s with the large embossing pattern. In 1969 there were five or so in western collections.
Miller’s Extra flask – large embossing
Refer Western Glob Top Whiskies: American Bottle Auctions Lot 92 – Millers Extra Old Bourbon fifth | Thomas – 51
Refer Western Glob Top Whiskies: Miller’s Extra
Refer Western Glob Top Whiskies: Miller’s Music
Miller’s Extra Old Bourbon trio – Dale Mlasko
Miller’s Extra flask – large embossing
Miller’s Extra flask – large embossing
Miller’s Extra flask – photo Utah Antique Bottle Club
Miller’s Extra flask trio (small embossing- left and two large embossings)
Miller’s Extra flask run – photo Western Glob Top Whiskies
