Charles Medley

“Continuing the Medley Family Legacy”

Early History:

Charles Medley is now in the twilight of his life, having devoted his heart and soul during his working lifetime to meticulously crafting and producing very high quality Kentucky bourbon whiskeys and carrying of the Medley family legacy and recipe for decades.  But let’s go back to the “beginning” of the Medley family legacy. To do so, we must go back—"a ways back yonder” as some of the Kentucky locals might say. The Medley legacy dates back to 1800 when John Medley VI moved his family from Maryland to Washington, Kentucky, and began distilling whiskey. John found the distillery trade to be successful and when he passed away in 1814, a portion of the inventory of his estate included two stills and 40 mash tubs.  Decades later, in the late-1800s, George Medley, the great-grandson of John Medley IV, decided to carry on the family distillery business and moved the Medley Distillery from Washington, Kentucky, to Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1901 to gain access for shipping his aged bourbon barrels on the “Interstate Highway” of the day, the Ohio River.

George Medley, and his brother, Thomas Aquinas Medley, purchased the Daviess (pronounced; “Davis”) County Distillery from the Monarch family of Owensboro in 1901 and for the following 19 years, Medley Distillery gained prominence and produced some high-quality bourbon whiskeys. Then, along came Prohibition (1920-33), and the Daviess County Distillery was forced to shut down for the next 13 years.  After Prohibition, The Medleys began production of Kentucky bourbon whiskey once again. In 1940 The Fleischmann’s Distillery out of Cincinnati, Ohio, purchased the Daviess County Distillery from the Medleys. What to do next? No problem for the Medleys as the profits they received from the sale of the Daviess County Distillery enabled the five Medley brothers (sons of Thomas Aquinas Medley) to purchase the renovated (from a fire in 1918), but abandoned (due to Prohibition from 1920-33), Green River Distillery in Owensboro that same year (1940) and that same year the Medley Distilling Company was founded.  As the story goes, the Medley Distilling Company continued to thrive through the 1950s and 60s and even survived the “Bourbon Depression of the 1970s into the mid-1990s. The five brothers names were: Ben, John, Edwin, Tom and Wathen Medley. During this tenue several high-quality bourbon whiskeys were distilled and produced, including Wathen’s (single barrel), Medley Brothers, Old Medley (10 & 12 year) and Five Brothers.

Charles Medley: Charles was one of two brothers born to Wathan and Ida Medley, circa 1941.  Charles literally grew up in the Medley Distilling Company distillery and its rickhouses on site.  Charles graduated from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the early 1960s and then came back to the Medley Distillery working for his dad and uncles (the Medley Distillery had sold to Renfield Importers in 1959, but the Medleys continued to run the distillery, and retained the name, after they sold it). Charles continued his hands-on education and the honing of his craft as a distiller through the 1960s.  In 1969, Charles was named Master Distiller at Medley Distilling Company.   In 1978, Renfield Importers sold Medley Distillery to an Investor, Abraham Schecter, in 1978. The distillery closed in 1987, then was bought by Glenmore Distillery in 1988 and reopened under the Glenmore name. Glenmore was purchased by United Distillers in 1991. All the while, Charles Medley was retained at the helm as Master Distiller.   United Distillers closed the distillery in 1992, and then it was purchased by Charles Medley in 1995 along with existing whiskey stocks (Charles changed the name to Charles Medley Distillery at that time). In 2007 Charles sold his distillery facility to Angostura.  As part of the sale agreement with Angostura, Charles was able to negotiate the retention of the Medley family Kentucky bourbon recipes which enabled Charles to soon after continue with the production of his quality Kentucky bourbons, but through a sourcing arrangement.  To this day, you can enjoy Wathen’s Single Barrel Select, Medley Brothers and Old Medley 12 Year bourbons.  Charles has brought up his son, Samuel (“Sam”) Medley, to learn, understand, appreciate and expand upon the rich bourbon whiskey line-up that is found from Charles Medley Distilling Co. Sam Medley now co-owns the enterprise and is responsible for marketing, sourcing, bottling and operating the company.

Charles was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2019.

I was fortunate to have lunch with Charles a few years ago in Owensboro (we became friends many years ago due to my dog, “Corey”, occasionally getting loose from our yard and almost always making his way up to Charles’ home to play with his dog, “Ezra”!). Charles stressed to me that the KEY to making incredible and enjoyable bourbon whiskey is the time, effort and added expenses associated with the purification of the water that goes into the whiskey’s cooking, distillation and bottling. Charles told me there is no substitute for this effort spent in purifying the water.  Charles said they use a Level #4 Char in their barrels. The Medley’s chosen mash-bill is 77% Corn, just 10% Rye, and 13% Malted Barley.  This recipe is considered a “Low Rye” bourbon whiskey.  Charles did tell me that his “every day sipper” is Medley Brothers, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This bourbon whiskey is 102-proof (51% ABV), and is part of the Medley’s Heritage Collection.