David Nicholson

David Nicholson was born in December of 1814 in the Scottish Village of Foster, Wester, County Perth. He became a grocer's apprentice in Glasgow and then later in Oban in the West Highlands. In 1832, he emigrated to Montreal, Quebec. David traveled between Montreal and Ottawa, Ontario, looking for work. Unable to find employment in a grocer’s, he decided to learn carpentry. His travels in his new profession ultimately brought him to the United States, first to Erie, Pennsylvania, then to Chicago, Illinois, finally settling in St. Louis, Missouri. As he traveled, he perfected his carpentry. Nicholson’s handiwork can still be seen in the rectory of St. Xavier’s Church in St. Louis. 

In 1840, Nicholson met and married another Scottish immigrant, Jane McHendrie. The Nicholsons had 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. In St. Louis, the family settled in a house on Garrison Street near the corner of Franklin Avenue. The house was later loaned to Major General William T. Sherman for his use during the Civil War. 

In 1843, David gave up carpentry for good and formed a grocery and liquor dealership with a wine merchant whom he had befriended. As a wholesaler, the duo supplied wagon trains with everything they might need as they traveled into the expanding western parts of the new nation. Their business grew rapidly and had to move multiple times in order to expand. From St. Louis, they also did business in the eastern U.S., ultimately necessitating that they obtain an office in New York City. David was the first person to import certain foreign commodities into the U.S. and promote them as superior goods.

In Nicholson’s later years, he asked family members to get involved in his company. Jane was to serve on the board of directors and as corporate secretary. In 1852, his nephew Peter Nicholson moved to the United States from England to act as the company’s clerk. Peter would go on to be promoted several times because of his keen business sense and tireless efforts. The company’s target audience increased fivefold as Peter was increasingly given more and more supervisory responsibilities. One of the company’s top profit centers was its whiskey, which was named after David Nicholson himself.

David’s pastime became developing different recipes for bourbons and rye whiskeys. His success allowed him to purchase some well-known brands at the time for distribution. Oddly, David was never a distiller but instead acted as a rectifier, that is, a person who blends whiskeys made by others. While many rectifiers of the day were often accused of crimes related to tax evasion and bootlegging, David's honesty and contempt for illegal activities became his identity. His rectified whiskey became a huge hit in Missouri and Illinois, rapidly becoming the top selling whiskey in the area. 

David died in 1880, and his nephew Peter took over the business. The store accidentally burned down in 1891, and Peter moved locations where he operated the business. He continued it until 1920, when Prohibition began. In 1893, David’s recipe was sold to Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, who made it at the famous Stitzel-Weller distillery. Nicholson’s famous recipe is said to have ultimately inspired Old Fitzgerald.

In 1985, the recipe was finally sold to the David Sherman Company, which, in turn, later merged with MGP/LuxCo. David Nicholson’s whiskey is still made and distributed today at Luxco.