When Prohibition ended the first golden age of American whiskey, the death knell tolled for thousands of bourbon and rye brands. Peerless Whiskey – a powerhouse brand of the era – was among the casualties.

In the late 1880s, Peerless Whiskey was rebuilt from the edge of ruin by the larger-than-life figure of Henry Kraver, a businessman without rival. Kraver had numerous holdings in Kentucky and Illinois ranging from breweries, funeral homes, a riverboat fleet, and a series of hotels including the famous Palmer House in Chicago. These holdings also included the E.W. Worsham Distilling Co. which eventually changed…