Posted by Kurt on 8/5/2004, 11:06 am Schenley of Canada made it. Ownership changed several times between 1970 and 1980 and Stanley was the last owner of the brand. It was discontinued in the early 80s. Each bottle label contained the year it was produced, but it had no value as far as quality is concerned because spirits, unlike wine, do not improve once bottled. Each bottle came in a velvet bag and most, if not all, had a serial number on the back label. The contents of Order of Merit had an average age of 12 years. I searched the German E-bay and found 2 attempts to sell Order of Merit. In one instance, in April 04) it was advertised as buy now for 99 Euros and in another instance a 1970 bottle sold for 10.50 Euros (or the equivalent of about US$ 12.50). Now, one thing that throws everyone off is the description on the label of your bottle. Specifically that 75% is US whiskey and 25% is Canadian whisky. Other than this it appears that your bottle is identical to the ones from Canada. Does it contain a serial number on the back label? It was suggested to me that your bottle might come from an after-bottler. That is the company buys bulk whiskey, blends it with some other whisky or manipulates it in other ways and then resells it. I contacted the Chamber of Commerce in New York and they dont have a record of Order of Merit distillery. Now this doesnt mean the company never existed, but may suggest it was not in business for very long. Order of Merit Distillery of NY has most likely been the US importer and distributor of the Canadian made product. So, I dont know how much all this helps you, but hope a bit. If you intend to sell the bottle you may try E-bay, but based on what I learned it would not appear you would get a significant amount for it. Why not just enjoy it with a good friend or relative?
Message modified by board administrator 8/5/2004, 9:32 pm
Lets see Peggy. I talked to a regional salesman who represented Order of Merit when it was still produced.
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