New rum a drink to York's past

The York County History Center was a part of history Tuesday afternoon after they received the first full bottle of unopened liquor from a York County distillery, according to YCHC collections manager Rachel Warner.

The bottle is the first bottle created of Old Republic Distillery’s newest spirit, Golden Plough Tavern Dark Rum.

“All of our local spirits have a local story on each bottle,” said Denise Mathias, Co-Owner of Old Republic Distillery.

The dark rum is the eighth spirit the distillery has crafted and takes its name from the Golden Plough Tavern, a 1740s landmark in downtown York.

“I toured that building when I was in fourth grade, and it just made a big impression on me,” Mathias said.

THE YORK DAILY RECORD

York County Heritage Trust unveils new name

Golden Plough Tavern Dark Rum follows the company’s pattern of matching a liquor to a famous event, place or person in area history, like the Battlefield Vodka, named for the Battle of Gettysburg.

Meegan Carr, Director of Collections at YCHC, said getting the first bottle from the company is an honor.

“This is neat that they chose to name (a spirit) that goes with one of our buildings,” Carr said.

Anthony J. Machcinski is the Food and Drink reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter, or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.

More on the spirit:

What: Old Republic Distillery’s Golden Plough Tavern Dark Rum

Cost: $42

Taste: This 100-proof rum features a “very rich, full-flavored” and “buttery taste,” explained Bill Mathias, Denise’s brother and co-owner and distiller at Old Republic Distillery.

Three facts you may not have known about the Golden Plough Tavern

• "Greater York in Action," a York Chamber of Commerce publication, said the Plough Tavern, built around 1741, might be the oldest surviving structure in York.
• The Tavern has survived many damaging situations over the years, including water in the basement after a water main break in 1995 and some damaged logs after a truck smashed into its side in 2007.
• The Tavern has a “soul window,” a small window that was cut into the wall of a small room behind the old bar area. A YCHC staff member in 2008 said that the function was at the time believed to be “an outlet for the spirit of sick or dying people to escape to heaven.”