History · 1829 to Today
The Full Chronicle
From a Civil-War-era marriage into a distilling family, to a national brand silenced by Prohibition, to a revival a hundred years in the making.
1800s
The Birth of a Bourbon Legacy
- 1829Aaron Shelby (A.S.) Winstead is born in Kentucky.
- 1856At 26, Winstead marries America T. Worsham, daughter of Elijah W. Worsham, a respected Kentucky distiller, and begins working at his father-in-law's distillery in Henderson.
- 1863During the Civil War, Winstead registers for the draft but does not serve. He later earns the title "Colonel". Likely an honorary Kentucky Colonel designation.
- 1880Winstead leaves Worsham, partners with Bona Hill, and establishes Hill & Winstead Distilling Co. on the former Henderson Car Works site. The first batch is produced that winter. After tasting it, he declares it the smoothest whiskey on the market and names it "Silk Velvet."
- Mid-1880sSilk Velvet gains regional popularity. The distillery expands to 125 bushels per day.
- 1891The firm is renamed A.S. Winstead & Sons.
- 1892Winstead Distilling Co. is officially incorporated. Mashing capacity grows to 250 bushels per day.
- Late 1890sSilk Velvet earns a "national reputation for purity and aroma," shipped to all sections of the United States.
1900s
Growth, Prohibition, and Decline
- 1900Production slows to 130 bushels per day. Warehouses hold 4,000 barrels of aging whiskey.
- 1910E.W. Winstead, son of A.S. Winstead, takes over operations and renames the company E.W. Winstead & Co.
- 1912Col. A.S. Winstead passes away at age 82 and is buried at Fernwood Cemetery in Henderson, KY.
- 1913The Henderson Morning Gleaner describes Silk Velvet as a nationally recognized brand with widespread distribution.
- 1915Marketed as "Kentucky's finest product, pure and undefiled," with distribution east of the Rocky Mountains.
- 1917The Webb-Kenyon Act restricts interstate alcohol shipments, reducing Silk Velvet's mail-order business.
- 1920Prohibition begins. E.W. Winstead & Co. closes. E.W. dies the same year, age 52. He is buried alongside his father.
- 1920 to 2020Silence. A century-long pause.
2000s
The Bourbon Revival Begins
- 2020The Hargis family of Henderson, KY discovers the history of Silk Velvet and begins researching the brand's legacy.
- 2021-2022The Hargis family secures the Silk Velvet trademark, ensuring the historic name is preserved.
- 2023The Hargis family partners with Jacob Call, an 8th-generation master distiller whose family has been making bourbon since 1791.
- May 2024The first barrels of Silk Velvet are selected for bottling, reviving the brand after more than a century.
- December 9, 2024Silk Velvet Whiskey officially launches in Henderson, KY, selling out on day one.
- 2025The brand expands across Kentucky and into Tennessee, earning praise for its 7-year-old, 107-proof Single Barrel.
- TodaySilk Velvet continues to grow, with more limited barrel releases planned and future distillate aging at Western Kentucky Distilling Co. Once lost to time. Now back on the bar.