For decades, when Wayne County residents rang in the new year, there was a good chance that a bottle of Cedar Valley rye or bourbon figured in the celebration. Founded in the mid-19th century by Cyrus Bowman on Cedar Valley Road, just west of Overton in Chester Township, Cedar Valley Distillery moved to Wooster around 1880, setting up shop near the intersection of Akron and Canal roads.
In 1900, C.K. Bowman bought out his father’s interest and continued to operate the distillery with his son Warren. He also sparred with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, who succeeded in turning Wayne County dry in 1908, and the wonderfully named Rev. Scattergood of the Civic League, who declared his determination to “put [the distillery] out of business.” It took longer than he and the WCTU might have hoped, but Prohibition finally did the trick.
This particular bottle of Cedar Valley Rye – still 3/4 full – was distilled in 1902 and bottled in June 1914.
