It's hard to start anything. Good quality keeps it going.
This week, Herman Mihalich stopped into the Liberty Pole Spirits distillery for a visit. He’s the owner and distiller of Dad’s Hat, producing well-crafted, beautifully authentic Rye Whiskey. He has shared many industry lessons with us, and whenever he drives in from his home in New Hope, Pennsylvania, we consider it an honor.
Herman Mihalich, Founder and Distiller of Dad’s Hat Rye Whiskey is holding Hannah Hough, third generation distiller-in-training at Liberty Pole Spirits.
As the evening went on and the best of our rye whiskeys were sampled, Herman told the story of growing up in Monessen, a manufacturing town on the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh. When prohibition started in 1920, Herman’s grandfather’s neighbor, Mr. Major, made rye whiskey on a small still. He’d flush the stillage into the drainage from a nearby abandoned coal mine so that no one could smell it. He remained in production, undetected, for the duration of prohibition.
Good friends and neighbors would gather secretly at Herman’s grandfather's house to enjoy the fruit of Mr. Major’s labor, and for 10 years, Matt Mihalich operated his home as a speakeasy. In 1932, when the Volstead Act was repealed, the family home speakeasy became Matt Mihalich’s Bar, located on the corner of 12th Street and Knox Avenue in Monessen.
Matt Mihalich’s Bar, circa 1933
Herman’s grandparents (Matt and Kathryn) are standing behind the bar.
Herman talked about living in the apartment above the family bar. He had vivid memories of the sounds, smells, laughter, and stories of all the people that gathered there. Herman’s father was proud to carry on the family’s business, and even adopted the Stetson Fedora hat as part of his attention-to-detail personal style. He taught Herman that taking care of quality ensured that the work of Mr. Major and Matt Mihalich would continue to bring optimism and joy to many people well into the future.
At this point, Herman leaned in to examine the bottles on the table for a delightful next sip. I was struck by the realization that the work of Herman’s family had been born from necessity, but because they used the best of their combined, unique abilities, they have created a legacy.
To me, it is just another memorable moment gifted from the quiet abundant talent found in the valley of the Three Rivers and discovered over the warmth of a glass of Liberty Pole Rye Whiskey.
Publisher’s note: Ellen sent this to us with the title “P.S. Necessity is the Mother of Invention, but Quality is the Key to a Legacy”. She’s right, of course…but what I love about her story here is right there in the title I ended up giving it — It’s hard to start anything, and having good quality is a good insurance policy against losing it.
