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HISTORY

A Brand

THE STORY

At the height of America’s original whiskey boom of the late nineteenth century, a German immigrant named Phil Hollenbach crafted a brand called Fortuna that helped define the early days of the modern bourbon industry.  Hollenbach left a lasting mark on the whiskey trade, having found great success in Louisville, Kentucky.  He strived to delight customers far and wide by sharing some of the “Taste of Good Fortune” provided to his family.

Over a hundred years since its inception, Fortuna Bourbon has now been revitalized for a new generation of whiskey lovers to celebrate.  Aged a minimum of six years and hand-selected by the folks behind Rare Character Whiskey, the spirit of Hollenbach’s passion and dedication lives on in this remarkable Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

  • 1869

    Philip Hollenbach emigrates from Germany to the US and gets into the wine trade. He eventually finds success, finally settling in the bourbon industry of Louisville.

  • 1882

    The success of brands like Glencoe forced Phil to secure reliable supply for his brands, leading to the purchase of the Stitzel Bros. Distillery (built-in 1872). It was renamed to Glencoe; Jacob and Frederick Stitzel remained as master distillers.

  • 1885 - 1890

    After a fire and an immediate rebuild, Hollenbach turned his focus on Fortuna. The brand was broadly marketed across the region and via a vast distribution network that included Louis (his brother), who ran a distributor in Chicago, growing Fortuna’s market share to 70% in the area at its peak in the late 1880s.

  • 1919

    In 1920, Prohibition ended the days of Phil Hollenbach & Company. The Glencoe distillery was shut and dismantled from 1920 to 1935.

  • 1935 - 1943

    Glencoe was rebuilt not far from its original site by Phil’s son, Louis, but was later sold in 1942 to National Distillers for $3M. ND used the facility to produce alcohol for the war effort.

  • 1945

    National Distillers would close the New Glencoe Plant and move production to its Bardstown Distillery after the War, renaming that facility The Glencoe Distillery.

    Fortuna was last bottled at some time in the late 1950s.

  • 1972

    The Glencoe Distillery would eventually be shut down. The property was sold, primarily for its warehouses.

  • 2022

    Rare Character re-launches Fortuna to the world!