Little Brown Jug Whisky

Artist unknown, ca. 1957/58

Glass and paper label

Dimensions variable

Purchased from Gooderham and Worts Limited

Personal collection

Gooderham and Worts Limited is a distillery of alcoholic beverages located in Toronto, Canada. The company was founded in 1869 and used to be one of the largest distilleries in Canada. The jug holds major significance to my family’s past. In 1957/58, my grandfather purchased a cabin on the side of the St. Lawrence Seaway for fifty dollars. Cabins were cheap at the time because the government was widening the waterway to allow for more ships to transport goods in and out. The cabin was then transported to Collingwood, Ontario, to the bottom of Osler Bluff Ski Club. From there, it was renovated by my grandfather and two of his friends. All three had skills that would contribute to the successful completion of the build: one a plumber, the second an electrician, and my grandpa, an engineer with a background in construction. Each man’s role was crucial to the completion of the project. Every so often after a hard day’s work, the three men would sit, and drink Manhattans made with Little Brown Jug Whisky.

The cabin was originally supposed to be named Little Brown Jug. It was changed to Rub a Dub, however, because the cabin had the first bathtub on the property and was built by three men, a play on the nursery rhyme. There are 17 bottles hung on nails across a beam on the ceiling of the cabin as décor and a remembrance of the hard work and effort that went into building the cabin. The item especially plays a significant role in my life currently with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is where I have been spending my quarantine for the past month as a place to escape the city and relax.

Jackson Lobb-Macdonald