Henry McKenna was shipping whiskey to markets across Kentucky and to a diverse customer base of individuals, retailers, and wholesalers in the South, Middle West, Great Plains, and mountain West by the 1870s, primarily by rail. His sons were active in company management by 1881, and they established a sales and shipping office in Louisville. Customers often specified their interest in “aged whiskey.” The McKennas developed a comprehensive marketing program that included sales to hotels and restaurants; they advertised in professional medical journals and in circulars displayed in railroad passenger cars. The distillery’s logo included two ancient Irish symbols: the Irish harp and the winged Maiden of Eire. Representatives displayed McKenna’s product at medical conventions and directed ads to the medicinal whiskey market. Patrons in dry states and counties used McKenna’s mail-order service extensively. The McKennas did not strive to operate a high-capacity industrial distillery but remained committed to supporting their local community.
The Protestant Clergy in the Great Plains and Mountain West, 1865-1915