[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 50 (Friday, April 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING LAIRD & COMPANY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 21, 2005

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Laird & Company on its 
225th Anniversary as a family, owned and operated New Jersey business 
located in Scobeyville, New Jersey. Laird & Company is the oldest 
licensed distiller in the United States and is most well known for its 
famous Applejack.
  The history of Laird & Company is very rich. The company can trace 
its origin back to 1698 when William Laird moved to Monmouth County, 
New Jersey from Scotland and began making Scotch by using one of the 
most abundant resources in the area, apples. He made this brandy for 
his own family, friends and neighbors.
  During the Revolutionary War, Robert Laird served under George 
Washington and during the Battle of Monmouth, the Laird family would 
supply the troops with Applejack. Washington enjoyed Applejack and 
personally requested the recipe to produce his own. To this day, 
Washington is the only non-Laird family member to know the secret 
Laird's Applejack recipe.
  During Prohibition, the company was able to survive by selling sweet 
cider and applesauce. Since the Prohibition, Laird & Company has 
produced roughly 95 percent of all Applejack apple brandy sold in the 
United States. Laird & Company halted their production of Applejack 
during World War II to aid in the war effort by converting their plant 
to dry and dehydrate apple pomace for pectin and other products.
  Laird & Company was recognized by the New Jersey State Senate in 1964 
as the ``oldest native distilled spirit beverage in the United 
States.'' The plant in Scobeyville, New Jersey is the oldest operating 
distillery in the country and it produces close to 1.5 million cases of 
distilled spirits annually.
  I rise today to commend Laird & Company in its 225th year as a family 
owned and operated business with a deep history. I applaud the service 
that Laird & Company has made to the individuals and communities of 
Central New Jersey and the country.

                          ____________________