Medley Brothers

Benedict F. Medley was the “ladies’ man” of the Medley Bros. Suave, funny, and with an extensive vocabulary he was never afraid to use, Ben was also a true entrepreneur, even owning local Kentucky drinking establishments. Ben didn’t marry until he was nearly 50, and wore his string tie in a traditional “four-in-hand” fashion.

John A. Medley, known as “Mr. John” by the Medley Distilling Company employees, and known as “Big Daddy” by his 9 children, was a strapping man who had a nickname for everybody. A lifelong fixture at the company, John supervised purchasing, bottling, and was the Medley Distilling Company treasurer. John wore his string tie in a traditional bow tie fashion.

The burliest of the five Medley Brothers, Edwin W. Medley was also the most casual, often eschewing a tie during his work with Medley Distilling Company. During World War II, when the US Government used all local Kentucky dried timber for the war effort, Eddie ran the Medley Bros. own standing timber operation, which allowed them to have dry oak for
aging bourbon.

The President of Medley Distilling Company, R. Wathen Medley was the most formal of the Medley Bros. Wathen was known for his colored Oxford cloth dress shirts under his darks suit when he traveled to promote his Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Wathen uniquely wore his string tie with the bows tucked under the collar of his dress shirts, with just the tie’s tails exposed.

Thomas A. Medley was the “gambler” of the Medley Bros. Tom traveled everywhere with his bulldog Captain (aka “Doc”). Tom was a stubborn entrepreneur who left Medley Distilling Company for such ventures as Medley Brothers Oil. The best Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey “yeast man” of his era, the ever-independent Tom wore a bolo tie rather than the traditional Medley string tie.