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Wall-to-wall drinking! A couple discovers 66 bottles of $ 1,000 Prohibition-era whiskey called ‘Old Smuggler’ hidden in the walls and floor of their upstate New York home once owned by a smuggler German baron
- Nick Drummond and Patrick Bakker bought a 1915 repair house in the town of Ames late last year.
- The couple began renovating the residence last month and discovered whiskey bottles hidden between the walls and under the floorboards.
- They have found 66 bottles of Old Smuggler Gaelic whiskey and think there could be more hidden throughout the house
- The house was owned by Count Adolph Humpfner, who died mysteriously in 1932 and left behind a great fortune.
- At the time of his death, the locals were baffled by the way he acquired such a large sum of money, but now it appears that he was a prominent smuggler during Prohibition.
- The Prohibition era, which ran from 1920 to 1933, made millionaires out of men and women who smuggled illegal alcohol into the United States from Canada.
A couple were stunned after finding 66 bottles of Prohibition-era whiskey hidden in the walls and floor of their home in upstate New York.
Nick Drummond and Patrick Bakker bought the property in the town of Ames late last year, and were told it once belonged to a ‘childless German baron who smuggled in the 1920s.’
The couple passed the story down as nothing more than folklore until they began renovating the 105-year-old residence last month and discovered hidden liquor in the spaces between the walls and floors.
Drummond told CNN that he was removing the outer skirting of a lobby when he found the whiskey bottles wrapped in brown paper.
A New York couple were stunned after finding 66 bottles of Prohibition-era whiskey hidden in the walls and floor of their upstate home. All bottles are Old Smuggler Gaelic whiskey, a Scottish label that is still in production.
Drummond told CNN that he was removing the outer skirt of a lobby when he found the whiskey bottles wrapped in brown paper.
Nick Drummond and Patrick Bakker (pictured) bought the property in the town of Ames late last year, and were told it once belonged to a ‘childless German baron who smuggled in the 1920s’
The three-story house in Ames is shown. Drummond and Bakker had no idea of the property’s incredible history when they made the purchase last year.
‘I’m like what is that? I was very confused … I’m like holy shit. This is like a stash of whiskey. And this is like all of a sudden the whole smuggler story [makes sense].
Drummond shared a video of the remarkable moment on his Instagram page, which recently attracted thousands of new followers.
‘OUR WALLS ARE BUILT FROM BOOZE!’ he wrote.
I can’t believe the rumors are true! He was actually a smuggler! I mean, I thought it was a nice story, but the builder of our house was REALLY a smuggler!
The couple discovered 42 bottles of whiskey in the wall space. All bottles are Old Smuggler Gaelic whiskey, a Scottish label that is still in production.
However, Drummond and Bakker discovered even more alcohol hidden under the floorboards inside the lobby.
Drummond and Bakker discovered even more alcohol hidden under the floorboards inside the lobby.
So far, the couple have found a total of 66 bottles and say they are likely to come across more as they continue their renovations.
The bottles are estimated to be worth around $ 1,000 each, but the couple did not reveal whether they had opened one to sample the whiskey.
Unlike wine, whiskey does not improve with age once bottled. While it is unlikely to be harmful if the partner decides to drink it, there is no guarantee that it will taste good.
Bottles of whiskey, dating back at least 90 years, were discovered wrapped in brown paper
After making the discovery, Drummond began researching the history of the house and discovered that there was some truth to the rumors that it was owned by a ‘a’ childless German baron who resorted to smuggling ‘.
The original owner was a German known as Count Adolph Humpfner, who died mysteriously in 1932 and left behind a large fortune.
“His estate was worth more than $ 140,000 in 1932,” Drummond told his Instagram followers.
‘He had many aliases and was known as the Mohawk Valley mystery man, and’ the earl ‘; although there was never proof of his royalty beyond his own claims.
“ It was a mystery to the locals at the time how he made his fortune. He owned a local bank, the school gym, and 23 properties in New York and New Jersey.
Now, it seems clear that he made his fortune through smuggling during the Prohibition era, which ran from 1920 to 1933.
Ames is located roughly halfway between New York City and the Canadian border, making it the perfect location for smugglers who may have been bringing in illegal alcohol from the north.
Later, Drummond began to investigate the history of the house and discovered that there was some truth to the rumors that it was owned by a ‘a’ German baron without children who resorted to smuggling ‘.
