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Event Tue Mar 06 2012
Documentary About Templeton Rye Whiskey Makes Chicago Debut
Gapers Block presents the Chicago premiere of the documentary Capone's Whiskey: The Story of Templeton Rye at the Mayne Stage Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave., on Thursday, March 22, at 8pm, followed by a Q&A with the director, Kristian Day, and a cocktail reception featuring Templeton Rye.
Tickets for the screening are $10, or $15 for reserved seating, and are available through the Mayne Stage website.
Filmmaker Kristian Day's documentary film chronicles the history of the infamous whiskey cookers of Carroll County from their outlaw days of Prohibition to when the liquor became legal in 2006. During the Prohibition Era, west central Iowa farmers cooked whiskey in their barns and machine sheds to supplement their income in the harsh times. The finished product was of such a high quality that it quickly made its way to speakeasies in Chicago, Kansas City, and Omaha through Italian gangster Al Capone. For almost 80 years the product was considered illegal until it was introduced in 2006 as a legal brand of top shelf liquor.
"This film uncovers a part of Iowa's history that has been kept in the dark for almost a hundred years," said Day. "I wanted to tell a story of survival and community spirit without taking away the mystique that it has carried with it for so long."
Gapers Block is excited to bring Capone's Whiskey to Chicago for its first screening in the city. It's a fascinating look at an important chapter in Chicago's history, and its connection to small town Iowa life.
