Vess was founded in 1916 by Sylvester "Vess" Jones. Charles L. Grigg was working for Vess when he developed Whistle around 1920. He later left Vess and the Whistle brand with it, he went on to found the Howdy Company and eventually created 7-Up.
At the time Whistle was the brand name used for their Orange flavor, while the others were branded as Vess. After the stock market crash of 1929, Vess sold the company to Donald Schneebarger and still more flavors were added to the Vess brand line-up. The company was bought by beverage conglomerate, Cott Beverages in 1994.
Being that the drink has changed hands to a modern bottler and is no longer sold in glass it's hard to say if it is still anything at all like the original drink. This bottle may be old since I found it at a gas station and there was no distinct release of carbonation upon opening. But it's still not bad. The tangy citrous flavor holds up and is not overly sweet and syrupy. Refreshingly cool too for this summer heat.
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| ©2009 by Ross White |
During the heydays of the carbonated beverage St. Louis was a center of activity for many companies, probably helped by the fact that a large industry of beer bottling already existed there. The old Bottling District near the Edward Jones Dome is no longer home to this industry but the name remains. The landmark Vess Bottle can still be found there and plans are in the works for neighborhood redevelopment.
3 comments:
Why was it name whistle, where did that bane come from
Where did the name Whistle come from, what does it mean
I don't know that there is anything specific out there that provides a sure fire explanation. I always took it as a variation on the idiom "to wet one's whistle", meaning to quench your thirst. This sort of goes with their advertising which often stated "Thirsty? Just Whistle"
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