Made by a member of the Cain family in Sullivan County, Tennessee, this orange whiskey jug is inscribed “John Wolfe” “1826” and “True Blue.” This inscription may refer to John Wolfe (1781-1864) of neighboring Scott County, Virginia, who upon his death left his son “my stills, tubs, barrels, cider mill, and other instruments connected with my distillery.” A search through period newspapers from the region where this jug was made and used revealed that a famous racehorse named True Blue was competing in the area in 1826. In the period the term “True Blue” also referred to politics, which like horse racing, regularly involved the consumption of large quantities of alcohol.

The potter Jessee Vestal in Washington County, Virginia, left little doubt about what he intended his pot to hold. He inscribed a poem on it:

Long and lazy
little and loud
fair and foolish
dark and proud
a splendee branda jug