Re-Read and Second Review (16 Years Later): McIlhenny's Gold by Jeffrey Rothfelder

 

I first read McIlhenny's Gold back in October 2007, and I was very impressed with it at the time because it appeared to tell the truth about Louisiana's remarkable McIlhenny family and what they accomplished over about four generations dating from the Civil War period forward. It appears to me to be well researched, and despite the pushback my first review generated in 2007, it is obvious to me that the author did interview several members of the extended McIlhenny clan. Granted, these were family members not at all directly associated with the tabasco sauce business, but they were all still direct heirs who receive royalties to this day. The more immediate family members, especially those working on the product, absolutely refused to speak with Rothfeder.

A lot has happened since I posted that review in 2007. I personally visited Avery Island a few years ago and looked around for myself. Avery Island is the location of the manufacture and bottling of at least the domestic supply of the Tabasco Sauce brand sold in this part of the world today, although it is now produced in several other foreign locations for consumption in those regions. I did not get the impression from my visit that the actual peppers used to produce the sauce are grown away from the island now, but that has been the case for quite a while as it turns out. The peppers grown own the island itself are used to produce the seeds that are planted elsewhere in order to ensure that the plants are all direct descendants of the original chilis chosen by the founder of the company in the 1860s. Maybe I missed it, but if that was disclosed to visitors on any of the exhibit signage, I didn't see it. 

What I did discover during my visit to the island is a McIlhenny Company brew called their "Family Reserve" variation of the sauce. There is a marked difference between the tase of the Family Reserve version and the original one, and I fell in love with this more expensive version. Rather than being cask-aged for three years like the original, the Family Reserve is aged up to eight years before the mash is processed and bottled. Unfortunately, it is only available via mail order or in person at the company store, so I've ordered it in boxes of three or four bottles many times now since I was there. 

I now understand why the McIlhennys in charge of things hate this book so much. It details all of their accomplishments, especially the amazing growth the company sustained over the last 150 years in almost a steady fashion. It will never be for sale in the company store on Avery Island, because it also very clearly points out the decline in management style and ability that seemed to begin after the first two generations. That decline was caused by the wealth (each direct descendent receives a royalty from company profits) that allowed future generations to pursue other interests, and it became more and more difficult to find a male family member who knew anything about the business itself (or much about business in general). Insisting on always having a McIlhenny became more a liability than an asset eventually.

The book does not shy away from issues involving workers, race, free plantation-style company housing for certain workers, and the overly paternal management style that some people began to resent over the years more than take advantage of. It's all there, the good and the not so good. But in the end, the McIlhennys do not have anything to be ashamed of as far as I'm concerned, and I still am fascinated by what seems to be a rather rare achievement: keeping a thriving family business entirely in the hands of the family for more than a century-and-a-half...and counting.

Curiously, the Proof copy I read from has a cover identical to the one published with the exception that on the Proof "McIlhenny's Gold" is actually in gold letters and the author's name in green letters. That makes more sense to me than the final cover turned out.

My first review offers a clearer summary of that history.