Ruckforth Brewery & Ulmer Ceramic Co.
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Ruckforth Brewery was located in Szczecin, Poland The Szczecin Distillery “Polmos”, S.A. [Joint Stock Company] Their bottles were made by the Ulmer Ceramics Co. of Germany. Neu-Ulm (Bavaria) is situated near Ulm (Baden-Wuerttemberg, famous old town with 'Ulmer Muenster, worlds highest church building ..) The Distillery of Szczecin is located at Jagiellońska Str. 63/64, was constructed in the years1862-63, as the Victoria Brewery. The Brewery has been developed since the very beginning. In 1917, the Brewery stopped its activity. In the years 1922-1924, an adaptation of the Brewery into the distillery took place by the C.W. Kemp - an old firm from Szczecin acting as a part of the Ruckforth concern which embraced the fermentation, brewing and spirit production industries of the Pomerania and Brandenburgia territories. It was in January 1946 when the plant was formally taken over by the State Monopoly of the Spirit Industry. The buildings of the Distillery had not been destroyed during the warfare. However, facilities and technological archives had been taken away. Never the less, it was in March 1946 when the production was started making use of two production tables. The production was developing rapidly and there was more and more new bottling tables and their technical level was typical for that before the year 1939. Already 300 persons were than employed. In the year 1964, automation of production processes were initiated. There were 4 production lines installed and they were systematically modernized. The second stage of development and modernization of the machinery equipment was done in the second half of the 70‘s. The technology of vodkas was developing then, simultaneously with the production technology. Apart from popular vodkas production and, majority of known Polish vodkas like wyborowa vodka, rye vodka, bison grass vodka, soplica sorb brandy, club vodka, cherry vodka etc., a number of elaboration of new products, representing the highest quality level, was appearing. The distillery specialized in the production of natural vodkas which required many years of cellar treatment, like starka, brandies, whisky, plum vodka. Calvados type vodkas. The highest production level - over 12 million litres of 100% alcohol yearly (60 million bottles of vodka) - was reached by the Distillery in the middle of the 70’s. Their product line was as big as 80 different kinds of alcoholic products. Starting from January 1, 1964, the Distillery has taken over the biggest production establishment of fodder yeast in the Country, at the Kolumba Str. 60 in Szczecin and changed its name to: the Spirit and Yeast Production Plant in Szczecin. However, it was in 1982 when the plant was subject to be liquidated due to environmental protection requirements. In 1992, the liquidation of the National Enterprise of the Spirit Industry "Polmos" was carried out and the Distillery became an independent plant since then. In November 1998, the Distillery was transformed into the Joint Stock Company with 100% share of the State Treasury. Now, the Company is in the course of privatisation processes. Ulmer Ceramics Co. of Bavaria Neu-Ulm (Bavaria) is situated near Ulm (Baden-Wuerttemberg, famous old town with 'Ulmer Muenster, worlds highest church building ..) Ruckforth Mark on bottom of bottles Ruckforth Mark on seals of money sacks Some examples of Ruckforth Nippers below. Nip641 Nip187 Nip182-var Nip197 Nip58 Nip139 Note: The distinctive orange coloring seems to only appear on the nippers made by Ulmer Ceramics Co. and not on other makers. |
