Tales of the Bourbon King

Welcome to another captivating episode of “Tales of the Bourbon King,” the podcast that examines the life and true crimes of Jazz Age bootleg baron George Remus. In this episode, we dive deep into a little-known aspect of the crime mastermind’s life – an intriguing commitment to extreme sports and what that chapter uncovers about his journey to infamy.

George Remus, a name synonymous with 1920s crime and murder, had a lesser-known past that shaped the trajectory of his life. Long before he became entangled in the underworld of organized crime, Remus possessed an exceptional talent that set him apart – swimming. Born in the late 19th century, Remus displayed remarkable prowess in the water and established himself as a competitive swimmer of great promise.

But what does swimming have to do with the turbulent times of the early 1900s and the philosophy of the “strenuous life,” popularized by none other than President Theodore Roosevelt? To understand this connection, we need to delve into the prevailing mindset of the era.

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, preached the virtues of an active and vigorous life. He championed physical fitness, asserting that endurance and strength were not only crucial for individual success, but also for the well-being of the nation as a whole. Roosevelt’s philosophy was widely embraced, reflecting an era when physical challenges were seen as opportunities for personal growth and character development.

George Remus was undoubtedly influenced by Roosevelt’s example and the prevailing zeitgeist. His intense focus and single-mindedness, qualities that had propelled him to excellence in swimming, seamlessly transitioned into his pursuit of a legal career. Remus’s unyielding determination led him to become a successful lawyer, earning a reputation for his unwavering commitment to his clients and his relentless pursuit of victory.

But as history often reveals, single-mindedness can be a double-edged sword. Remus’s intense dedication to his clients and his insatiable drive for success eventually blurred the lines between legal and illegal activities. The advent of Prohibition in the 1920s provided Remus with a lucrative opportunity to exploit the law and amass immense wealth as a bootlegger.

In a stunning turn of events, Remus’s transition from esteemed lawyer to notorious criminal underscored the complex interplay between personal ambition, societal values, and the allure of forbidden activities during the Prohibition era. This episode provides another window into how Remus made the transformation – mentally and physically – from famous attorney to notorious criminal mastermind.

For George Remus, the path from German immigrant to the bootleg king of the Jazz Age began humbly, as his near-destitute family first set foot in America. Within a decade, with the family disintegrating, young George -- barely a teenager -- took on the mantle as main breadwinner and support system. What initially seemed like the American dream of success via hard work and determination was planted in Remus. At the same time, however, the burden and responsibility hardened him, creating and reinforcing personality traits that would eventually lead him on a resolutely criminal path.

The mass arrival of German immigrants in the United States in the 1800s changed the nation. German settlers gained a significant presence, becoming one of the largest immigrant groups of the 19th century. Millions of Germans made the journey to the US between 1820 and 1880. They sought out economic opportunities and a chance for a better life.

For the Remus clan, the early experiences in America were filled with heartbreak and tragedy as they moved westward in hopes of finding a better life, eventually settling in Chicago. "It was a hardship," George would later reflect on his early years. The weight of their struggles was palpable, pushing young Remus to shoulder the mantle of responsibility. In this cauldron, Remus developed the character traits that came to define him as a person. During these years, the world silently witnessed the birth of criminal mastermind like few had existed before him.

“Tales of the Bourbon King,” hosted by award-winning cultural historian and biographer Bob Batchelor (author of The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius) dives into the grand spectacle of Remus’s true crime lifestyle. This is a lens into the dark heart of American in the 1920s as Prohibition outlawed alcohol, but did just the opposite as criminals and devious mob leaders filled the streets with bootleg whiskey, flappers danced the night away, and blazing machine guns barked through the night. All told, the bootleg era brought in countless millions of dollars in illegal booze and cost countless lives as mobsters fought it out for supremacy. Atop it all sat George Remus, the “King of the Bootleggers,” a former pharmacist and one of America’s top attorneys who used his unique knowledge to turn America into his violent playground. He amassed a fortune and lived out a real-life Great Gatsby tale of mayhem and murder as he built an empire from the Ohio and Kentucky whiskey distilleries home to the finest bourbon in the world.  

Millions of immigrants arrived in America in the late nineteenth century at Castle Gardens, the precursor to Ellis Island. While many people today might imagine Castle Garden as a safe haven after the arduous Atlantic crossing, there was a dark underbelly to the immigration story that opens us to the sordid history of the era.

It is 1882 – As waves of newcomers from Europe arrive on American shores, they are greeted not by ticker-tape parades or relatives eager to welcome their family member to the US, but by a group of unscrupulous individuals who have created a thriving network of graft, corruption, and exploitation.

These criminals, often operating under the guise of “immigrant agents,” promise to help newcomers find work, housing, and a better life in America. Instead of offering genuine assistance, thought, they demand exorbitant fees, force immigrants to purchase overpriced goods, and even attempted to sell them into indentured servitude. The corruption ran deep into the officials running Castle Garden. Some observers estimate that these forces of evil siphoned off millions of dollars from immigrants, leaving many destitute and unable to start their American journeys on a strong footing.

Preying on its newest arrivals because they are vulnerable is a particularly despicable act that reveals a fundamentally evil side of human life. To understand George Remus’s immigration story, we must shine a light on this dark stain on American history.

Before there was a "Bourbon King," George Remus's family had to immigrate to the United States, just as countless millions had before them. In this episode, we will explore the journey of Carl Franz Remus and Marie Louise Karg, the parents of notorious bootlegger George Remus, as they came to America in June 1882.

Despite the challenges of the journey, Carl and Marie arrived in America with hope for a brighter future. Their story is one of perseverance and the pursuit of the American dream, but it was also filled with travails and challenges. Their story provides a glimpse into the struggles faced by many immigrants during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We will take a closer look at their journey and the impact it had on their family's future in America.

Everyone develops mental models for dealing with themselves, their families, communities, and broader world. This is the foundation of the Bourbon King, George Remus, the most notorious criminal mastermind of the Jazz Age.

Bootleg King George Remus believed that the Eighteenth Amendment was an immoral law – against the will of the people. In Remus’s mind, any law that was corrupt could be broken…and break Prohibition he did…on a grand, gaudy scale.

What set the Bourbon King apart from other criminals, bootleggers, and crooks who were trying to make a killing off booze boils down to two words: “Kentucky Dew.”

Kentucky Dew was the name given to Kentucky bourbon, then and now the finest in the world. Remus centered his budding empire on acquiring high-quality bourbon by any means necessary. He hoped to build an empire on Kentucky Dew, like John D. Rockefeller had in oil or JP Morgan in steel.

Prohibition has often been romanticized as a time of speakeasies and flappers, fun-filled nights dancing and partying without a care in the world. People get images of booze-filled parties and glamorous couples gathering poolside from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby or romantic notions of beautiful women with bobbed haircuts and blaring jazz music playing into the wee hours of the morning. It is called "The Roaring Twenties" after all.

The reality was far darker. Prohibition had a devastating human toll, leading to an increase in violence, organized crime, and deaths related to alcohol consumption. To fully understand how Bourbon King George Remus rose to power, we must examine Prohibition, from its impact on the lives of countless Americans to the socio-economic havoc it had on the nation as a whole. Thirteen dry years that were wetter than anyone could have imagined and a large swath of death and destruction with two world wars as bookends.

George Remus was a lawyer turned criminal who became known as the “King of the Bootleggers” during Prohibition. He made hundreds of millions of dollars by exploiting loopholes in the Volstead Act, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States. Remus was not the only bootlegger during this era, but he was one of the most notorious and colorful figures of the age. A contemporary of New York City criminal mastermind Arnold Rothstein, Remus sold the best bourbon and alcohol in the land, paving the way for another associate -- Al Capone -- to establish his Chicago crime syndicate.

To understand Remus's story, we must first understand the context of his era. The United States had entered a period of cultural and political change in the early 20th century. The Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, was a time when alcohol was illegal, but it was still widely consumed.

Many people saw Prohibition as a violation of their personal freedom, and they were willing to break the law to obtain alcohol. George Remus was driven by his feeling that Prohibition was against the rights of the people and that any law that was immoral could be broken. And, break Prohibition he did!

The Jazz Age was ruled by notorious bootleg barons, none bigger than the “Bourbon King” George Remus. His larger-than-life tale brings the 1920s and Prohibition to life, an era filled with love, murder, political intrigue, mountains of cash, and rivers of bourbon!  

“Tales of the Bourbon King,” hosted by award-winning cultural historian and biographer Bob Batchelor (author of The Bourbon Kind: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius) dives into the grand spectacle of Remus’s true crime lifestyle. This is a lens into the dark heart of American in the 1920s as Prohibition outlawed alcohol, but did just the opposite as criminals and devious mob leaders filled the streets with bootleg whiskey, flappers danced the night away, and blazing machine guns barked through the night. All told, the bootleg era brought in countless millions of dollars in illegal booze and cost countless lives as mobsters fought it out for supremacy. Atop it all sat George Remus, the “King of the Bootleggers,” a former pharmacist and one of America’s top attorneys who used his unique knowledge to turn America into his violent playground. He amassed a fortune and lived out a real-life Great Gatsby tale of mayhem and murder as he built an empire from the Ohio and Kentucky whiskey distilleries home to the finest bourbon in the world.  

Remus’s true crime story seems like it came straight from fiction, but his life set the tone for the decade – that is until it all came crashing down in an unbelievable story of deceit, prosecution, and the dastardly G-man who stole his wife, leading directly to that fateful gunshot that ended her life.  

Pour yourself a shot and get ready for an epic ride…These are “Tales of the Bourbon King -- The Life and True Crimes of George Remus!”