Schenley was a liquor company based out of New York, N.Y. with headquarters in the Empire State Building and a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It owned several brands of Bourbon whiskey, including Schenley, The Old Quaker Company, Carstairs' White Seal, and possibly others; they also owned a controlling interest in Blatz beer. They also made a Canadian whisky called Black Velvet. Schenley's Black Velvet DeLuxe was the only liquor available to submarine officers at Midway in World War II, where it was held in low regard and known as "Schenley's Black Death."[1]
Schenley was acquired by the financier Meshulam Riklis in 1968. He sold the company to Guinness in 1987. Schenley had formerly imported Guinness into the United States.
The company sponsored the Schenley Award in the Canadian Football League for many decades. The trophy is still awarded for outstanding play, but the company does not sponsor the award.