W.A. Gaines and Company was a liquor (distilled beverage) company owned by Edson Bradley that specialized in American made whiskeys.
This was also known as the "Whiskey Trust". Brands included Old Crow and Old Hermitage. W.A. Gaines erected the Hermitage distillery in 1868, and were the largest producers of fine "sour mash" whiskeys in the world.
The involvement of W.A. Gaines and Co. in the whiskey industry ended with Prohibition. National Distillers, which owned the distillery and brand from the end of Prohibition until 1987, continued to use the W.A. Gaines and Company name. Jim Beam bought National in 1987.