John Philip Wiser: born 1825 in New York. In 1857, Wiser began running the Charles Payne Distillery and Farm in Prescott, Ontario, which was owned by his uncle, Charles Egert, and business partner, Amos Averell. Within 5 years Wiser bought them out to become the sole owner. Producing over 500,000 litres/year it wasn't until 1893 that Wiser introduced his first bottles at the Chicago World's Fair (prior to that Wiser's whisky was sold only in barrels). Since the 1980s, Wiser's has been distilled and bottled at the Hiram-Walker & Sons distillery in Windsor