Desk,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1910; wood, metal; 91.5.2.

This desk was used in the grain receiver's office for keeping records and logs of the grain used in the distillery.  The underside of the lid contains the signatures of former grain receivers, notations referring to the storage location of specific grain, delivery dates and a grid corresponding to the grain bins located in the mill.

Grain Box,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1875; wood, leather, metal; 91.5.1.

This box was used to store corn in the mill.  A distinctive aroma of grain still emanates from this piece.

Grain Sieve,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1990; tin; 92.15.4 a-c.

Grain was first examined by visual inspection to ensure that it was ripe and free from damage and foreign matter.  This grain sieve was used to measure the size of grain kernels.

Grain Sampler.

A grain sampler, such as this one, was used by the grain receiver to take a representative sample of grain from all incoming shipments.  These samples were then taken to the laboratory where the grain receiver conducted a series of quality control tests.

Grinder,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1910; steel, wood; 90.7.1 a-c.

Manufactured as a coffee grinder, this piece was used in the quality control laboratory to grind corn in preparation for conducting an olfactory test on a sample of recently delivered grain.  The ground corn was placed in a testing glass, covered with hot water and left to stand for a few minutes prior to checking its odour.  Only grain that smelled fresh, clean and sweet was accepted for use in the distillery.

Grain Samples.

The Seagram distillery in Waterloo earned its reputation on the production of quality Canadian whiskies.  While wheat was used in the production of early whiskies, corn, rye and barley were the grains that were more commonly used in the making of whiskies at the plant.  Corn was used for the base whisky.  Rye and barley produced the flavouring whiskies that were blended with the base whisky.  Barley also provided malt, which contains enzymes essential to the whisky-making process.  Before it was accepted for use, all the grain shipped to the plant had to undergo a series of quality control tests which were conducted by the worker known as the grain receiver.

Moisture Meter,
LaSalle, Quebec; circa 1960; copper, wood, leather, ferrous metal; 83.15.1.

A moisture meter, such as this one, was used to test the moisture content of incoming grain.  The maximum moisture content of grain used at the Waterloo distillery was 13.5%.  Anything above that was rejected by the grain receiver.  Grain with a high moisture content was difficult to mill to the required fineness and had the potential of heating-up in storage, thus impairing the quality of grain.