Whiskey Ring

Whiskey Ring, U.S. scandal exposed in 1875. Distillers in St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and elsewhere had evaded taxes through payments to Republican Party funds and individuals. The investigations of Secretary of the Treasury Benjamin Bristow led to 237 indictments (including the chief treasury clerk and the president's private secretary), 110 convictions, and the recovery of over $4 million in taxes. Pres. Ulysses S. Grant was cleared personally, but his party was damaged.