what does "bottle works" mean?

[flasherr]

A bottle that has "bottle works" on it was it just soda or did they make other beverages like beer? I love this message board it is the only one where people actually have something to say. I am on 6 diff message boards and most seem to be a waste of time to check.
Thank you Brian

 

[IRISH]

Bottle works is the maker of the bottle, ie Melbourne glass bottle works was the biggest glass bottle factory in Melbourne (and Australia after a while). So if you have a bottle with "whatever bottle works" on it they where the mob who made it rather than those who used it, exeption being a few companys who started there own bottle works to self-supply (Moonee vally glass works to supply the Moonee vally cordial Co and Angus & Co to supply the ink company of the same name are two local'ish to me that spring to mind).

 

[Sam_MaineBottles]

I have noticed a trend of bottling outfits that used the name like Jones Bottling Works that often switched to Jones Bottling Company. This seems to be an attempt to modernize their name. There are several Maine bottling concerns that switched their names from 'Works' to 'Company', especially in the 1920s and 30s. These were all soda bottling companies.

Sam