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marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
Some sections were not as gripping as others, but overall a pretty fascinating read.
dtab62's review
4.0
A fun read. It gave me a better appreciation for my favorite liquor. And made me thirsty.
bookwyrm55's review
4.0
I'm learning a lot about Bourbon, but also a lot of anecdotal and off-trail history of the US that is not always relevant. It's a quick, easy read, but sometimes the flip manner of the narrative is intrusive.
nickfourtimes's review against another edition
3.0
1) "Take a simple glance at bourbon's history, and the parallels become undeniable: a primary ingredient (corn) first cultivated by Native Americans. A distillation technique brought from Europe by immigrants. A recipe invented on the Western frontier. A spirit of rebellion born of social upheaval. A coming of age in the tumult of the Roaring Twenties. A global emergence in the postwar years. Sound familiar? From the Jazz Age to the Space Age, the Lost Generation to Generation X, bourbon has created our heroes and crippled our stars, fueled our imagination and flummoxed our ideals. Simply stated, bourbon is the American Spirit, both blessing and bane served neat or on the rocks."
2) "One settler described the following makeshift frontier saloon in Kansas:
It consisted of crotched stakes... which supported a ridge-pole, across which some old sailcloth was drawn... forming a cabin some six by eight feet, and perhaps from three to five and a half feet high---large enough to contain two whiskey barrels, two decanters, several glasses, three or four cans of pickled oysters and two or three boxes of sardines but nothing of the bread kind whatever."
3) "Naturally, with liquor and vigorous dancing, scandalous behavior was never far behind, a reality best demonstrated by the dancer Grace Carlyle's evening at Crumley's drinking establishment in Cripple Creek, Colorado. After copious alcohol consumption, the night ended with the platinum blond mademoiselle being hoisted on the bar to gyrate naked---all to the wild applause of the men in attendance. The Cripple Creek Crusher would later explain away the incident, stating:
Such hilarious antics were nothing more than an expression of the natural ebullience of the world's richest mining camp and the increased potency of good Bourbon at high altitudes and not to be taken as proof of the town's depravity."
4) "Why would a prosperous young professional settle for rattletrap Chryslers and crappy Kraft Singles, when he could enjoy Swatches from Switzerland, Volvos from Sweden, Gucci loafers from Italy, and sashimi from Japan? Why would he gag back a glass of mundane bourbon, with its hokey labeling and total lack of umlauts, when he could easily pair his Häagen-Dazs with any number of French wines, craft beers, or trendy vodkas?
Good questions, and ones the bourbon industry found itself grappling with during the brand-conscious blossoming of Reagan's America. Outward-looking and freshly global, we as a nation felt entitled to stick up our noses at the bland, macro-produced world that had so enraptured us as a people a mere generation before."
5) "Far from being a solely alcoholic phenomenon, the recent reemergence of traditional, locally sourced crafts can be seen as part of a larger cultural trend that first gained a foothold in the early aughts. Marked by a longing for true 'authenticity,' it has compelled a new generation of younger Americans to actively seek out a moral and aesthetic sensibility that draws heavily from the shared memory of the American past. This predilection has become apparent in clothing styles, food choices, musical tastes, and yes, even beverage selection. Essentially, as a people, we've gained enough cultural distance from our folkloric ancestors to make that world seem cool again. [...] Today, [bourbon is] increasingly sought out and imbibed as a means of communion with that very past. Because for a people actively searching out what is real and worth preserving in their heritage, bourbon is understandably seen to be as real as it gets---and if it's made right, it's a piece of our past that tastes pretty good, too. At the root of our nation's current bourbon renaissance, and manifested in the clusters of craft distilleries that are sprouting directly from it, one can readily detect the most basic of needs---a sense of identity, place, and belonging."
2) "One settler described the following makeshift frontier saloon in Kansas:
It consisted of crotched stakes... which supported a ridge-pole, across which some old sailcloth was drawn... forming a cabin some six by eight feet, and perhaps from three to five and a half feet high---large enough to contain two whiskey barrels, two decanters, several glasses, three or four cans of pickled oysters and two or three boxes of sardines but nothing of the bread kind whatever."
3) "Naturally, with liquor and vigorous dancing, scandalous behavior was never far behind, a reality best demonstrated by the dancer Grace Carlyle's evening at Crumley's drinking establishment in Cripple Creek, Colorado. After copious alcohol consumption, the night ended with the platinum blond mademoiselle being hoisted on the bar to gyrate naked---all to the wild applause of the men in attendance. The Cripple Creek Crusher would later explain away the incident, stating:
Such hilarious antics were nothing more than an expression of the natural ebullience of the world's richest mining camp and the increased potency of good Bourbon at high altitudes and not to be taken as proof of the town's depravity."
4) "Why would a prosperous young professional settle for rattletrap Chryslers and crappy Kraft Singles, when he could enjoy Swatches from Switzerland, Volvos from Sweden, Gucci loafers from Italy, and sashimi from Japan? Why would he gag back a glass of mundane bourbon, with its hokey labeling and total lack of umlauts, when he could easily pair his Häagen-Dazs with any number of French wines, craft beers, or trendy vodkas?
Good questions, and ones the bourbon industry found itself grappling with during the brand-conscious blossoming of Reagan's America. Outward-looking and freshly global, we as a nation felt entitled to stick up our noses at the bland, macro-produced world that had so enraptured us as a people a mere generation before."
5) "Far from being a solely alcoholic phenomenon, the recent reemergence of traditional, locally sourced crafts can be seen as part of a larger cultural trend that first gained a foothold in the early aughts. Marked by a longing for true 'authenticity,' it has compelled a new generation of younger Americans to actively seek out a moral and aesthetic sensibility that draws heavily from the shared memory of the American past. This predilection has become apparent in clothing styles, food choices, musical tastes, and yes, even beverage selection. Essentially, as a people, we've gained enough cultural distance from our folkloric ancestors to make that world seem cool again. [...] Today, [bourbon is] increasingly sought out and imbibed as a means of communion with that very past. Because for a people actively searching out what is real and worth preserving in their heritage, bourbon is understandably seen to be as real as it gets---and if it's made right, it's a piece of our past that tastes pretty good, too. At the root of our nation's current bourbon renaissance, and manifested in the clusters of craft distilleries that are sprouting directly from it, one can readily detect the most basic of needs---a sense of identity, place, and belonging."
disasterchick's review
3.0
I'm not a big Bourbon drinker. I've had some mixed in Diet Coke, but my passion is beer. I respect those that have passion, and after watching the Kentucky Derby and all the talk of Mint Juleps when I saw this book while waiting in line to grab a movie at the library I had to give it a try. Huckelbridge does an intersting view of American History as it is affected by Bourbon. My biggest contention is with him saying the American West was wild because of the Bourbon, while I'm a believer that it was the personalities drawn to the new frontier that made the west wild. However, I'm sure the Bourbon helped a little.
carroq's review
2.0
I couldn't get past the flowery language the writer uses. There is a bunch of interesting information and thoughts regarding the history of bourbon though.
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