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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
What a fun ride.
I enjoy a microhistory where I look up a lot of things!!!
And, I have so many more things to think about as I dri k my Bullit or Maker's Mark.
I enjoy a microhistory where I look up a lot of things!!!
And, I have so many more things to think about as I dri k my Bullit or Maker's Mark.
The history of bourbon as told through the lens of U.S history. That's about the first 2/3 of the book. The last 1/3 covers contemporary whiskey and bourbon industry.
There are good stories and plenty of trivia. All the company name changes can get confusing.
There are good stories and plenty of trivia. All the company name changes can get confusing.
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Didn’t know the connection between nascar and whiskey until now!
A highly readable, informative, and wildly entertaining history of the culture, people, business, and politics of bourbon in America since before the Revolution. I loved so many of the anecdotal asides though I would have loved to have heard more about the author's own bourbon preferences. Lots of surprises and cool stuff to discover here.
informative
medium-paced
This book was a solid overview of the Bourbon Industry and provided a good counterbalance to Buffalo, Barrels, and Bourbon: The Story of How Buffalo Trace Distillery Became The World's Most Awarded Distillery by F. Paul Pacult. Reading the two side by side helps you peel back some of the myth-making tightly interwoven with any company history in the bourbon world.
informative
medium-paced
Decent book with good information. While the author is knowledgable, it did feel like he has A LOT of animosity toward the industry and more so wrote this to call people out but wrapped it up in so much info it was labeled nonfiction. It's really more of "Mean Girls" burn book.
Overall this is an excellent book looking at the history of bourbon. I will admit, I waffled between a three and four star - mostly because of the commentary in terms of what constitutes "Good" bourbon. The author routinely asserts that bourbon only begins to get good at the year eight mark, and sticks to his guns. This in spite of the fact that there are a number of amazing bourbons ranging from two years up to 12. The history is solid and unflinching, taking an honest look at the good and bad of the bourbon industry. Solid read.
An interesting look at the history of bourbon in the U.S., but the author could do with taking a deeper look at economics than "regulation good". For instance, he compares the industry in terms of Hamiltonian "big business" and Jeffersonian "small business" ideals, but doesn't seem to understand why such a Hamiltonian system would arise in a heavily regulated industry.
He also seemed surprised that price controls during WWII led to producers withholding as much of the good stuff until after the war that they could get away with.
It's also tough to get an indication of certain things related to technique and the like as the author has a tendency to let his opinion of certain whiskeys and practices be known, although not to the detriment of the information in most cases.
All in all, a decent read if you're interested in the subject matter, but I wouldn't read it expecting great in-depth analysis of the economic aspects of the history or any sort of objective discussion of brands/practices in the industry.
He also seemed surprised that price controls during WWII led to producers withholding as much of the good stuff until after the war that they could get away with.
It's also tough to get an indication of certain things related to technique and the like as the author has a tendency to let his opinion of certain whiskeys and practices be known, although not to the detriment of the information in most cases.
All in all, a decent read if you're interested in the subject matter, but I wouldn't read it expecting great in-depth analysis of the economic aspects of the history or any sort of objective discussion of brands/practices in the industry.