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A review by stuartjrodriguez
Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last by Wright Thompson
5.0
This is a book about one of the rarest bourbons in the world—but it’s not just a book about bourbon. It’s a book about the passage of time, about family and fatherhood, about loss and sacrifice and regret, and about making peace with our past and about striving towards our vision of the future.
When I started this book, I expected a straightforward, in-depth look at how PVW is now made and blended. But instead, this book is a deeply personal look at Thompson’s relationship with Julian Van Winkle III, and about family and growing older, about our relationships with our fathers and our children, and about what kind of world we want to create and what kind of legacy we want to leave behind when we die. As usual, Wright Thompson’s prose is gorgeous and deeply heartfelt, and he does a wonderful job of humanizing both Julian Van Winkle and the Pappy Van Winkle whiskey itself.
If you’re looking for an in-depth look at the production of Pappy Van Winkle or why it’s as rare as it is, you might not find what you’re looking for. But if you want to know about Julian Van Winkle, the man currently leading the blending and distribution of PVW, and about his journey to rediscover the taste of the whiskey Stitzel-Weller used to make and the love that very clearly goes into the process, you’ll enjoy this book immensely.
When I started this book, I expected a straightforward, in-depth look at how PVW is now made and blended. But instead, this book is a deeply personal look at Thompson’s relationship with Julian Van Winkle III, and about family and growing older, about our relationships with our fathers and our children, and about what kind of world we want to create and what kind of legacy we want to leave behind when we die. As usual, Wright Thompson’s prose is gorgeous and deeply heartfelt, and he does a wonderful job of humanizing both Julian Van Winkle and the Pappy Van Winkle whiskey itself.
If you’re looking for an in-depth look at the production of Pappy Van Winkle or why it’s as rare as it is, you might not find what you’re looking for. But if you want to know about Julian Van Winkle, the man currently leading the blending and distribution of PVW, and about his journey to rediscover the taste of the whiskey Stitzel-Weller used to make and the love that very clearly goes into the process, you’ll enjoy this book immensely.