BOURBON

If you love reading history, you need this book. If you hate reading about history, you absolutely need this book. The author is witty and writes with a fresh sense of humor and fun references. I finished this book 2 days after I got it because I just didn't want to stop reading it. It was so engaging and fun, and yes - educational, and has been one of the best books I've read this year. People that detest history books haven't read the right books. This, is the right book. Highly recommend.

"Bourbon: A History..." by author Dane Huckelbridge lives up to its title - chronicling the corn-based spirit from the beginning of "hard spirits" at the hands of Raymond Llull in 1265 to bourbon's (trendy) "small batch" distillations. Once free of historic connection to generic 'spirits' the book follows the life of American Bourbon from George Thorpe's 'letter' in 1620 (1st documented reference) into the "Whiskey Rebellion" of 1791, through "The Great Experiment" of Prohibition to the modern resurgence of high quality small-batch bourbons. Huckelbridge insists on a 'swaggering' (?) style in his prose that at first captivates, then becomes annoying and finally ends at the Epilogue in guarded acceptance given to a good story, well told. Here is an excerpt containing the style, be the judge of its entertainment value to you because there are ~288 pages of this:"Almost mind you. Because before bourbon can settle its spurs fully in the modern world, there are still a few wild corners of the country left to be tamed, and still a fair number of whiskey drinkers out on the range who know more about six-shooters than they do about stock prices. And thanks to the new fangled railroads, getting there is only a hop, skip, and a few whistle stops away. So saddle up and get ready, because the west didn't get Wild by sipping Coca Cola, and America didn't cut its teeth on Dentyne gum. Long before there was a car in every driveway and a chicken in every pot, there was a saloon on every corner and a bullet with your name on it. Hi-yo, bourbon! Away!" (pg.143, loc. 1566) (even the text is 'at least 51% corn'.)The read is punctuated with a good number of illustrations that add interest and tie the text to the nostalgic past. You will, however, be disappointed if you expect a 'technical' education on bourbon, details such as: variances in the recipe, the distiller's art, specific effects of aging, the nature of the oak's chemical contribution, the analysis and comparison of its modern examples, etc., are not here (or very lightly treated). (For that, Cowdery's  Bourbon, Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey  is much better.) More about the 'concoction' of the spirit itself and a bit less of its cobweb filled ancestry might have made this read more fulfilling. In any event, this is a recommended read, but take the title literally - this is a HISTORY of Bourbon - the All-American corn mash whiskey.

If you're going to enjoy it, you might as well also understand something about the history and evolution of it - that pretty much sums up my objective in picking up a book such as this one. I actually don't drink bourbon very often, but it's fascinating to me how there are so many different producers of the various kinds of whiskeys and other alcoholic beverages, and how something that can be produced relatively easily can vary so much in taste and apparent quality (the basic concepts for producing bourbon or pretty much any other kind of distilled spirit have been known for hundreds of years).This is an enjoyable book to read for someone looking for that kind of information. The author begins at the beginning - in this case it happens to be in the year 1265 when the first discovery was made that led to the development of distilling processes and the variations in liqueurs that we enjoy today. But the focus on the book is the history of the development of bourbon in the United States, in the Appalachian mountains (I didn't know that the famous Hatfield and McCoy feuds were related to bourbon, but it turns out that they were). It continues to the present day, where we have both the very large producers of bourbon (Jim and Jack, of course) as well as the growing numbers of small batch producers, boutique operations that market their brews as 'special' and attempt to command accordingly higher prices.Enjoyable and informative, worth reading from a historical perspective as well as for the bourbon connoisseur's bookshelf (or kindle library, as the case may be).

3.5 out of 4 stars.An irreverent, casual history of bourbon, America's whiskey. The author has done his homework, but he's not writing for a scholarly audience at all. This book is geared to the bourbon enthusiast and American history buff who is a layman of about the same age as the author, about 40 or so. The history is all there, and it is informative and quite entertaining, though, at times, a bit too knowing and wink wink nudge nudge. The author is trying too hard to be funny and cool. It's off-putting at times. But, overall, a decent introduction to the history of bourbon in America and America in bourbon.

Added this to a bosses day gift, he loved it!

For those who admire the taste and origin of bourbon-the uniquely American drink, this book is well worth reading. From its earliest conception in the 17th century to its present state, the history of bourbon is a fascinating story. The rot-gut of the old West, the institution of Prohibition and its demise are well documented, along with side histories of famous, and not so famous, imbibers, are interestingly portrayed. The numbered notations are particularly interesting and should not be missed. So, sit down with a couple of ounces of your favorite bourbon and enjoy the taste of the drink as well as the story.

A conversational style gives us a fast-moving story of bourbon's history woven within the history of America. It is an enjoyable story of some of the twists and turns that shaped the American whiskey from the rough early unassuming brew to the aged and refined bourbon we know today. Along the way we meet some of the characters in American history that affected and were affected by these developments.

Awesome book. It sounds like it’s going to be a fun read about the history of Bourbon itself. Instead it is a uncommon book about American history. I had no idea just how integral booze, as a major commodity, was in the building of America’s economy; an economy founded upon capitalism from the very start. Plenty of history has been written about cotton and the early American economy. This book has created a whole new vantage point. Fascinating!

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Great book, my husband loves it. It's well written and very interesting