Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey

Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey

â€œPulls aside the curtain of puffery to show . . . the business of liquor to be every bit as fascinating as the fictions in which the distillers love to swaddle themselves.â€ â€”Wayne Curtis, The Wall Street Journal
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Walk into a well-stocked liquor store and youâ€™ll see countless whiskey brands, each boasting an inspiring story of independence and heritage. And yet, more than 95% of the nationâ€™s whiskey comes from a small handful of giant companies with links to organized crime, political controversy, and a colorful history that is far different than what appears on modern labels. In Bourbon Empire, Reid Mitenbuler shows how bourbon, Americaâ€™s most iconic style of whiskey, and the industry surrounding it, really came to beâ€”a saga of shrewd capitalism as well as dedicated craftsmanship.
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Mitenbuler traces the big namesâ€”Jim Beam, Makerâ€™s Mark, Evan Williams, and moreâ€”back to their origins, exploring bourbonâ€™s founding myths and great successes against the backdrop of Americaâ€™s economic history. Illusion is separated from reality in a tale reaching back to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, when the ideologies of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton battled to define the soul of American business. That debate continues today, punctuated along the way by Prohibition-era bootleggers, the liquor-fueled origins of NASCAR, intense consolidation driven by savvy lobbying, and a Madison Avenue plot to release five thousand parrotsâ€”trained to screech the name of a popular brandâ€”into the nationâ€™s bars.
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Today, the whiskey business takes a new turn as a nascent craft distilling movement offers the potential to revolutionize the industry once again. But, as Mitenbuler shows, many take advantage of this excitement while employing questionable business practices, either by masquerading whiskey made elsewhere as their own or by shortcutting the proven production standards that made many historic brands great to begin with.
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A tale of innovation, success, downfall, and resurrection,Â Bourbon EmpireÂ is an exploration of the spirit in all its unique forms, creating an indelible portrait of both American whiskey and the people who make it.
Country USA
Brand Penguin
Manufacturer Penguin Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780143108146
Color Black
ReleaseDate 2016-05-10
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780143108146

Country	USA
Brand	Penguin
Manufacturer	Penguin Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780143108146
Color	Black
ReleaseDate	2016-05-10
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780143108146

Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey

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