Name: Bourbon Empire
ISBN: 9780670016839

Reid Mitenbuler

Unravelling the many myths and misconceptions surrounding America's most iconic spirit, Bourbon Empire traces a history that spans frontier rebellion, Gilded Age corruption and the magic of Madison Avenue. Whiskey has profoundly influenced America's political, economic, and cultural destiny. In fact, few products better embody the United States, or American business, than bourbon. Reid Mitenbuler's writing is as gutsy and bursting with attitude as the drink itself, capturing this vivid tale of innovation, success, downfall and resurrection.

The Past and Future of America's Whiskey

Bourbon Empire

Patrick Book

An absolutely fabulous illumination -- dare I say...DISTILLATION -- of the truths that started an industry and the myths that have shaped it over time. Very interesting read if you have a good familiarity of American whisky brands and their stories, probably somewhat less so (but not entirely) if you aren't a fanatic.

Andrew Marti

Like a fine glass of bourbon, Bourbon Empire is full of many layers. It’s the story of a drink, and how this drink is built up from stories. This book is the story of bourbon: how it came to be, who made, how it played a role in our wars, and in our politics. Mitenbuler points out that bourbon is one of the truly distinctive American products, "like the rifle, the automobile, beef and the cigarette."

Bourbon Empire is about the stories that have been created about the drink. Much of what you read on a bourbon bottle is fiction, developed by marketers to create a sense of heritage. “The stories are just like the whiskey itself. They start as vapor, condense, and then sit unseen in a barrel for years. Finally they emerge, transformed into something entirely different and enchanting.”

And therefore, bourbon becomes another metaphor for this country. We create these stories about bourbon to tie back to a historic Jefferson ideal, which may have never been. Instead, bourbon today aligns more to the Hamiltonian ideal of consolidation and a strong business presence. 

Enjoy this book with a glass of bourbon. I enjoyed it with a glass or two of Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch. Colonel Taylor is a great example of this Hamiltonian vs. Jeffersonian ideal, which is a common thread in the book and in the history of bourbon. The story on the bottle portrays Taylor as a fine distiller, which he was. But the bottle doesn’t mention that he was primarily a consolidator of distilleries and a strong advocate for government transparency in the bourbon industry, fighting for consistency in the bottling process. Like Taylor, the history of bourbon has many layers.

Bourbon Empire The Past and Future of America's Whiskey

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