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Whiskey Book Review: The Art of American Whiskey

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Whiskey Book Review: The Art of American Whiskey

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Editor’s Note: A copy of this book was provided to the author of this review as part of an event from the recent Kentucky Bourbon Affair. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.

The era of American whiskey, stretching back nearly as far as the founding of the country, is a colorful, to be sure. It is a tale full of innovative distillers, liquor happy drinkers and plenty of twists and turns to keep one enthralled for hours and hours. Part of the history of all of this is reflected in the unique labels on bourbon and rye whiskey bottles of each era, which is what author Noah Rothbaum so smartly explores in his recent book The Art of American Whiskey: A Visual History of the Nation’s Most Storied Spirit, through 100 Iconic Labels.

The Art of American Whiskey
The Art of American Whiskey cover (Reprinted with permission from The Art of American Whiskey by Noah Rothbaum, copyright 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)

Part art book, part American whiskey history memoir, Rothbaum gives readers a run down of different stretches of this brown spirit’s progress from backwoods moonshine to current darling of the consumer and bar world. While he does a great job giving a historical overview, the real stars of this book are the reprinted labels representing an interesting mix of whiskey brands old and new, still distilling and long since vanished into the distillery afterlife.

The author, in his capacity as a spirits writer and contributor to a range of publications on this topic, has certainly seen his share of bottles with interesting design touches to them. He thus provides insightful commentary into each of the labels on display. Also included in the book are a range of historical photos, again captioned, which tie to the different historical eras laid out by chapter.

Jim Beam Manhattan Cocktail
A Jim Beam label from page 95 – photo courtesy of Beam Suntory Inc (Reprinted with permission from The Art of American Whiskey by Noah Rothbaum, copyright 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)

Overall I found Rothbaum’s writing style to be engaging and insightful, especially given the fact the book itself is rather small in both size and page length. The former is a bit of an issue for me, however, as I am an art book lover and would have preferred to see The Art in a larger format so as to make it easier on the eye to appreciate the visual quality of the labels.

An additional nice touch to this book I found was the inclusion of whiskey cocktail recipes tied to each chapter, encouraging you to try out so-called “cocktails of the time.” Rothbaum worked with several noted bartenders in presenting these for your use, thus offering a greater since of authenticity to each of the drinks you’ll want to try making for yourself.

All in all, there’s little to have quarrel with around The Art of American Whiskey. It is a relatively quick read you’ll likely spend more time engaged with over the label art versus the text, and is something best enjoyed with your favorite bourbon or rye.

I give this book, which was published by Ten Speed Press and prices for around $20, a recommended rating. You can pick up a copy of it from Amazon or your local bookstore.

Colonel King whiskey label
Colonel King whiskey label from page 59 – photo courtesy of Heaven Hill Distillery (Reprinted with permission from The Art of American Whiskey by Noah Rothbaum, copyright 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)
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