Noah Rothbaum

I came of legal drinking age in 2003 in a small Ohio town just a stone’s throw from “The Dry Capital of the World,” a place where the ghost of prohibition still lingered. A person could buy “half proof” spirits in most grocery stores, but if they wanted real liquor they’d have to head to the state-run liquor. I’d heard rumors that those places were surrounded by cops and young drinkers faced particularly tough scrutiny. So due to unfounded fear, my first foray into drinking was half proof coconut rum from Meijer’s grocery store.

After a few months of typical male, twenty-something braggadocio my friends convinced me that coconut rum might taste great, go down easy, and ‘get the job done’, but it was definitely not cool. With visions of manliness dancing in my head my next purchase was a bottle of Early Times Bourbon (half proof of course). It didn’t take much for my palate to adjust. I had a natural affinity for the oaky, woodiness of that sweet brown liquor

That summer I graduated and took a job as a software developer in central Kentucky. I was unprepared for the culture shock of coming to the Bluegrass from my suburban life in central Ohio. People talked slower, the closest “big city” was almost an hour away, and drinking was socially taboo. However, despite everyone playing teetotaler in public, bourbon was everywhere! Along with thoroughbred racing and basketball, it was a lifestyle. Since I’m allergic to horses and sports I decided to integrate into my new home state through bourbon.

That was twelve years ago, but I still count myself a fan of all things bourbon and Noah Rothbaum’s The Art of American Whiskey is a unique, must have book for any whiskey fan’s library. What makes this book so special is the way it presents the history of whiskey. In my experience most bourbon histories lean heavily on anecdotes and legends. To hear locals tell it, bourbon whiskey was created by Elijah Craig at the turn of the century and remains unaffected by outside forces to this day. While that makes for great marketing, it’s hardly truthful.

Rothbaum takes an entirely different approach. He avoids rehashing legends or elevating single personalities and instead focuses on the drink itself. He reveals its evolution through the shifting landscape of American politics, tastes, and culture. Starting with its arrival on American soil in tastes and distilling knowledge of European settlers, through the dark years of prohibition when whiskey was relegated to the medicine cabinet, and up to it’s current status as the choice spirit of discerning drinkers; The Art of American Whiskey tells the story of whiskey in a way that is refreshing and creative.

Along with the historical information, the book also contains cocktail recipes relevant to the time periods being discussed. One interesting example of this were the changes to cocktails during prohibition years of which the Old Fashioned and the Skofflaw Cocktail are representative. During this period the illegal whiskeys flowing into speakeasies were young, poorly made, and horrible tasting. At the same time, the atmosphere in drinking establishments was changing from relaxed and slow-paced to one where drinkers guzzled their cocktails to avoid being caught red-handed in the event of a raid. These changing factors were reflected in the cocktails of the day. Mixers and fruit juices became a popular way to hide the sub par liquor’s harsh flavors and allow patrons to consume their drinks quickly.

It’s well documented that the distillation industry withered during the dry season of prohibition. Many distillers shuttered their operations and never rolled another barrel out of the rickhouse. However, after prohibition’s repeal the industry was reinvigorated. Hundreds of new faces and names entered the market. Many of these newcomers, like Bill Samuels, Jimmy Russell, and Booker Noe remained unknown for many years. Their brands, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey, and Booker’s were nothing more than regional offerings. However with the creation of “small batch” whiskies and the renaissance of bourbon over the past two decades, these distillers have become national celebrities in their own right.

The Art of American Whiskey is speckled with exposés about some of these influential distillers. I really enjoyed these sections, as the many of these distillers were from Kentucky. Even though I was aware of many of the stories about Booker Noe and Bill Samuel, there were interesting insights about their more modern accomplishments including the invention of small-batch bourbon and Marge Samuels’ role in the Maker’s Mark 46 packaging.
The book is also filled with tons of full color images. The subtitle of the book “A Visual History of the Nation’s Most Storied Spirit through 100 Iconic Labels.” It’s true, many of the pictures are of whiskey labels, there are also many other historical photographs. My favorites were this old shot of the Four Roses distillery which looks very much unchanged today

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and this image of Marker’s Mark creators Bill and Marge Samuels.

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[A note about the subtitle: While marketing changes are discussed in the book and labels are a lion’s share of the images, those subjects are not the main focus of the book. The subtitle seemed very misleading to me, however I’m glad that it wasn’t completely indicative of the book’s contents. ]

I learned a lot about the history of whiskey from reading this book. I also appreciated the closing chapter that looked beyond the established distillers in Kentucky. (Although I did feel a warm hipster glow from reading about local heroes and brands.) While I’ve immersed myself in craft beer and dipped toes in the world of Scotch since I first fell in love with whiskey, it’s still bourbon that warms my heart and this book did too.… (more)