This social history of American whiskey starts out strong. Because Mitenbuler is describing pre-history, before any colorful characters enter the story, the first few chapters focus on the larger forces that led to the creation of bourbon: the ubiquity of corn in the new world, the disrupted supply lines from the Caribbean during the Revolutionary War, the use of whiskey as currency and as a way to monetize excess grain, the barrel aging that occurred as whiskey traveled down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. These chapters reminded me of Nature's Metropolis in the way it described the interplay of natural and social processes.
Once we reach the historical record, around the time of the Civil War, Mitenbuler can't resist the lure of outsized characters, gangsters, charlatans, and political hypocrites. The story becomes much more anecdotal, although the author continues to paint the larger picture as the industry shifts and consolidates. The final chapter, about a visit to a two-person distillery in New York state, reads very much like the kind of magazine profile that earlier portions of the book have mocked.
Once we reach the historical record, around the time of the Civil War, Mitenbuler can't resist the lure of outsized characters, gangsters, charlatans, and political hypocrites. The story becomes much more anecdotal, although the author continues to paint the larger picture as the industry shifts and consolidates. The final chapter, about a visit to a two-person distillery in New York state, reads very much like the kind of magazine profile that earlier portions of the book have mocked.
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