Customer Reviews

Whiskey: A Global History (Reaktion Books - Edible)

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This is a great book for a quick lesson in not just whiskey, but the history behind it. For those like myself with short attention spans, it is informative without being wordy, conversational without being insipid, and thorough without being geeky about it. The topics are wonderfully organized in sections that will keep one from getting bored with one topic before moving on to the next. Despite whiskey's reputation for being a somewhat elitist indulgence these days, WAGH details how it is also an everymans' drink and this is an everymans' whiskey book.

Kevin Kosar's Whiskey: A Global History is a definitive guide to the spirit--how it's made, where it comes from, its mysterious history, how it shaped the identity and destiny of nations. It will tell you everything about whiskey except what, exactly, it did to your twenties.

The book is a masterful guide to whiskies of all sorts, scotch, bourbon, Irish, Canadian and American. It is detailed and informative without being pedantic, and entertaining without straying off topic. From the cloudy particulars of biblical time, through Egyptian and Irish prehistory, through the alchemists' laboratories to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791, prohibition and the present, Whiskey: A Global History tells a vast story without ever seeming to skim.

A slender volume, the book nonetheless packs a wallop. In addition to a detailed and fascinating history, it has enough technical information that I was tempted to start distilling. Somehow, Kosar even found room for an impressive array of historical images about whiskey dating back hundreds of years.

And at the end, once you've learned the space you occupy in whiskey's rich and raucous history, Whiskey: A Global History gives you a series of classic whiskey cocktail recipes so you may raise your glass and take your rightful place in that history.

A great slim volume, which is packed with well written and researched material. The book covers basic whiskey facts and history, but also includes interesting points for whiskey lovers of all appreciation levels. Definitely recommended.

I know Kevin, so this is all bias I am sure...but this is an interesting and quick read. I have read other histories about whiskey and bourbon and this, by far, was the most interesting. Other whiskey histories seem to get bogged down in the eras of whiskey and alcohol development (like prohibition or early American whiskey eras). Kevin doesn't skip these eras but hits the mark by focusing on the alcohol not the time or place. I really liked this book.

In writing "Whiskey: A Global History," Kevin Kosar has written a grand introduction to whiskey making, covering its cloudy and myth-filled history, and highlighting the myriad styles that have come to market. While addressing how global whiskey has become, he focuses on the three countries where whiskey has historically been made - Scotland, Ireland, and the United States - in this delightful and easy to read work.

Kosar writes, "Whiskey is not just a drink; it is a political, economic and cultural phenomenon." The book tracks the rise, fall, and resurrection of whiskey - through economic booms and busts, the temperance movement and Prohibition, and world wars. It is a valuable tome filled with illustrations and whiskey cocktail recipes.

Kosar writes the blog AlcoholReviews.com and knows an incredible amount about alcoholic beverages. His knowledge and research really shine through in "Whiskey." Especially engaging is how Kosar takes on the many myths of whiskey distilling, that whiskey of the past, often bootlegged, was somehow better. "Whiskey-makers and public relations firms like to speak of the 'good old days of whiskey'," he writes. "If this book has shown anything, it is that whiskey drinkers never have had it better." Indeed. If anything, the book shows that now is a great time to enjoy whiskey.

"'Whiskey,' at 144 pages, is the perfect primer for the person who wants to quickly learn the basics."--Jason Wilson, Washington Post

"Kevin Kosar might be the most thoughtful boozehound you'll ever meet."--Todd Kliman, Washingtonian magazine

"This is a great book for the someone looking for information and the history of whiskey. It is a very informative and an entertaining read for both the casual and serious student of distilled beverages.... I think it would be a great book for teaching people about whiskey--liquor companies should buy a large quantity to train their staff and/or customers. Highly recommended--especially as a side with your whiskey. --Chris Carlsson, SpiritsReview.com

"Scotch purists may splutter over Kosar's planet-wide perspective: note his spelling. But open-minded readers, and drinkers, will raise a glass to his elan and expertise." --Boyd Tonkin, Independent (UK)

"[P]ages of this pocket-size guide are filled with ... charm and erudition."--Alasdair Buchan, Diplomat magazine (UK)

"Kevin R. Kosar... has written a brief, informative, and endlessly diverting history of whiskey." --Philip Terzian, The Weekly Standard

"With maps, antique illustrations and advertisements, charts and photos, this global history distills the spirit in a ways that's accessible and engaging."--Liza Weisstuch, Massachusetts Beverage Business

"Whiskey: A Global History is nicely illustrated with vintage photographs, advertisements, and cartoons, and packed with factoids and stories."--Karen Lyon, Hill Rag