If there is one job that I wish I could have, it is Bourbon Historian. I love history. I love bourbon. What could be better? But, if I can't be a Bourbon Historian, the next best thing is to have a book written by one. Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey—An American Heritage is written by Michael Veach who happens to be a real, honest-to-goodness bourbon historian. Veach is associate curator of Special Collections at the Filson Historical Society and worked the archives of United Distillers for many years.
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey is a bourbon history book. There are no tasting notes. There are no myths being presented as facts. There is history. And a damn fine story. The book follows the bourbon story from before the Whiskey Rebellion all the way up until today. Along the way it dispels many of the myths that bourbon marketing people have wormed into the legends of bourbon.
This is a fantastic book. It includes many historical photos, labels, illustrations and documents. Weighing in at 141 pages (including the index), it is a quick read. But it is a book that every bourbon lover should own. I really enjoyed this one.