Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits

by Aaron Goldfarb

An entertaining journey into the booming world of vintage spirits, the quirky and intensely passionate “dusty hunters” who chase them, and the history they reveal, from an acclaimed author and journalist.

In Dusty In Search of Vintage Spirits, journalist Aaron Goldfarb goes on an adventure in vintage spirits. This is an intoxicating story of obsessives on the hunt for old bottles of whiskey, tequila, rum, chartreuse—you name it—from estate sales, grandpa’s liquor cabinet, and out-of-the-way and inner-city liquor stores that may just have a case or a few bottles lying around in the basement.

What Goldfarb and these “dusty hunters” discover are more than just bottles from bygone brands or old formulations no longer available—they find portals into history. Spirits, once bottled, don’t age like wine. A bourbon from the 1935 lets you savor the end of Prohibition. A 1940s rum cocktail with actual 1940s rum tastes the way it would to a GI returning from WWII. An old Italian amaro captures la dolce vita in a glass, and vintage gin is a drinkable time capsule from Mad Men -era lunchtime martinis.

Dusty Booze mixes the history of our drinking culture and the Indiana Jones-meets-Simpsons Comic Book Guy adventures of the collectors, including the hunt for rumored stash from a reclusive Hollywood legend. This is a buoyant, thirst-triggering voyage into a unique subculture that has exploded in popularity in recent years.

Genres: Food

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

About the author

Aaron Goldfarb is a journalist and the author of 12 books, his most recent of which was Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirit. He is generally regarded as one of the top drinks writers in the country.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a bourbon snob or even a connoisseur but I live with one. It’s not all about bourbon but that’s why I originally picked it up. This was pretty fascinating. I’ve heard some of it before but much was new to me. We told our daughter years ago, when we die don’t just give away the books and bourbon, we know people that can help. Said in mostly truth.

[Edward Seay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a bourbon enthusiast, unusual pours, unicorns and dusty booze is something that I like to search for so of course I had to read the book. I enjoy the journey along the way searching for HH’s booze and being able to picture the experts (who I follow on social media) journeys. While reading I was able to search the bars to seek out for dusty pours while in all corners of the country. I’m happy to see that Aaron turned his article into a book!

[Sandra Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes a person thirsty and eager.

[Neal Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, and it flowed quite well.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have loved this book even if it didn't name Old Overholt as a collectible spirit.

As a lover of all things vintage, I nonetheless had never considered the collectibility of vintage alcohol, and this book was a revelation. Unfortunately, if the author is correct (and I've no reason to suspect he isn't), the market for vintage spirits--or dusty booze--is already depleted. The reason for the collectibility of vintage alcohol--particularly whiskey, Scotch, and bourbon--is twofold. Those types of alcohol (and I suspect I used the incorrect spelling of whiskey/whisky despite Goldfarb's clear explanation of the difference) were not popular in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to a stockpiling among distillers and changes in distilling practices had an adverse effect on the quality of the product.

I cannot recommend this book enough for collectors, vintage afficionados, and whiskey (and other alcohol) lovers. #DustyBooze #NetGalley

[Greg Windeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a Bourbon drinker, but am interested in spirits and the alcohol industry. This book was approachable to me, someone with very little Bourbon knowledge.

It was interesting not only learning about the history of Bourbon, but the history of the world intertwined with this spirit and others. I found the parts on Rum history most interesting.

I appreciated that the author branched out to other vintage spirits in addition to Bourbon and enjoyed the stories and history throughout the book.

[Sammie Geibel · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative for my job!

[J. J.]

A fun and informative read.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun primer on the world of dusty hunting and the people who invest their time & a WHOLE LOTTA MONEY doing it.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun ride! Vintage spirits is an area I was unfamiliar with until recently. This was a great read!

[Toucanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good, shit you didn't know you didn't know, very interesting