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American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye: A Guide to the Nation's Favorite Spirit - A Cocktail Book
The bible of American whiskey has been updated—now with more than 300 entries!
Organized in an A-to-Z directory by distillery, then brand, this second edition of American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye features more than 330 whiskeys, including more than 120 new entries. Each section includes a brief history of the maker, along with its location, followed by a full account of each bottling, including details on age, proof, nose, color, body, palate, price, as well as an overall rating. A comprehensive primer provides a short history of the spirit, how it’s made, and how to enjoy it, including tips on organizing tasting sessions. Also included are a glossary of terms, a selection of top whiskeys by value and ratings, a handy checklist, and two helpful indexes. With this book, choosing from among the many whiskeys, bourbons, and ryes made in America has never been easier.
Organized in an A-to-Z directory by distillery, then brand, this second edition of American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye features more than 330 whiskeys, including more than 120 new entries. Each section includes a brief history of the maker, along with its location, followed by a full account of each bottling, including details on age, proof, nose, color, body, palate, price, as well as an overall rating. A comprehensive primer provides a short history of the spirit, how it’s made, and how to enjoy it, including tips on organizing tasting sessions. Also included are a glossary of terms, a selection of top whiskeys by value and ratings, a handy checklist, and two helpful indexes. With this book, choosing from among the many whiskeys, bourbons, and ryes made in America has never been easier.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2013
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268 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 10, 2016
It's a well-designed book, and seems useful (particularly in that it's not afraid to cover at least some of the bottom-shelf stuff that other whiskey guides gloss over). Some of the historical stuff is also interesting and new to me (although most of it is openly pulled from other books about bourbon on the market). BUT, it suffers from a number of significant issues:
1) I'm not sure if it's just my copy, or if it's a problem with the printing (I've seen a second copy with the same problem), but even brand-new, the pages aren't particularly well-glued, and are coming off the binding.
2) It's filled with silly, amateur-ish errors that an editor of the New York Times (as Risen is) shouldn't be making: for example, Risen misspells "Johnnie Walker," which seems like a pretty egregious error in a book about whisk[e]y. Elsewhere, the same paragraph contains an identical sentence repeated verbatim twice (see pages 18-19), Risen mistakes (or at least seems to mistake) a limited, annual special edition bottling of Four Roses Small Batch for the standard, non-limited edition, widely-available bottle of the same name, he incorrectly lists the ABV of whiskeys (including Woodford Reserve Double-Oaked), and he mis-states age statements for a number of bottles (including Ancient Ancient Age 10-Star, which he mistakes for its older, 10 year old age stated version).
3) This one just speaks to bias--and basically everyone who writes about spirits and liquor is "biased" in some way--but be prepared to disagree with a lot of Risen's assessments of whiskeys. He seems to prefer a lot of standard, uninteresting generic "premium" brands (like Maker's Mark or Bulleit or Woodford Reserve), and he seems to have a hate-on for anything high-proof/barrel-strength that isn't Booker's. He also seems weirdly into a lot of 40% ABV/80 proof bottlings, whereas I think most sane whisk[e]y drinkers tend to share the feeling that bourbon especially really only starts getting good at 43-45% ABV (the big head-scratcher under this rubric is that he prefers Wild Turkey 81 to Wild Turkey 101? That's stretching credulity, honestly). But maybe that's just me. In some instances there's room for interpretation and personal tastes, obviously, but he prefers Weller Special Reserve over *both* its age-stated and higher-proof older siblings? Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace as examples of "dry" bourbon (as Risen claims) when they're both the same high-corn, low-rye mashbill and some of the sweeter bourbons I've encountered. Risen really needs to go back to the drawing board.
1) I'm not sure if it's just my copy, or if it's a problem with the printing (I've seen a second copy with the same problem), but even brand-new, the pages aren't particularly well-glued, and are coming off the binding.
2) It's filled with silly, amateur-ish errors that an editor of the New York Times (as Risen is) shouldn't be making: for example, Risen misspells "Johnnie Walker," which seems like a pretty egregious error in a book about whisk[e]y. Elsewhere, the same paragraph contains an identical sentence repeated verbatim twice (see pages 18-19), Risen mistakes (or at least seems to mistake) a limited, annual special edition bottling of Four Roses Small Batch for the standard, non-limited edition, widely-available bottle of the same name, he incorrectly lists the ABV of whiskeys (including Woodford Reserve Double-Oaked), and he mis-states age statements for a number of bottles (including Ancient Ancient Age 10-Star, which he mistakes for its older, 10 year old age stated version).
3) This one just speaks to bias--and basically everyone who writes about spirits and liquor is "biased" in some way--but be prepared to disagree with a lot of Risen's assessments of whiskeys. He seems to prefer a lot of standard, uninteresting generic "premium" brands (like Maker's Mark or Bulleit or Woodford Reserve), and he seems to have a hate-on for anything high-proof/barrel-strength that isn't Booker's. He also seems weirdly into a lot of 40% ABV/80 proof bottlings, whereas I think most sane whisk[e]y drinkers tend to share the feeling that bourbon especially really only starts getting good at 43-45% ABV (the big head-scratcher under this rubric is that he prefers Wild Turkey 81 to Wild Turkey 101? That's stretching credulity, honestly). But maybe that's just me. In some instances there's room for interpretation and personal tastes, obviously, but he prefers Weller Special Reserve over *both* its age-stated and higher-proof older siblings? Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace as examples of "dry" bourbon (as Risen claims) when they're both the same high-corn, low-rye mashbill and some of the sweeter bourbons I've encountered. Risen really needs to go back to the drawing board.
February 7, 2014
If you are reading this, I strongly urge you to think twice before buying the book. The only reason you know anything about it is because Risen is a major figure in the journalism establishment -- New York Times Deputy Editor, frequent Atlantic contributor, etc. He got the big publishing push, and that's all there is too it.
Without that big push, his book would be getting heaps of scorn from the same people backing it, and for good reason. From describing how whiskey is made to the notes attached to many of the whiskeys reviewed, Risen makes a ton of mistakes. Some of these are minor spelling issues (embarrassing, but not compromising), but others are very serious, like not understanding what a mash backset is for. Finally, the edition I got was poorly printed.
Don't believe the hype. It's a fundamentally flawed book, and many of the problems are objective and provable.
Without that big push, his book would be getting heaps of scorn from the same people backing it, and for good reason. From describing how whiskey is made to the notes attached to many of the whiskeys reviewed, Risen makes a ton of mistakes. Some of these are minor spelling issues (embarrassing, but not compromising), but others are very serious, like not understanding what a mash backset is for. Finally, the edition I got was poorly printed.
Don't believe the hype. It's a fundamentally flawed book, and many of the problems are objective and provable.
September 13, 2019
It’s fun to flip through, but it’s badly dated and the author’s ratings are certainly unique.
February 21, 2017
The history of whiskey is the history of America. As a native of the Hawkeye state, I note that Iowa whiskey, even Templeton, does not rank high.
October 27, 2017
It is more of a reference. I keep it in my library. It has a lot of quick history and data on the distilleries of the products he reviews. Its a keeper.
March 18, 2022
This is a nice little overview of distilleries and Risen has a great brain for whiskey but I don’t think I have ever seen so many typos in a professionally published book. I don’t blame Risen for that, that’s on the editors and publishers, but it’s literally like no one proofread this before it went to press. The other issue that this isn’t nearly as evergreen as Risen’s similar guide to scotch and it feels like at least half the whiskeys here are no longer in production, one-offs, or super regional offerings you won’t be able to find anywhere (and considering that a lot of those hard to find whiskeys are usually one star or not rated, it just makes this book feel non-essential. An updated version would be more than welcome.
July 17, 2017
Quite enjoyed this opinionated, somewhat sassy book. For someone just beginning an exploration of bourbon, whiskey and rye, this book's exactly what I need. Beautiful book, useful information and organization, this is one I'll study and take to the liquor store when purchasing my booze!
December 21, 2018
Contains interesting historical information, but the author unapologetically has a bourbon bias. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I well enjoy a wee dram of bourbon). I'd say that this is a guide to bourbon - not a guide to American whiskey, bourbon, and rye.
December 15, 2022
A very detailed book about spirits in America, their history and origins, and how they’re made. Including a rating and description of probably a hundred whiskeys, bourbons, and ryes.
September 13, 2024
VERY helpful on America's brown liquors. I like rye and bourbon and it's great to know what bottles I should buy when I finish what I have already,
March 25, 2018
Terrific guide to the history and current state of American whiskeys. After a very readable treatise on the history and making of whiskey in America, an excellent overview of what's on the shelves and how they differ. I'll be using Risen's rankings to explore some new tipples.
November 17, 2013
As the Goodreads blurb on this book points out, America has seen an explosion of whiskey over the last few years, from stalwart bourbon manufacturers turning out new twists on old products to new microdistillers pushing the envelope of what we have thought of as American whiskey for at least a century. A current, up-to-date book surveying the range of American whiskeys is the right book at the right time, both for folks who are veteran aficionados of the amber nectar and for newcomers who have become attracted to the spirit via its new dynamicism and recent surge in popularity. While there are other books that explore the history of American whiskey in more detail, Risen's overview may be the most concise and well-written I've come across. His brief notes on tasting are also a nice touch. Finally, while you may disagree with his opinions on certain whiskeys (and if you drink enough of them, you surely will) Mr. Risen is very up-front regarding the fact that everyone will taste these whiskeys, to some degree, differently, and as such never comes across as bullying in his opinions. FWIW, I don't think he tends towards the negative at all in his reviews of higher-proof whiskeys. On the contrary, I think he tends to point out that most 80 proof whiskeys are simple, usually unoffensive but boring, and generally work better for mixing than as something to sip neat and truly savor. Furthermore, while he tends to favor more established distilleries, he also makes a good point that making good whiskey is not easy, both in terms of skill and in terms of the basic matter of time required for proper aging. The easy knock is to say he favors boring whiskeys, but the more cogent point is that he is not willing to heap praise on a new micro-distillery selling their first batch of 2-4 year old juice for $45 a bottle simply because they are new. I for one appreciate that objectivity, as well its honesty in being willing to overlook the allure of a trendy new bottle in favor of seeking inherent quality. My only real knock on the book is that the layout of the narrative sections is a tad hard to read, with the font being a touch too small and the choice of arranging the text into a narrow column near the spine making for a slightly awkward read. That said, the vast majority of this book is devoted to the reviews of actual whiskeys, and that section (nearly 2/3 of the book) looks great and is easy to digest.
March 3, 2014
Solid encyclopedia of currently (2013/2014) available American whiskeys, with a good intro to the history and tasting notes that generally match my (rather limited) palate. Very high production value by the publisher, but rather small typeface...
December 1, 2014
Solid writing, and the introduction was very informative on the history of bourbon and rye. My only problem with this book was the organization of the reviews. I wish that he had the major distillers, like Jim Beam, and from there reviewed all the offshoots that fall under that umbrella.
November 5, 2015
An excellent beginner's reference/resource. Not scholarly, not perfect, but great for what it is. Get from the library, or give as a gift for someone beginning to enjoy these spirits, keep at your bar for guests to flip through while choosing a whiskey.
January 3, 2014
I enjoyed this book. You can read my full review at
http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking/...
http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking/...
December 30, 2013
The world of whisky is issestious master distillers either related to each other or different product being produced in the same facilities all being owned by foreign bourbon fan boys.
January 17, 2014
Great as a reference and enjoyable read as well!
May 23, 2016
Whisky is whisky. I don't know difference, though, I love rye whiskey. Tennessee and Kentucky have great one.
February 7, 2016
A solid reference with an easy to use rating system. Handsomely bound and illuminated as well.
January 30, 2016
The best book for searching out different bourbons and whiskies. The rating were spot on for me.
Want to read
February 14, 2016featured in WSJ 12-15-2013
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews