What do you think?
Rate this book
Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last
The story of how Julian Van Winkle III, the caretaker of the most coveted cult Kentucky Bourbon whiskey in the world, fought to protect his family's heritage and preserve the taste of his forebears, in a world where authenticity, like his product, is in very short supply.
As a journalist said of Pappy Van Winkle, "You could call it bourbon, or you could call it a $5,000 bottle of liquified, barrel-aged unobtanium." Julian Van Winkle, the third-generation head of his family's business, is now thought of as something like the Buddha of Bourbon - Booze Yoda, as Wright Thompson calls him. He is swarmed wherever he goes, and people stand in long lines to get him to sign their bottles of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve, the whiskey he created to honor his grandfather, the founder of the family concern. A bottle of the 23-year-old Pappy starts at $3000 on the internet. As Julian is the first to say, things have gone completely nuts.
Forty years ago, Julian would have laughed in astonishment if you'd told him what lay ahead. He'd just stepped in to try to save the business after his father had died, partly of heartbreak, having been forced to sell the old distillery in a brutal downturn in the market for whiskey. Julian's grandfather had presided over a magical kingdom of craft and connoisseurship, a genteel outfit whose family ethos generated good will throughout Kentucky and far beyond. There's always a certain amount of romance to the marketing of spirits, but Pappy's mission statement captured something "We make fine bourbon - at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon." But now the business had hit the wilderness years, and Julian could only hang on for dear life, stubbornly committed to preserving his namesake's legacy or going down with the ship.
Then something like a miracle it turned out that hundreds of very special barrels of whiskey from the Van Winkle family distillery had been saved by the multinational conglomerate that bought it. With no idea what they had, they offered to sell it to Julian, who scrambled to beg and borrow the funds. Now he could bottle a whiskey whose taste captured his family's legacy. The result would immediately be hailed as the greatest whiskey in the world - and would soon be the hardest to find.
But now, those old barrels were used up, and Julian Van Winkle faced the challenge of his how to preserve the taste of Pappy, the taste of his family's heritage, in a new age? The amazing Wright Thompson was invited to be his wingman as he set about to try. The result is an extraordinary testimony to the challenge of living up to your legacy and the rewards that come from knowing and honoring your people and your craft. Wright learned those lessons from Julian as they applied to the honest work of making a great bourbon whiskey in Kentucky, but he couldn't help applying them to his own craft, writing, and his upbringing in Mississippi, as he and his wife contemplated the birth of their first child. May we all be lucky enough to find some of ourselves, as Wright Thompson did, in Julian Van Winkle, and in Pappyland.
As a journalist said of Pappy Van Winkle, "You could call it bourbon, or you could call it a $5,000 bottle of liquified, barrel-aged unobtanium." Julian Van Winkle, the third-generation head of his family's business, is now thought of as something like the Buddha of Bourbon - Booze Yoda, as Wright Thompson calls him. He is swarmed wherever he goes, and people stand in long lines to get him to sign their bottles of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve, the whiskey he created to honor his grandfather, the founder of the family concern. A bottle of the 23-year-old Pappy starts at $3000 on the internet. As Julian is the first to say, things have gone completely nuts.
Forty years ago, Julian would have laughed in astonishment if you'd told him what lay ahead. He'd just stepped in to try to save the business after his father had died, partly of heartbreak, having been forced to sell the old distillery in a brutal downturn in the market for whiskey. Julian's grandfather had presided over a magical kingdom of craft and connoisseurship, a genteel outfit whose family ethos generated good will throughout Kentucky and far beyond. There's always a certain amount of romance to the marketing of spirits, but Pappy's mission statement captured something "We make fine bourbon - at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon." But now the business had hit the wilderness years, and Julian could only hang on for dear life, stubbornly committed to preserving his namesake's legacy or going down with the ship.
Then something like a miracle it turned out that hundreds of very special barrels of whiskey from the Van Winkle family distillery had been saved by the multinational conglomerate that bought it. With no idea what they had, they offered to sell it to Julian, who scrambled to beg and borrow the funds. Now he could bottle a whiskey whose taste captured his family's legacy. The result would immediately be hailed as the greatest whiskey in the world - and would soon be the hardest to find.
But now, those old barrels were used up, and Julian Van Winkle faced the challenge of his how to preserve the taste of Pappy, the taste of his family's heritage, in a new age? The amazing Wright Thompson was invited to be his wingman as he set about to try. The result is an extraordinary testimony to the challenge of living up to your legacy and the rewards that come from knowing and honoring your people and your craft. Wright learned those lessons from Julian as they applied to the honest work of making a great bourbon whiskey in Kentucky, but he couldn't help applying them to his own craft, writing, and his upbringing in Mississippi, as he and his wife contemplated the birth of their first child. May we all be lucky enough to find some of ourselves, as Wright Thompson did, in Julian Van Winkle, and in Pappyland.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2020
850 people are currently reading
4933 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 800 reviews
December 31, 2020
This book is hard to rate. It reads like a long form magazine profile, stretched to 200+ pages. The flowery prose, the metaphors and philosophizing, the words on words about the subject without actually giving a ton of facts (and never really going negative), and the author injecting his story in constantly. It is damn well written, that’s for sure, so in that respect it reads like one of the best magazine profiles. But in the long run, the main themes come down to 1) the author is a friend of Julian Van Winkle and gets access to many bottles of what has become an impossible bourbon for a regular drinker to access, and 2) he spent a lot of the book as a journaling exercise for working through the death of his father as he prepared to enter parenthood himself.
The author does a great job explaining how opening a rare bottle means something, how it’s an expression of how much someone means to you. But it’s still him in many ways boasting about having a bottle of Pappy, opening a bottle of Pappy, or gifting a bottle of Pappy, with many left over. There’s also an infuriating passage where the author, although he claims not to be prejudiced, throws shade at Blade & Bow, a damn fine whiskey, with no real tasting notes or reason why other than it’s made by new management since the Van Winkles are no longer affiliated.
Maybe this is sour grapes, but I don’t really need 200 pages for someone to wax poetic about access to Pappy when you can just go to reddit and see the jerks there bragging about the same thing.
The author does a great job explaining how opening a rare bottle means something, how it’s an expression of how much someone means to you. But it’s still him in many ways boasting about having a bottle of Pappy, opening a bottle of Pappy, or gifting a bottle of Pappy, with many left over. There’s also an infuriating passage where the author, although he claims not to be prejudiced, throws shade at Blade & Bow, a damn fine whiskey, with no real tasting notes or reason why other than it’s made by new management since the Van Winkles are no longer affiliated.
Maybe this is sour grapes, but I don’t really need 200 pages for someone to wax poetic about access to Pappy when you can just go to reddit and see the jerks there bragging about the same thing.
November 25, 2020
Pappyland is two stories, that according to the author, match up nicely. To me, however, it's not so congruent. I did enjoy what is an interesting story of the ups and downs of whiskey royalty, the Van Winkle family. If we're talking solely about the parts featuring Julian Van Winkle Jr the book is quite good, the author seems to be a close friend, and thus able to capture and retell some very intimate moments. Van Winkle comes off suprisingly down to Earth with much gravitas and kindness for everyone he meets. The other part of the story is a memoir from the author about his own past and his future through the birth of his first child. Both stories are interesting, but at times the author seems like he's put the square peg that is his life into a round hole.
From the beginning, the book is a muddled mix of topics, without a clear focus. Early in the book, the author quotes Patterson Hood from the band Drive By Truckers when he mentions the "duality of the Southern thing". But the book only hints at that. The book is really about two men trying to do right by their fathers, both of which are gone. Wouldn't a line from "Daddy's Cup" or one of DBT's many songs about whiskey have been a better quote to lead into the story? The book often goes off on tangents that I don't really see the connection to the whiskey of Van Winkle or the life of Thompson. Examples of this include horse racing and famous horses, running moonshine, a terribly superficial attempt at connecting the Blues to southern life without ever mentioning slavery. Sure, the author says that to connect with the Blues one needs to realize what conditions fostered its creation. But that's as close as he gets to making a statement about the South's darker moments. If the book's emphasis was really to discuss that duality, it would make sense. But, again, these moments are only hinted at.
The reason for the lack of more stars is the way the author seems to project his life onto the story he's telling about the Pappy Dynasty. What relevance does the author starting out in sports journalism, the difficulties he and his wife have had starting a family, building a house in Montana, and his own father and uncles have to do with one of the most sought after bourbons in the world? I actually feel bad for Julian during most of the story. Here is a man, the last gatekeeper to the flavor that he remembers, struggling against difficult odds and remaining humble the entire time; and upon that the author his projecting his own life? Hey, my father passed away too, that doesn't make me special or unique. It doesn't make me worthy of comparing myself (a Bourbon drinker) to a legendary bourbon producing family.
I did enjoy the way the author focused on the mashbill (the grains used in the whiskey) of Pappy to state it's uniqueness. Using soft, sweeter wheat over hard, dry rye in the whiskey. I also appreciated the way he talked about how the flavor can never be accurately recreated as the location and yeast strain used is different, but he never talks about why that is. Both the mashbill and yeast are important to the whiskies flavor, yes, very important. But so is the white oak of the barrels, the barrels level of char, the amount of copper in the stills, the height of the stills, and the water also play important roles.
In conclusion, both stories are good, both stories are relevant. But in the same book? I have to say no. It comes across as reaching and scattered. Either play up the "southern-ness" (which would admittedly, make for a MUCH longer book) or focus strickly on the Van Winkle family and bourbon. If you want to quote Patterson Hood, that's just fine. To me Julian comes across more like the man on the verge of losing the family farm in the song "Sink Hole". As Hood sings, "Let him stand in my shoes and see how it feels / To lose the last thing on earth that's real". To me that's what the book should focus on. A man determined to preserve the work started by his grandfather, maintained by his father, and now up to him to grow.
From the beginning, the book is a muddled mix of topics, without a clear focus. Early in the book, the author quotes Patterson Hood from the band Drive By Truckers when he mentions the "duality of the Southern thing". But the book only hints at that. The book is really about two men trying to do right by their fathers, both of which are gone. Wouldn't a line from "Daddy's Cup" or one of DBT's many songs about whiskey have been a better quote to lead into the story? The book often goes off on tangents that I don't really see the connection to the whiskey of Van Winkle or the life of Thompson. Examples of this include horse racing and famous horses, running moonshine, a terribly superficial attempt at connecting the Blues to southern life without ever mentioning slavery. Sure, the author says that to connect with the Blues one needs to realize what conditions fostered its creation. But that's as close as he gets to making a statement about the South's darker moments. If the book's emphasis was really to discuss that duality, it would make sense. But, again, these moments are only hinted at.
The reason for the lack of more stars is the way the author seems to project his life onto the story he's telling about the Pappy Dynasty. What relevance does the author starting out in sports journalism, the difficulties he and his wife have had starting a family, building a house in Montana, and his own father and uncles have to do with one of the most sought after bourbons in the world? I actually feel bad for Julian during most of the story. Here is a man, the last gatekeeper to the flavor that he remembers, struggling against difficult odds and remaining humble the entire time; and upon that the author his projecting his own life? Hey, my father passed away too, that doesn't make me special or unique. It doesn't make me worthy of comparing myself (a Bourbon drinker) to a legendary bourbon producing family.
I did enjoy the way the author focused on the mashbill (the grains used in the whiskey) of Pappy to state it's uniqueness. Using soft, sweeter wheat over hard, dry rye in the whiskey. I also appreciated the way he talked about how the flavor can never be accurately recreated as the location and yeast strain used is different, but he never talks about why that is. Both the mashbill and yeast are important to the whiskies flavor, yes, very important. But so is the white oak of the barrels, the barrels level of char, the amount of copper in the stills, the height of the stills, and the water also play important roles.
In conclusion, both stories are good, both stories are relevant. But in the same book? I have to say no. It comes across as reaching and scattered. Either play up the "southern-ness" (which would admittedly, make for a MUCH longer book) or focus strickly on the Van Winkle family and bourbon. If you want to quote Patterson Hood, that's just fine. To me Julian comes across more like the man on the verge of losing the family farm in the song "Sink Hole". As Hood sings, "Let him stand in my shoes and see how it feels / To lose the last thing on earth that's real". To me that's what the book should focus on. A man determined to preserve the work started by his grandfather, maintained by his father, and now up to him to grow.
April 3, 2021
I expected a history book and instead got a brilliant memoir. I was ready to wade into the history of fine bourbon and bourbon culture, and instead I got sucked into a woven tale of two families, southern culture, bourbon’s place in culture, and more. Thompson is one of my favorite writers - so fantastic at painting pictures with words and turning phrases.
December 27, 2020
The parts of this book that are about Julian Van Winkle, his family and bourbon are interesting. The other 75% that consist of the author’s hubris and ramblings are annoying. There was an opportunity missed here.
January 2, 2021
This is a book about one of the rarest bourbons in the world—but it’s not just a book about bourbon. It’s a book about the passage of time, about family and fatherhood, about loss and sacrifice and regret, and about making peace with our past and about striving towards our vision of the future.
When I started this book, I expected a straightforward, in-depth look at how PVW is now made and blended. But instead, this book is a deeply personal look at Thompson’s relationship with Julian Van Winkle III, and about family and growing older, about our relationships with our fathers and our children, and about what kind of world we want to create and what kind of legacy we want to leave behind when we die. As usual, Wright Thompson’s prose is gorgeous and deeply heartfelt, and he does a wonderful job of humanizing both Julian Van Winkle and the Pappy Van Winkle whiskey itself.
If you’re looking for an in-depth look at the production of Pappy Van Winkle or why it’s as rare as it is, you might not find what you’re looking for. But if you want to know about Julian Van Winkle, the man currently leading the blending and distribution of PVW, and about his journey to rediscover the taste of the whiskey Stitzel-Weller used to make and the love that very clearly goes into the process, you’ll enjoy this book immensely.
When I started this book, I expected a straightforward, in-depth look at how PVW is now made and blended. But instead, this book is a deeply personal look at Thompson’s relationship with Julian Van Winkle III, and about family and growing older, about our relationships with our fathers and our children, and about what kind of world we want to create and what kind of legacy we want to leave behind when we die. As usual, Wright Thompson’s prose is gorgeous and deeply heartfelt, and he does a wonderful job of humanizing both Julian Van Winkle and the Pappy Van Winkle whiskey itself.
If you’re looking for an in-depth look at the production of Pappy Van Winkle or why it’s as rare as it is, you might not find what you’re looking for. But if you want to know about Julian Van Winkle, the man currently leading the blending and distribution of PVW, and about his journey to rediscover the taste of the whiskey Stitzel-Weller used to make and the love that very clearly goes into the process, you’ll enjoy this book immensely.
February 28, 2021
Disorganized shallow book by a lazy author.
December 7, 2020
Nothing what I expected. I really expected a business biography, but instead it is a bromance between Julian van Vinkle, the author and the bourbon. That love triangle is a little extended by their appreciation of the land. When I read that this book made it on the New York Times best seller list, I was wondering how this have happened. I am sorry, but this book did not deliver on what I expected from the cover, even though it delivered on the title just in a very strange sense. Not the typical biographical sketch of a business.
November 19, 2020
Wanted to like this one, came away a little put off by it. Thompson is a good writer but this one felt a little lazy and self-indulgent. Quick read though- he has a good way of pulling you into the next chapter, so it's a breeze to read. I enjoyed learning the history of the Van Winkle family, they seem like top notch people. Did not enjoy Thompson's sometimes random interjections and swipes at Republicans and Catholics which grew as the book went along (Merton would like a word about being Done With Church). I'm sure he had a lot of fun writing this book and hope he enjoys his secret stash of Pappy from his compound in Montana.
January 4, 2021
Not what I was expecting, and that's a great thing. I thought it was going to be a point A to point B history of Pappy Van Winkle and family, with the rough edges smoothed out. Not at all. This story is emotional, funny, sad and meaningful. It makes me want to go out and buy a bottle of Pappy, too. How hard can it be?
December 16, 2021
I once gave a keynote address at the Kentucky Library Association's annual conference, which was held at Jim Beam's urban distillery. It was me, 150 librarians, and a whole lot of bourbon.
I also had one of my most memorable nights, in Lexington, sampling bourbon at bougie bars en route to our final destination, an LGBTQ dive bar called Ole Hookers. There a glass of Pappy Van Winkle could be had for $30. They had the best music. The best booze. We closed the place down and I was blessed with one of the worst hangovers of my life. But the memories alone were worth it even as I woke at 5:30 AM and dragged myself to the airport.
So this book piqued my interest, to the say the least.
But this is about more than bourbon. It's about Kentucky, the historical complexity of The South, about fathers, sons, and what we leave behind for the next generation.
Pour yourself a glass of the good stuff and give it a read.
I did.
I also had one of my most memorable nights, in Lexington, sampling bourbon at bougie bars en route to our final destination, an LGBTQ dive bar called Ole Hookers. There a glass of Pappy Van Winkle could be had for $30. They had the best music. The best booze. We closed the place down and I was blessed with one of the worst hangovers of my life. But the memories alone were worth it even as I woke at 5:30 AM and dragged myself to the airport.
So this book piqued my interest, to the say the least.
But this is about more than bourbon. It's about Kentucky, the historical complexity of The South, about fathers, sons, and what we leave behind for the next generation.
Pour yourself a glass of the good stuff and give it a read.
I did.
November 23, 2020
I was expecting a story about a family and their bourbon that sells online for over $3000 a bottle. This is a meandering story about the author and his journey/discovery of Kentucky, whiskey, and a smattering of other things.
December 30, 2020
This book was disappointing, especially having previously read Thompson's wonderful essays in "The Cost of These Dreams." I think the core issue is that this should have been a medium-length essay (40-ish pages) but instead was stretched out to the length of a book. While I enjoyed the interplay between the author and Julian Van Winkle, finding scenes where they were in conversation - either at a restaurant, or the Kentucky Derby, or Julian's lake house - well-rendered, the fluff was unbearable to read. E.g., the author called accountants for liquor companies financial wizards, marketing masterminds, gurus, etc. pretty much every five pages, reiterating that most bourbon isn't good anymore because MBAs have taken control from the master distillers, things just ain't how they used to be, yahdy yahdy yah. This book would have been much better if it was an extended treatment of Southern nostalgia through the lens of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, but we only get hints of that, as the author is too busy finding new synonyms for MBAs. He definitely drove his point home, but at the end, my desire to read was what got hammered.
December 1, 2020
There is something about this story that gets to you. Maybe it's the rich family history, maybe it's how the family went from the best to nothing back to the best, but any way you look at it this book was fun to read. I liked hearing about the hardships as much as the successes. But the thing that really stuck with me was how it seems like Julian is having fun now with making bourbon and that right there is all a person needs to hear and hope for with their life long mission.
May 14, 2021
A meandering and ultimately boring book in which the author waxes nostalgic and shares deep thoughts, mostly about himself. I found his political asides to be distracting and unnecessary. The narrative, if you want to call it that, had no continuity from one chapter to the next. The price on this book would be better spent on bourbon.
Read
January 5, 2024Finally finished! My dad has been begging me to read this for the past 3 years. He said “it’s the best book I’ve ever read” (coming from someone who reads 1 book every few years according to his wife). Personally, I didn’t love it, but who cares! I was just happy to read a book that means so much to my dad as a way to connect.
February 4, 2021
I can’t shake the feeling Thompson wrote this against a contractual word count. Why in the year 2020 would you need to write “personal laptop computer” to describe something?
The afterword by Julian Van Winkle was the best part and I want a whole book from him on his experiences in the whiskey biz instead of the treacly, maudlin account that I just read.
Also I didn’t win a bottle of Pappy 23yr from the raffle I entered (which is how I got this book in the first place). Negative 5 stars for that.
The afterword by Julian Van Winkle was the best part and I want a whole book from him on his experiences in the whiskey biz instead of the treacly, maudlin account that I just read.
Also I didn’t win a bottle of Pappy 23yr from the raffle I entered (which is how I got this book in the first place). Negative 5 stars for that.
June 29, 2021
I was most interested in the making of whiskey as a means of not letting bumper crops of corn go to waste and transporting them to market before there were adequate roads. I also found the descriptions of the distillation and aging process interesting. The search for the perfect recreation of the aged Pappy bourbon less so.
Why does aged Pappy bourbon sell for thousands of dollars a bottle? Because some people will pay that much to demonstrate that they CAN pay that much while others less well off, can not.
The bourbon serves as a metaphor for Southern history and privilege with bourbon standing in for the Lost Cause. While we would probably not read author Wright Thompson's biography, recounting the Van Winkle family history gives the author a way to present his own life history along with his musings, metaphors, and meditations. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this paean to wealth and privilege more at a time when thousands are not dying and suffering economically from a world wide pandemic with millions around the globe unable to obtain vaccine.
Why does aged Pappy bourbon sell for thousands of dollars a bottle? Because some people will pay that much to demonstrate that they CAN pay that much while others less well off, can not.
The bourbon serves as a metaphor for Southern history and privilege with bourbon standing in for the Lost Cause. While we would probably not read author Wright Thompson's biography, recounting the Van Winkle family history gives the author a way to present his own life history along with his musings, metaphors, and meditations. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this paean to wealth and privilege more at a time when thousands are not dying and suffering economically from a world wide pandemic with millions around the globe unable to obtain vaccine.
January 11, 2021
Maybe it’s being from Kentucky, maybe it’s trying to sort through a lot of the same emotions of being southern, maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for nostalgia - but whatever it may be, this book hit close to home. I wasn’t really expecting Wright to include so much of his own personal life in the book, and at times I forgot if I was reading about the Van Winkle family or his own, but I would be remiss to say that it didn’t add a beautiful aspect to the book. If it’s a history book on bourbon you’re looking for, I’m not sure this is exactly it. If it’s a story about bourbon, family and legacy you’re looking for, however, then this is right up your alley. Honestly, the only thing rubbing me the wrong way here are these high and mighty negative reviews.
January 6, 2021
Can’t wait to hit the Bourbon Trail again after reading this book! But it’s also so much more. I loved the passion of a person pursuing their craft, trying to do the best they can. It also tells that universal story of hoping you make your father proud. I really enjoyed this one.
June 10, 2023
This little book is a gem. It's an examination of intergenerational family relationships; the burdens of living up to perceived parental expectations; the ability to shape and direct the mark one makes during a lifetime; and the legacy one leaves behind.
Most importantly, it is a story of grit and determination; a story that champions those who get knocked down, but always get up again. It is a book about courage, perseverance, humility, and grace.
It is much more than a history of Pappy Van Winkle, the finest, high-end, Kentucky-crafted bourbon made in America. It is a story that transcends the 3 generations (going on four) of the Van Winkle family that produces, promotes, and distributes the bourbon.
It is a book about the universal truths of America, and the American experience. It is an uplifting tribute to hope, to promise, and to unlimited human potential. Pappyland is every place across the land where hope springs eternal -- hope for a better tomorrow; hope for the best influences of our better angels to ultimately prevail; and hope for many milestone occasions to come, to celebrate, with a toast to loved ones, and to share a laugh or two over a smooth, rich, comforting bourbon, on the rocks. Or neat, if you prefer.
Most importantly, it is a story of grit and determination; a story that champions those who get knocked down, but always get up again. It is a book about courage, perseverance, humility, and grace.
It is much more than a history of Pappy Van Winkle, the finest, high-end, Kentucky-crafted bourbon made in America. It is a story that transcends the 3 generations (going on four) of the Van Winkle family that produces, promotes, and distributes the bourbon.
It is a book about the universal truths of America, and the American experience. It is an uplifting tribute to hope, to promise, and to unlimited human potential. Pappyland is every place across the land where hope springs eternal -- hope for a better tomorrow; hope for the best influences of our better angels to ultimately prevail; and hope for many milestone occasions to come, to celebrate, with a toast to loved ones, and to share a laugh or two over a smooth, rich, comforting bourbon, on the rocks. Or neat, if you prefer.
February 17, 2021
Upfront - I am NOT a Whiskey drinker. I am Italian, I drink wine and read novels about wine, French Italian, watch the great wine movies, visit as many vineyards as we can, cook meals to pair with wine, you get the idea. I do go with friends and family to A Smith Bowman Distillery, here in Fredericksburg (winner of 2 International Awards!) and usually have water while they are sampling (I do love the Mary Hite) and we love going to Murlarkey (also here in Virginia)to sample Popi's (best mixologist EVER) cocktails. We did live in Kentucky for a number of years, (much younger years), outside Louisville and then just south of Lexington so we are quite familiar with the areas of the book and did go to the Derby, (spending a whole day drinking my 1 Julep). Steve was a Army soldier teaching at Eastern Kentucky University so our contingent parties could usually only afford beer or the lower ended bourbons like Jack Daniels (yes, I know that is from Tennessee, but like I say, we were all house poor so quantity over quality was more our style).
I am also not a real sport fan so I do not watch ESPN, nor read about sports or know who Wright Thompson is. Our Kentucky years were before Wright's time or we may have run into him at our University football games.
This was a Book Club book for me, not my choice, BUT, let me just say - D... this man is an awesome writer! I WILL search him out and read what he has to say. If I am ever offered a taste of any of Pappy Whiskey, I will consider myself blessed.
So tonight for our club, I will be sitting at home on Zoom, having a 3 Tea Whiskey (from Murlarkey) with Lemonade and Steve will be having something much finer. He is at the ABC now searching for an appropriate corn and wheat bottle to have during Club.
I am also not a real sport fan so I do not watch ESPN, nor read about sports or know who Wright Thompson is. Our Kentucky years were before Wright's time or we may have run into him at our University football games.
This was a Book Club book for me, not my choice, BUT, let me just say - D... this man is an awesome writer! I WILL search him out and read what he has to say. If I am ever offered a taste of any of Pappy Whiskey, I will consider myself blessed.
So tonight for our club, I will be sitting at home on Zoom, having a 3 Tea Whiskey (from Murlarkey) with Lemonade and Steve will be having something much finer. He is at the ABC now searching for an appropriate corn and wheat bottle to have during Club.
January 17, 2021
I’ll start by saying, if you’re looking for a book on the history of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon or the Van Winkle family, don’t bother with Pappyland. The book reads like the author’s journal - documenting self-aggrandizing moments with his high profile friend Julian Van Winkle.
Wright Thompson hits on some big highlights of the Van Winkle family’s legacy in bourbon, but the book is far from a comprehensive history as the title and book jacket might imply. Thompson spends a good portion of the book writing about his own life, family, and trials and tribulations. I understand the point of this, he is attempting to illustrate the relationship between parent and child, the importance of legacy, and the meaning of memories and how they mold us - but at the end of the day, I didn’t buy this book to learn about he and his wife trying to get pregnant or his relationship with his uncle. I wanted to learn about the Van Winkles, the bourbon, and what I got was a braggadocios account of what it’s like to be friends with Julian Van Winkle.
In the end the book could be summed up with Thompson having written only one sentence, “I am friends with Julian Van Winkle, and you aren’t.”
Wright Thompson hits on some big highlights of the Van Winkle family’s legacy in bourbon, but the book is far from a comprehensive history as the title and book jacket might imply. Thompson spends a good portion of the book writing about his own life, family, and trials and tribulations. I understand the point of this, he is attempting to illustrate the relationship between parent and child, the importance of legacy, and the meaning of memories and how they mold us - but at the end of the day, I didn’t buy this book to learn about he and his wife trying to get pregnant or his relationship with his uncle. I wanted to learn about the Van Winkles, the bourbon, and what I got was a braggadocios account of what it’s like to be friends with Julian Van Winkle.
In the end the book could be summed up with Thompson having written only one sentence, “I am friends with Julian Van Winkle, and you aren’t.”
February 4, 2022
It's funny to me that this book is in any way divisive, I just don't get it. Seems to me some people expected this to be an in-depth history book on the Pappy Van Winkle brand, but it never made that claim. Instead this reads more like a memoir that comes out as if its a long term magazine profile. There are two stories here, one is the profile of Julien Van Winkle the current head of the Van Winkle bourbon family, the other is the authors own life stories and how they can tie in to both Julien and bourbon. I found it to be a delightful read filled with just enough historical storytelling to be interesting without being boring. Julien in a complex character that is clearly dealing with decades of family legacy that weigh on him. If you enjoy bourbon or even just some good storytelling, this is a good one for you.
March 14, 2021
Forgive me non-sports fans, but the best way I can think to review this book is through a basketball metaphor...
Imagine a college basketball team that looks great on paper at the beginning of the year, with multiple five-star recruits. The season begins with high expectations, but the talent struggles to mesh and they lose more games than they win. Then--midway through the season--they start to figure things out and string together some wins. They finish the year with a nice little run in the tournament, making it to the Elite Eight. But the team never quite reaches its full potential.
That, for me, was this book. The first half was a 2 out of 5. The second half was a 4. And the last few chapters were close to a 5.
Imagine a college basketball team that looks great on paper at the beginning of the year, with multiple five-star recruits. The season begins with high expectations, but the talent struggles to mesh and they lose more games than they win. Then--midway through the season--they start to figure things out and string together some wins. They finish the year with a nice little run in the tournament, making it to the Elite Eight. But the team never quite reaches its full potential.
That, for me, was this book. The first half was a 2 out of 5. The second half was a 4. And the last few chapters were close to a 5.
December 30, 2020
Simply delightful. In this year of all years, it was perfect to close it out with a meditation on the long term. Thompson wrestles with whiskey, fatherhood, faith and the South - its glories, burdens, and sins. He says that bourbon is for the homesick. This book surely made me homesick for east Texas and Kentucky. But this book is also about rebuilding and it is making me think long and hard about building a life in OKC that will allow my children to one day be homesick.
January 28, 2021
Wanted to like it more. I appreciated the history of and lessons in bourbon. However, I couldn't quite identify the thesis of this book. It's not a true story of the Van Winkle family; it's not a memoir of Thompson; it's not a profile of Julian Van Winkle; it's not an account of life in the South; it's not a love letter to a bygone era. But it tries to be all these things in a hodge-podge of scenes and conversations that leave the reader asking, "What the hell did I just read?"
December 14, 2020
Make sure you’ve got a glass of bourbon to sip while you read.
March 1, 2021
I still don’t know what the point of this book was. Too random, jumped around, weird.
May 13, 2021
Meandering, disjointed mess that cannot succinctly weave a cohesive narrative about how Van Winkle bourbon came to be.
February 24, 2022
4.5 ⭐️ This was wonderful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 800 reviews