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Make it a Double: From Wretched to Wondrous: Tales of One Woman's Lifelong Discovery of Whisky
A witty and immersive look at the history, mythology, science, and magical touch that makes whisky taste like a drop of gold.
Braving the “all boys” clubhouse of the world of whisky has not been easy, but Shelley Sackier has managed to do just that out of her love for the drink. By turns funny and poignant and filled with vivid insight into this ancient craft, Make it a Double will persuade even a teetotaler to want a wee dram.
As a woman whose first sip of whisky created the female doppelganger of a Mr. Yuk sticker, that experience produced a sharp realization that the liquid was foul, poisonous, and needlessly dirtied a previously clean glass. And then she met Scotland. Her curiosity and growing passion lit a fire—igniting a desire to learn more about this craft’s rich and vivid history and the need to break out of an old life and to become the mother, partner, and woman she has always sought to be. After completing a course in Scotland’s famed Bruichladdich Distillery, Shelley begins her path of writing about—and working within—the world of whisky.
There has never been a better time for Shelley's inimitable voice to shed light on this intoxicating realm. Women are not only impressively contributing to the burgeoning sales of the spirit—making up nearly 40% of the whiskey-drinking population in the United States—but they are also growing in number as they enter in to, train within, and lead the industry with their determined creativity and innovation. In the tradition of Blood, Bones, and Butter, Make it a Double establishes Shelley Sackier as a fresh new voice in the lush world of culinary narrative.
Braving the “all boys” clubhouse of the world of whisky has not been easy, but Shelley Sackier has managed to do just that out of her love for the drink. By turns funny and poignant and filled with vivid insight into this ancient craft, Make it a Double will persuade even a teetotaler to want a wee dram.
As a woman whose first sip of whisky created the female doppelganger of a Mr. Yuk sticker, that experience produced a sharp realization that the liquid was foul, poisonous, and needlessly dirtied a previously clean glass. And then she met Scotland. Her curiosity and growing passion lit a fire—igniting a desire to learn more about this craft’s rich and vivid history and the need to break out of an old life and to become the mother, partner, and woman she has always sought to be. After completing a course in Scotland’s famed Bruichladdich Distillery, Shelley begins her path of writing about—and working within—the world of whisky.
There has never been a better time for Shelley's inimitable voice to shed light on this intoxicating realm. Women are not only impressively contributing to the burgeoning sales of the spirit—making up nearly 40% of the whiskey-drinking population in the United States—but they are also growing in number as they enter in to, train within, and lead the industry with their determined creativity and innovation. In the tradition of Blood, Bones, and Butter, Make it a Double establishes Shelley Sackier as a fresh new voice in the lush world of culinary narrative.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published June 7, 2022
About the author
Shelley Sackier
4 books141 followersShelley Sackier grew up in a small farming community in Northern Wisconsin continually searching for ways to grow warm. Realizing she would never be able to enjoy ice cream like real people should, she left the state and lived the blissful life of a traveling musician. Discovering her stories needed more space than two verses a bridge and a chorus could provide, she began storytelling in earnest. And then in Virginia. Which is where she lives now and continues to write.
Her first novel, DEAR OPL (Sourcebooks 2015), is a tale about a snarky, overweight thirteen-year old, who suffers from loss everywhere in her life except on her body.
Her next novel, The Freemason's Daughter (HarperCollins, 2017) is a story about a 16 yr old Scottish girl living in 1715 who's raised entirely by six burly Scotsman--and they're all smugglers. The Antidote (HarperCollins February 2019) is a YA novel about magic and medicine, and the witches who wield them both.
To learn more about Shelley, visit shelleysackier.com
where she blogs weekly about living on a small farm atop a mountain in the Blue Ridge and how it’s easiest to handle most of it with home grown food, a breathless adoration for tractors, and a large dose of single malt scotch.
You can also find her on Twitter @ShelleySackier, Instagram, and Facebook.
Her first novel, DEAR OPL (Sourcebooks 2015), is a tale about a snarky, overweight thirteen-year old, who suffers from loss everywhere in her life except on her body.
Her next novel, The Freemason's Daughter (HarperCollins, 2017) is a story about a 16 yr old Scottish girl living in 1715 who's raised entirely by six burly Scotsman--and they're all smugglers. The Antidote (HarperCollins February 2019) is a YA novel about magic and medicine, and the witches who wield them both.
To learn more about Shelley, visit shelleysackier.com
where she blogs weekly about living on a small farm atop a mountain in the Blue Ridge and how it’s easiest to handle most of it with home grown food, a breathless adoration for tractors, and a large dose of single malt scotch.
You can also find her on Twitter @ShelleySackier, Instagram, and Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 1, 2023
Thanks to Pegasus Books for providing a copy to review.
Her first taste of whisky almost put her off it forever, until she met Scotland and its passionate people. She develops a deep curiosity and passion for whisky, diving deep into this world dominated by men. Shelley has to fight through assumptions and prejudice, but becomes very knowledgeable, writing and working within this industry.
Rating: 4/5 I didn’t know much about whisky before reading this, and now I know quite a bit! I really enjoyed Shelley’s humor and storytelling style, it’s very relatable while being very informative. She tells us about all the different types, processes of making it, the culture around whisky, how the industry has always been and how it’s changing today, and some tips and resources for people who are interested in diving deeper and learning more. If you have any interest at all in whisky, and the history behind it, I would recommend this great read.
Her first taste of whisky almost put her off it forever, until she met Scotland and its passionate people. She develops a deep curiosity and passion for whisky, diving deep into this world dominated by men. Shelley has to fight through assumptions and prejudice, but becomes very knowledgeable, writing and working within this industry.
Rating: 4/5 I didn’t know much about whisky before reading this, and now I know quite a bit! I really enjoyed Shelley’s humor and storytelling style, it’s very relatable while being very informative. She tells us about all the different types, processes of making it, the culture around whisky, how the industry has always been and how it’s changing today, and some tips and resources for people who are interested in diving deeper and learning more. If you have any interest at all in whisky, and the history behind it, I would recommend this great read.
January 21, 2026
A good fun romp through a) Shelley Sackier's life in relation to whisky and other things, and b) various informative notes on the making and drinking of whisk(e)y. The book is structured like Moby Dick with the narrative punctuated by informative interchapters on the whisky making and drinking process. This works well enough once you get over the surprise and in general the book is fun to read. If I have any criticisms then I would say that the tone of relentless irreverence (try saying that after a dram or three) and tongue in cheek prose can get a little tiring after a while (I'm probably just getting old). Also there's a bit early on that discusses the history of whisky that was filled with facts (excellent), one or two alternative facts (surprising), all served up with timeline spaghetti (confusing). I'm being overly picky though. As I've said already it was a fun read.
September 4, 2022
Perhaps one must appreciate Scotch, as I do, to love this book, but it would certainly also appeal to anyone who enjoys humorous writing, in the vein of classical writers such as Betty McDonald and Erma Bombeck, but contemporary. Sackier is a wonderful writer & master of the metaphor.
January 13, 2023
Loved it. Witty wonderful journey about Whisky. Learned a ton and was written in a way that was fun and relatable. Laughed several times. Make sure to have a dram or 2 while reading.
September 1, 2022
I enjoyed this book because 1. it talks about Scotland and 2. it explores a woman's story of how she came into her own. The book covers a lot of ground in short essays, which is great for dipping in and out of if you're busy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews