The Book of Bourbon: And Other Fine American Whiskeys

Very informative and correct. I live in Kentucky within driving distance of all major distilleries. I must say the author was knowledgeable and let one form his/her own opinion based on one's own palate.

I've tried a lot of bourbons and ryes over the years, probably over 100, so it's an area I have some idea about. So I wasn't sure I would learn much from another book about it. But Regan's descriptions of the specific flavors and essences in the various bourbons are excellent, and having tried almost everything in the book and done my own taste analyses, I can say he truly knows his stuff, and I picked up some new things as well. Regan also does a fine job of discussing the history of bourbon and the various distilleries, and although this background is interesting too, and also the details on actual bourbon distilling, the best part of the book is the descriptions, as this is the best way to learn to detect and disciminate the features of the different bourbons. Bourbons differ from each other almost as much as single malts, and learning to appreciate the full spectrum of of styles and possibilities is one of the great things about bourbon. There are important differences in the flavors and essences present in bourbon vs. scotch. Although it's not a hard and fast rule, bourbons tend to be stronger with respect to the "dark fruits,"--that is, the plum, raisen, prune, and dates flavors, which single-malt whiskies typically don't have-- although Linkwood is one scotch that is famous for its raisen-like flavor. Another difference between bourbons and single-malts is they are often sweeter and more sugary on the palette than scotch, which is why you can do things like pour it over deserts and ice-cream--something you probably wouldn't want to do with scotch--although I once had an amazing 17-yr. old Cadenhead, Ltd. (one of the several independent scotch agers and bottlers) bottle of Longmorn that was pure nectar, very sweet, and hardly tasted like typical scotch at all, and was more like a hybrid between a very sweet bourbon and Cognac. One fun thing I learned from this book is why I like the Old Fitzgerald and Old Weller bourbons so much. Turns out they use some rye as well as corn in the malt, which accounts for the spicey character of these fine bourbons. I didn't realize they were doing this until I read the section on these bourbons. Makers Mark, originally a small batch, "boutique" bourbon that has really caught on in the last 15 years and has come a long way from its modest beginnings in a small wooden building, also does this. Well, I could go on for a while on interesting things about bourbon and scotch and how they resemble or differ from each other, but I'll leave the rest to discover for yourself, hopefully by way of this book. Good luck and happy tasting!

I consider myself fairly knowlegeable about both bourbon and single-malt whisky, having tasted and collected over 200 single-malts in my day and many bourbons. Regan's descriptions of the specific flavors and essences in the various bourbons are excellent, and having tried almost everything in the book and done my own taste analyses, I can say he truly knows his stuff. Regan also does a fine job of discussing the history of bourbon and the various distilleries, and although this background is interesting too, and also the details on actual bourbon distilling, the best part of the book is the descriptions, as this is the best way to learn to detect and disciminate the features of the different bourbons. Bourbons differ from each other almost as much as single malts, and learning to appreciate the full spectrum of of styles and possibilities is one of the great things about bourbon. There are important differences in the flavors and essences present in bourbon vs. scotch. Although it's not a hard and fast rule, bourbons tend to be stronger with respect to the "dark fruits,"--that is, the plum, raisen, prune, and dates flavors, which single-malt whiskies typically don't have-- although Linkwood is one scotch that is famous for its raisen-like flavor. Another difference between bourbons and single-malts is they are often sweeter and more sugary on the palette than scotch, which is why you can do things like pour it over deserts and ice-cream--something you probably wouldn't want to do with scotch--although I once had an amazing 17-yr. old Cadenhead, Ltd. (one of the several independent scotch agers and bottlers) bottle of Longmorn that was pure nectar, very sweet, and hardly tasted like typical scotch at all, and was more like a hybrid between a very sweet bourbon and Cognac. One fun thing I learned from this book is why I like the Old Fitzgerald and Old Weller bourbons so much. Turns out they use some rye as well as corn in the malt, which accounts for the spicey character of these fine bourbons. I didn't realize they were doing this until I read the section on these bourbons. Makers Mark, originally a small batch, "boutique" bourbon that has really caught on in the last 15 years and has come a long way from its modest beginnings in a small wooden building, also does this. One final thing I thought I'd mention is he points out that there is a legal distinction between "bourbon" and "sour mash." To call itself sour mash, it has to be filtered through 14 feet of southern maple charcoal, which accounts for the smokey flavor in Jack Daniels and other sour-mash bourbons. In fact, the reason you pay a premium price for the Gentleman Jack bottling is it's just filtered through the charcoal twice. Well, I could go on for a while on interesting things about bourbon and scotch and how they resemble or differ from each other, but I'll leave the rest to discover for yourself, hopefully by way of this book. Good luck and happy tasting!

I know about Bourbon. I've visited distilleries, I know of the major producers, I've met with master distillers, and I've sampled many different bourbons. Of the several books I've used to assist me in gaining knowledge I find this book outstanding. Nevermind that a couple of distilleries have changed names or owners or that their master distiller has changed in the few years since this book was written. If you want to understand bourbon both from the perspective of it being the U.S. national distilled spirit and its history to what the differences are between bourbons this is your book. This book even gives the ingredient differences by distiller and product. Don't make a fool of yourself thinking Jack Daniels is bourbon. This book will tell you why it is not, what products are, and what makes them different. I love the book. (and I get to write for magazines so I appreciate good research.)

This book includes a detailed history of bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskey. It discusses the people and the political climate that shaped the American whiskey industry. After the history, the book details the major distilleries and includes tasting notes for many American Whiskies on the market. It doesn't provide ratings - Regan's other book does that. Also included is a section on how bourbon is made, one with cocktail recipes, and another with food recipes using bourbon.This book serves as a wonderful history lesson and makes a reader proud of the art of the American whiskey distiller.