Untangling the Myths and Legends of Whiskey
How many distillery tours have you been on? Are you a veteran of the hobby, or a new entrant looking to learn as much as they can, or perhaps someone on a family trip taking a brief trip to a nearby distillery for fun? Whichever of these applies to you, chances are you will hear something (probably multiple somethings) that are apocryphal, stories told so many times and pushed so hard that you believe them upon hearing.
Some might have elements of truth, some might even be mostly true. In the world of whiskey, though, the story is almost always more important and pervasive than the truth.
Drew Hannush, owner of Travel Fuels Life, host of the now-ended Whiskey Lore Podcast, and author of several books including Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon, has long been someone I've looked to when doing research or trading names of people and distilleries to which I should pay attention. I didn't realize how long I'd been supporting him on Patreon, and it's been well worth it.
In his new book, Whiskey Lore: Volume 1: Bourbon, Scotch, Irish Whiskey: The Real Stories Behind the Biggest Myths and Legends, Drew invites us to interrogate these stories and uncover the history behind the tales. Some of the most well-known whiskey legends are questioned: was Elijah Craig really the "father of bourbon"? where did the term "bourbon whiskey" originate from? and our shared favorite, is Jack Daniel's bourbon?
Spanning both sides of the Atlantic, the stories behind American, Scotch, and Irish whiskies are investigated with the eye of someone looking for as much of the truth as we can find. While the "real" story isn't always knowable, Drew searches for that gray area between truth and fiction to find, at least, a place where we can feel comfortable going on a distillery tour and not wanting to assail the stories our guides tell us.
In the meantime, you may learn the backgrounds of legends and myths you never even knew about. Whether listening in Drew's radio-ready voice or reading the book yourself, you'll come out understanding how marketing and stories are created. Add in the now-ubiquitous AI component we all see on ever search, and Drew creates a context and starting point for his trademark style of research-driven storytelling.
"Only" 24 myths and legends made it into Volume One, and by Drew's telling, he's got at least a few dozen more for future volumes. He's also about to revisit Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon with a 31-distilleries-in-10-days-trip and soliciting recommendations for his "Great 48" tour of distilleries in the lower 48 states. Join me and Drew on his (and my!) Patreon to be part of something big - I know you'll love it just like I do.
Thank you to Drew for entering the Whiskey Ring!
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