Thoughtful essays on the history, significance, and pleasures of whiskey

Everyone becomes a philosopher with a drink in hand, but "Whiskey & Philosophy" takes this natural pairing to a new level. It explores a range of philosophical topics related to whiskey through engaging reflections written by philosophers, whiskey writers, and others.

You will learn things that are both practical (how do tasting notes vary across guides and whiskey brands?) and thought provoking (why is there the popular conception that drinking whiskey makes people mean, and is it true?). Whether your interest lies in the drink itself or in the philosophical issues surrounding it, you'll find something to interest you in this unusual book.Covers subjects ranging from geographical origin to stylistic differences between whiskey and ScotchExplores philosophical ideas such as the aesthetics, metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics of whiskey and whiskey drinkingIncludes contributions from academics, journalists, and whiskey specialists, all written in an engaging and accessible style

Whether you prefer your whiskey neat or in a Manhattan, from the United States, Scotland, or elsewhere, "Whiskey & Philosophy" is your perfect drinking companion.

Portable sized edition of the award-winning ""Malt Whisky"," from Charles MacLean, a world authority on the subject of malt whisky.
This edition is produced in a smaller format than the original "Malt Whisky" to allow the whisky enthusiast to carry it as a portable companion for reference when buying, tasting, or visiting distilleries. Full color maps locate the key distilleries, while over 150 photographs capture the essence of the spirit and how it is made. Charles MacLean describes how to appreciate and get the most out of tasting malt whisky, and a detailed A-Z directory features all of Scotland's key distilleries and their whiskies with full color labels. Also included are tips on buying malt whisky, as well as a guide to distillery visitor facilities and the best whisky societies and websites. This book offers all the information any malt lover could ever need to appreciate this magical spirit to the full.

Wine. The word calls to mind vineyards descending stark Spanish hills, vats lining Tuscan villages, fashionable singles crowding California tasting rooms. But anyone who hikes or bikes back roads in the Upper Midwest sees grapevines twining over fence posts and twisting up trees. Smooth, delicious wines are made from those grapes, and from the wild berries and cultivated fruits grown in the region. Wineries of Wisconsin and Minnesota is a user-friendly guide to fifty-five wineries, ranging from small family-farm operations to the largest, best-known wine producers. The book's centerpiece is a series of thirteen "wine trails" that paints a picture of each winery's setting and unique flavor and includes detailed information and maps for visiting the wineries. Author and wine expert Patricia Monaghan explores the colourful history of Wisconsin and Minnesota wines, including the geology and climate of the region: the history of Upper Midwest grape growing; the heritage of country wines, and the major wine regions in the area. Delightful sidebars feature tidbits of wine information, from recommended pairings of food and wine to unusual local wine lore.

SILVER AWARD FOR BEST BEER BOOK, BRITISH GUILD OF BEER WRITERS 'Jaega Wise is the new brewing superstar' CAMRA BEER magazine Produced using a mixture of naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria, wild fermented beers offer the 'fine dining' of the beer world. These beers are how beer tasted 200 years ago, before brewing was industrialised, and are enjoying a worldwide revival. Jaega Wise, head brewer at East London's Wild Card Brewery and presenter of Amazon Prime's Beermasters, is one of the UK's experts in wild fermentation. Here, she explains the science behind the brewing process and shares her recipes so that you can experiment at home. Learn how to brew, bottle, and age your beer in wooden barrels, and produce a range of different sour beer styles, farmhouse ales and fruit beers. Recipes and styles featured in the book include: - German Berliner Weisse (tart and refreshing) and Gose (salty and dry) - Belgian Lambics, gueze, Flanders red ale and fruit beers - French Farmhouse ales such as saison and biere de garde - Norwegian Farmhouse Ales including the Kveik IPA - English Old Ale Also included is a trouble-shooter section to guide you through what happens when wild yeast and bacteria get out of control and how to remedy it. Whether you are a beer geek or a home brewing novice, Wild Brews contains everything you need to replicate today's sour and wild beer styles at home.

In these fascinating interviews, winemakers from the United States and abroad clarify the complex process of converting grapes into wine, with more than forty vintners candidly discussing how a combination of talent, passion, and experience shape the outcome of their individual wines. Each winemaker details their personal approach to the various steps required to convert grapes into wine. Natalie Berkowitz speaks to winemakers from different backgrounds who work in diverse wine-producing regions, including Chile, England, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and the United States. They talk about familiar and unfamiliar grape varietals, their struggles with local terroirs, and the vagaries of Mother Nature. Some represent small family wineries with limited production while others work for corporations producing hundreds of thousands of bottles. Each individual offers rare insight into how new technologies are revolutionizing historic winemaking practices. The interviews are supplemented with personal recipes and maps of winemaking regions. An aroma wheel captures the vast array of wine's complex flavors and aromas.

"Pairing Wine with Asian Food" is a useful guide exploring the principles behind matching Asian food with the right wine. Oenologist Edwin Soon explores problem ingredients in the Asian kitchen and details wine and food combinations to avoid as well as "marriages made in heaven." The major cuisines of Asia are covered, highlighting the most common dishes such as dim sum, seafood, curries and Asian street foods, as well as featuring restaurant safe bets. From Chinese banquets to Thai street food, this straightforward guide will ensure that readers will pick the right wine next time they dine Asian.

The rumors are true; there are more barrels of bourbon than there are people in Kentucky. In fact, statistics tell us there are nearly two barrels of aging bourbon for every Bluegrass State citizen. With a population of nearly 4.5 million and each barrel yielding close to 200 bottles, it's safe to say the average Kentuckian doesn't have to look far for a bottle of amber gold. While Kentucky may be known as bourbon's home base, for bourbon lovers everywhere, the act of drinking bourbon is about more than just its acquisition. It is a lore and an experience, but most of all it is a legacy. As people across the United States and the world begin to wake up to the allure of Kentucky's state beverage, bourbon is having its moment - the act of coveting, collecting and savoring bottles is now a worthy passion to pursue. With budding enthusiasts clamoring to know more about this American-born creation, finding an entry point into the history and culture of the spirit is a task not easily undertaken. Bourbon 101 offers a distinctive and introductory approach to learning about the world of bourbon. Award-winning author Albert W. A. Schmid takes students through a crash-course in all-things bourbon including its history, production, and enduring cultural identity. Schmid introduces new enthusiasts to the lexicon of bourbon and provides a starting point for those wanting to develop their palate and find the bourbon that best suits their own taste. Told through the lens of Schmid's own experiences and interactions with experts in the bourbon world, the book is as much a handbook as it is a love letter to a beverage that has left an indelible impression on those who've dared to take the first sip.

Can you name America's oldest brewery? If visions of outsized draft horses plod to mind, you're way off. Instead, head for the mountains - of northeastern Pennsylvania. In 1829, in Pottsville, German immigrant D.G. Yuengling set up shop to slake the thirst of immigrants flocking to the region's booming anthracite coalfields. Five generations have steered the family-owned brewery through fires, temperance, depressions, Prohibition, and the whims of changing tastes; outlasted hundreds of local competitors; and turned Yuengling from a regional name into a national institution. For 175 years, the hard-working, hands-on approach of Yuengling has kept it going, and growing, while thousands of other brands vanished into history's recycling bin.Kick back, relax, and crack open a cool history of Yuengling and Son, Inc., America's oldest brewery. It begins with the brewery's founding in 1829 by German immigrant D.G. Yuengling, who saw an opportunity in the region's growing, beer-loving immigrant population. Subsequent chapters follow the brewery into the age of bottled beer and advertising; through the dark days of Prohibition; the age of consolidation, when a few big names swallowed up or buried most regional brews; and into the age of microbrews, when consumers turned away from bland brands in search of a beer with character, leading to Yuengling's resurgence on the national scene. An epilogue gauges the company's current status and immediate future, and a chronology lists key events in the brewery's existence. Notes and copious illustrations supplement this history, which also includes a list of reference works, and an index.

A Spirited Look at Drinks in Pop Culture "...celebrates drinking lore across a wide range of comic book and video game universes..." WineMag.com #1 New Release in Alcoholic Drinks & Beer Sci-fi and fantasy worlds are full of characters who know that sometimes magic happens at the bar. In addition to being a mixed drinks and alcoholic drinks book, Drink Like a Geek is a look at iconic drinks and the roles they play in our pop culture our favorite movies, shows, books, and comics. It's also a toast to the geeks, nerds, and gamers who keep this pop culture alive. Flights of fantasy. Drink Like a Geek is a fan encyclopedia and cocktail book. Because we strongly encourage audience participation, dozens of recipes for otherworldly cocktails, brews, and booze are included. A great 21st birthday idea. If you're looking for nerd gifts, Drink Like a Geek raises the bar. Homebrewers and mixology geeks who are fans of superheroes, wizards, or intergalactic adventure will also enjoy this book's celebration of real-world bar-arcades, geeky Tiki culture, and the surprising connections between space and modern booze. In Drink Like a Geek, you'll find entertainment and drinks for fans who love: Sci-fi Comic books Wizards Genre TV B-movies Videogames Cosplay and conventions And space! You'll love this book if you enjoy pun-filled cocktail recipe books and cookbooks like Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist; Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist; The Bob's Burgers Burger Book: Real Recipes for Joke Burgers; Heroes' Feast (Dungeons & Dragons); The Geeky Bartender Drinks; or The Geeky Chef Drinks.

This book invites readers to discover an exceptional wine grown in the French region of Bordeaux. Chateau Cantemerle, which has been a vineyard since the Middle Ages, has a unique history full of mystery and intrigue. To tell its story, Valerie Labadie has created an original narrative, combining her own insights with the imagined memory of Baroness de Villeneuve, a 19th-century ancestor who signed the important Bordeaux Wine Official Classification documents in 1855. With 150 stunning, atmospheric photographs, Labadie takes readers on a journey around the vineyard, revealing a mansion that looks like Sleeping Beauty's castle, mysterious shadowy cellars, and a romantic 200-acre park in which wine-lovers can be lost for hours. Including a detailed history of Cantemerle's wines, this beautiful book will seduce wine lovers as they drift through its pages, ideally with a glass of Bordeaux in hand.

Learn what you need to know about wine-in a single evening
Though more and more Americans enjoy wine each year, many still feel intimidated by the subject. The image of the wine snob - swirling glass in hand, taking luxurious sniffs, and spouting obscure factoids about the vintage - persists, making the rest of us feel lost in a seemingly elite world.
In fact, anyone and everyone can appreciate wine. The Learning Annex Presents the Pleasure of Wine is a straightforward guide that squeezes a seminar's worth of information into a book and answers questions such as:
* What are the different types of wine?
* What kinds of wine come from France, Italy, North America, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and South America?
* How do I taste wine, and how do I pair wine with food?
* What are some fun ways to integrate wine into my life?

Full of sidebars and other special features, The Learning Annex Presents the Pleasure of Wine gives you the tools and knowledge you need to select, judge, and enj oy wine - and all in a single night's reading

Pour yourself the perfect drink-or make a round for your guests. Making drinks at home has never been easier. In this guide to the perennial favorites and forgotten classics, YouTube's favorite Aussie mixologist Steve the Bartender shows you how to craft cocktails with ease. Approachable and unpretentious instructions ensure that every drink is simple and delicious. - Guidance on building a home bar, from the essential spirits to mixing equipment and glassware - 125 curated drink recipes for every occasion, from Manhattans to Mai Tais. - Photographs of every recipe and integrated QR codes linking to videos of Steve preparing each drink.

In this collection, Natalie Jacob, experienced NYC bartender and founder of the blog Arsenic Lace, brings together the best drinks from the midcentury period, the original era of cocktail parties, tiki bars and martini lunches. Get tips on making professional cocktails and flavoured syrups, as well as building a swanky home bar. Become a pro with egg whites for flips and sours, and master familiar favourites like the Mai Tai, Monte Carlo and more. Experience glamorous simplicity with sophisticated drinks like the Good Fellow, an elegantly layered blend of Vermouth, bitters, bourbon and Calisaya, a bittersweet orange liqueur popular with pre-prohibition drinkers. Keep it cool with tropical beverages harking back to the 1950's tiki craze, such as the irresistible Missionary's Downfall: rum, brandy and honey syrup brightened with a refreshing dash of lime, and served up over crushed ice. Natalie mixes it up with her own signature midcentury inspired cocktails. Her original Flying Down to Rio, made with cachaca, features warm notes of vanilla, mixed with earthy Thai basil and coconut cream. This book is the perfect gift for cocktail aficionados looking to hone their bartending skills and drink up the history behind iconic recipes. It's also an approachable guide for beginners, with insider advice on how to shake, stir and blend every recipe with precision and style. This book will have 75 recipes and 75 photographs.

* FUN AND FASCINATING TRIVIA GAME that tests your wine knowledge and have you swirling, sniffing, and sipping your way to vinicultural victory. * VARIETY AND VARITALS with 750 questions, including categories such as Vine to Vino (growing grapes and making wine) and Cork Culture (wine people and the business). * PERFECT GIFT FOR WINE BEGINNERS or experienced oenophiles looking for a fun and educational new game to brighten up game night. * PACKAGE CONTAINS 150 cards, 6 game boards, 90 game pieces, 1 die, illustrated map of the wine world. * FOR 2 to 6 PLAYERS

"Rich in history and admirable scholarship. . . . It's a fine grande champagne of a book, to be savored over and over."
-Patricia Wells, author of The Provence Cookbook
Called the "brandy of the gods" by Victor Hugo, Cognac is a universal symbol of refinement and quality. In the first comprehensive history of this celebrated drink, Kyle Jarrard charts Cognac's birth in the 1500s and its transformation into the world's most coveted brandy. Along the way, he reveals how Cognac distillers weathered vineyard die-offs, the German occupation, and other challenges over the years-and offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Hennessy, Remy-Martin, Courvoisier, Martell, and other legendary brands.
For any Cognac lover, this fascinating book will make the perfect gift.
Kyle Jarrard (Paris, France) is a senior editor at the International Herald Tribune and author of the highly acclaimed novels Over There and Rolling the Bones.

Grape wine has been produced for at least 4,000 years, having been aged, stored and transported in every conceivable type of vessel. Its seductiveness has been enhanced by this packaging: primarily three strikingly different containers - amphorae, wooden barrels and glass bottles. Henry H. Work brings extensive wine experience as a cooper, working with wine barrels and living in California's Napa Valley to provide a richly detailed and vivid account of wine containers through the ages. This book delves into the history, evolution, and present use of containers, vessels, and stoppers; from animal skin sacks to barrels, from glass bottles to upstart packaging such as wine casks, and even aluminium cans. It considers the advantages and weaknesses of their construction, designs and labels, methods of shipment and storage, as well as their impact on marketing wine to customers. This is an enlightening and innovative read which draws on the most current archaeological research, scientific data and wine business trends. It is richly peppered throughout with the author's own visits to many of the locations explored in the book, bringing history to life. This book will appeal to individuals within the wine industry, undergraduates in the fields of history, archaeology, food and hospitality, as well as all people interested in wine.

A richly illustrated account of the story of ancient viniculture The history of civilization is, in many ways, the history of wine. This book is the first comprehensive account of the earliest stages of the history and prehistory of viniculture, which extends back into the Neolithic period and beyond. Elegantly written and richly illustrated, Ancient Wine opens up whole new chapters in the fascinating story of wine by drawing on recent archaeological discoveries, molecular and DNA sleuthing, and the writings and art of ancient peoples. In a new afterword, the author discusses exciting recent developments in the understanding of ancient wine, including a new theory of how viniculture came to central and northern Europe.

there is no greater pleasure than sharing a fine bottle of wine with friends. On the other hand, there's no greater disappointment than opening a bottle that has been lovingly hoarded and finding that the wine is past its prime. Was the storage of the wine at fault or was it simply a poor bottle Why had the level of the wine in the bottle dropped so dramatically and why did the cork fall apart upon extraction How should wine be selected and what storage conditions will provide the most suitable enviroment for them there is no-one better qualified to answer these questions than Australia's foremost wine expert and wine writer, James Halliday. In this completely updated new edition, he discusses the problems a bottle may encounter during its life and how to minimise them; how to choose white and red wines for cellaring; and the most efficient cellar racking systems. All this information is woven around Halliday's own irresistible tales venerable bottles and never-to-be-forgotten dinners. there is no greater pleasure than sharing a fine bottle of wine with friends. On the other hand, there's no greater disappointment than opening a bottle that has been lovingly hoarded and finding that the wine is past its prime. Was the storage of the wine at fault or was it simply a poor bottle? Why had the level of the wine in the bottle dropped so dramatically and why did the cork fall apart upon extraction? How should wine be selected and what storage conditions will provide the most suitable enviroment for them? there is no-one better qualified to answer these questions than Australia's foremost wine expert and wine writer, James Halliday. In this completely updated new edition, he discusses the problems a bottle may encounter during its life and how to minimise them; how to choose white and red wines for cellaring; and the most efficient cellar racking systems. All this information is woven around Halliday's own irresistible tales venerable bottles and never-to-be-forgotten dinners.

A short course in wine appreciation that’s easy, practical, and fun

What’s the difference between a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc? Can you ever serve red wine with fish? In this fast, focused primer, wine experts Ian Blackburn and Allison Levine answer these and dozens of other basic wine questions, sharing their enthusiasm and giving people the know-how they need to stop worrying about wine and start enjoying it.

Ian Blackburn (Los Angeles, CA) has taught more than 10,000 people about wine through his courses and seminars. He is a consulting wine educator for Cordon Bleu California School of Culinary Arts and founder of the LearnAboutWine Web site.
Allison Levine (Los Angeles, CA) is the Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Events for the LearnAboutWine Web site and also holds a position on the local board of the American Institute of Wine and Food.

A Field Guide to Whisky is a one-stop guide for all the information a whisky enthusiast needs. With the whisky market booming all over the world, now is a perfect time for a comprehensive guide to this popular brown spirit. What are the basic ingredients in all whiskies? How does it get its flavour? Which big-name brands truly deserve their reputation? What are the current whisky trends around the world? And who was Jack Daniel, anyway? This abundance of information is distilled(!) into 323 short entries covering basic whisky literacy, production methods, consumption tips, trends, trivia, geographical maps and lists of distilleries, whisky trails, bars, hotels, and festivals by an industry insider. Boasting 230 colour photographs and a beautiful package to boot, A Field Guide to Whisky will make a whisky expert out of anyone.

La Fee Verte (or "The Green Fairy") has intoxicated artists, poets, and writers ever since the late eighteenth century. Stories abound of absinthe's druglike sensations of mood lift and inspiration due to the presence of wormwood, its infamous "special" ingredient, which ultimately leads to delirium, homicidal mania, and death. Opening with the sensational 1905 Absinthe Murdres, Phil Baker offers a cultural history of absinthe, from its modest origins as an herbal tonic through its luxuriantly morbid heyday in the late nineteenth century. Chronicling a fascinatintly lurid cast of historical characters who often died young, the absinthe scrapbook includes Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Dowson, Aleister Crowley, Arthur machen, August Strindberg, Alfred Jarry, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Allais, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso. Along with discussing the rituals and modus operandi of absinthe drinking, Baker reveals the recently discovered pharmacology of how real absinthe actually works on the nervous system, and he tests the various real and fake absinthe products that are available overseas. Written with "seductive verve and gentle insight" (Times Literary Supplement), The Book of Absinthe is a witty, erudite primer to the world's most notorious drink.