The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys Hardcover – December 15, 2009

I'm an older person, and my wife and I have grown children. Recently we have been doing Bourbon Tastings at our home. We are trying to learn more about the subject: the history, the methodology, the brands, the histories of the distilleries in the past and those of today, etc. It's a fascinating subject that we have come to enjoy learning about.Kentucky, my home, sits on a limestone foundation. It's this filtration of water through the limestone that gives it a special flavor that makes Kentucky Bourbon like none other. You should learn more about this. This interesting fact is in the book.Beyond the reading, we have been partaking of Bourbons that we have not had before, and we have been comparing all of them to other brands. Obviously this is a no-win scenario, since everyone has different tastes and proclivities. Still, when you have 4-6 different Bourbons on the table, you can learn a lot.Regan explains quite clearly how to do a fair and consistent tasting so that you can actually get something out of it, and I'm not talking about getting drunk. Furthermore, he and his writing partner go into great depth to explain their experience at tasting a plethora of common, as in available, Bourbons. Their material helps one to further learn how to constructively taste Bourbon. Throwing back a shot of a Bourbon is not going to help educate your taste buds. You have to address the "nose," "the mouth," and the "finish" before you can even begin to understand a particular Bourbon. Maybe you even have to do it more than once.The book that I would most closely compare this one too is by Bernie Lubbers. The book is entitled "Bourbon Whiskey Our Native Spirit: From Sour Mash to Sweet Adventures with a Whiskey Professor, 2nd Ed. (Indianapolis, IN: Blue River Press, 2011)" The only difference is that Bernie is a character (singer, comedienne, and recently the newly made Ambassador for Heaven Hill Distilleries , and Regan is totally straight forward and serious. I own both, and would recommend both to whomever reads this.I would also like to recommend that if you like Bourbon, you should do a search on your computer for the "Kentucky Bourbon Trail." You'll find it of great interest.Owen M. McKinney

Good read for those interested in the history of KY bourbon. Well written and researched. It was written and published 15 years ago hence it lacks the up to date information on the bourbons including the craft bourbons. A good resource for those interested in the history of KY bourbon making, and not expecting an up top date report. Perhaps a second edition is needed.

Can't speak highly enough about this as a reference tool for bourbon and its history. Read the book and you'll walk away with a better than average understanding of the production and history, along with some great recipes.I bought the original when it came out and I just bought a copy for a friend. Another friend read it cover to cover before touring Kentucky for obvious reasons. Figured you can never know enough about American Whiskey, so I'm picking up this updated version for myself.Enjoy!

This book tells a lot about Bourbon, probably more than most folks really want to know. The Bourbon lover will enjoy the book because of the background of the drink and the tips on how to best enjoy it. The first scan taught me a few new things that I had never thought of. I recommend this to anyone interested in this great American spirit.

Received as description

Bought two of these classic bourbon books...lots of detailed info.

The history of whiskey, bourbon, etc. has always been really interesting to me. This is a great book about hooch and everything. I truly recommend this book.

Lots to learn here even if you already are a bourbon fan.

This book is getting hard to find, I purchased this because it was recommended in another book I was reading on the subject and although some of the information is out of date, the core facts and history of Bourbon and other American whiskies is very interesting.

Great overview of the bourbon world at this period in time.