The Art of American Whiskey - Wine & Spirits Magazine

The Art of American Whiskey


Author: by Noah Rothbaum

Publisher: Ten Speed Press, 2015

Price: $19.99

Whiskey is having a moment right now. Or, at least that’s how it appears in the pile of new books focused on the topic stacking up on the desks of the W&S editors. Noah Rothbaum, a veteran of the spirits word and author of The Business of Spirits, presents a fascinating overview of our nation’s whiskey history through the changing (and enduring) aesthetics of bottle labels. Organized by decade, The Art of American Whiskey surrounds each label with background information that places it in the context of the political climate of the moment, and charts the development of advertising and branding in the process.

Caitlin Griffith knew her future career would entail food and drink when, at the age of six, she munched an anchovy from her father’s Caesar salad thinking it as a small strip of bacon—and was more than pleasantly surprised. While enrolled in New York University’s Food Studies program, she learned the secrets of affinage in the caves of Murray’s Cheese.


This story appears in the print issue of February 2015.
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