Whiskey Business

May 1, 2017

Beginning in the 1950s with pioneers in small-batch distilling such as Maker's Mark(R), Acitelli (The Audacity of Hops: The History of America's Craft Beer Revolution) looks at nearly every trend in the spirits industry including marketing, regulations, corporate shenanigans, and how pop culture has influenced people's drinking habits. Despite its title, this volume is as much about American beer and wine as it is about vodka, gin, and brandy, which all get their due. Acitelli attempts to place the rise of craft and small-batch distilleries within the larger trends of refinement and specialization within the fine wine and craft-brewing worlds. This makes for an ambitious and far-ranging book, packed with details. James Rodewald's American Spirit covers similar ground yet is more tightly focused on profiles of particular spirits and select distilleries. VERDICT While the details sometimes get away from the author, this breezy volume provides a solid introduction to the beverage industry.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017
As this book tracks the impetus of the small-batch distillers that have had an impact on the spirits industry in America, readers are introduced to the movers and shakers that upset the status quo of liquor production from the 1950s to present. The rise of now-iconic brands such as Makers Mark, Anchor Brewing, Tito's, and Germain-Robin, among others, exemplifies how these juggernauts of distillation have affected American perceptions and boosted a movement that has become a present-day dominant trend. Acitelli recounts this mercurial history from the impact of Prohibition to the development of DARE and MADD to the cocktail renaissance glorified by such mainstream influences as the popular TV show Mad Men. Those influences, alongside the multitude of freelance writings from the likes of Robert Mondavi and Michael Jackson, events (e.g., Whiskey Fest, World Expo of Beer), and professional organizations such as the American Distilling Institute propelled this nuanced niche while also portending its possible fall from grace. A where are they now section provides further information on each character introduced, and a bibliography is included at the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)