Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit by Dane Huckelbridge

Bold, smooth, charred, complex, dry—these words are but a mere selection of those a bourbon enthusiast might use to describe their drink of choice. Similar words could be used to describe Dane Huckelbridge’s sweeping history of bourbon in American history. Beginning with the earliest possible origins of usquebaugh, the drink that became known as “whiskey,” Huckelbridge conveys a collection of historical sagas that reveal the emergence and progression of the American whiskey industry. The argument of this book is as straightforward as some of the whiskeys it describes: bourbon, Hucklebridge claims, is the American spirit, figuratively as well as literally. Throughout each chapter, Hucklebridge describes the ways that bourbon is, ultimately, a microcosm of the “American experience.” He argues it is a reflection of the highs and lows endured, and in some cases caused, by those individuals who helped shape American history. Huckelbridge shows how bourbon cut its teeth out on the frontier and how, like the United States, it was born out of rebellion, withstood the hardships of Prohibition and the Great Depression, and emerged strong by the end of the twentieth century.

Throughout seven chapters, Bourbon covers the full swath of American history, beginning in the era before colonization and ending in the present day. By covering such an extensive length of time, it is understandable that each chapter focuses on the highlights of certain events, rather than present in-depth analysis of the selected era. The book opens with the origins of distillation in Europe, an accomplishment attributed to Senyor Ramon Llull in 1265, rather than to Jabir ibn Hayyan, an eighth-century Arab scholar—a point that may raise some questions from other historians of alcohol. Huckelbridge proceeds to cover the production of different fermented beverages among the indigenous populations of the Americas before colonization, in a worthwhile move away from a Eurocentric focus. As the chronology of the story progresses, Hucklebridge relates the early struggles of settlers in Virginia, making a claim (described as “playful historical speculation”) that Captain George Thorpe was the first person to distill Indian corn into bourbon. This appears as something of a turning point in Huckelbridge’s narrative—seemingly, the point of bourbon’s origin—as he refers back to it regularly throughout the book. The book moves steadily through the colonial era and to the colonists’ fight for independence. Jumping from topic to topic, Huckelbridge covers the Whiskey Rebellion, the Civil War, as well as the feuding between the Hatfield and McCoy families. The book, however, truly appears to hit its stride once it reaches the Gilded Age. Huckelbridge relates the ways the Whiskey Ring and the Whiskey Trust nearly destroyed the integrity of the still young bourbon industry in the United States. Possibly the most enjoyable part of the book is his discussion of Dr. James C. Crow and changes in the production of whiskey in the late nineteenth century. At this point Huckelbridge lays a clear foundation between the selling of whiskey and the historical nostalgia recalled in mid-twentieth century advertising. The book then proceeds to the importance of whiskey in the “Wild West,” the difficulties of Prohibition, and the importance of whiskey to World War II. The final chapter examines the resurgence of small-batch bourbon in the later twentieth century, allowing the narrative to tie back to the fascinating discussion of the nineteenth-century developments.

A popular history book, Huckelbridge has written an entertaining book clearly aimed at a general audience. His meandering narrative seemed reminiscent to stories told in a bar—a possibly intentional approach. Historians of alcohol history will be disappointed to find the absence of footnotes or citations. Instead, those interested in seeking out the sources of Huckelbridge’s work will find a list, broken down by chapter, at the back of the book. The bibliography does feature a nice balance between primary and secondary sources, though it remains unclear at many points in the book exactly where Huckelbridge found the featured...