The New York Times bestseller! “A warm and loving reflection that, like good bourbon, will stand the test of time.” —Eric Asimov, The New York Times “Bourbon is for sharing, and so is Pappyland.”—The Wall Street Journal The story of how Julian Van Winkle III, the caretaker of the most coveted cult Kentucky Bourbon whiskey in the world, fought to protect his family's heritage and preserve the taste of his forebears, in a world where authenticity, like his product, is in very short supply. Following his father’s death decades ago, Julian Van Winkle stepped in to try to save the bourbon business his grandfather had founded on the mission statement: “We make fine bourbon—at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon.” With the company in its wilderness years, Julian committed to safeguarding his namesake’s legacy or going down with the ship. Then he discovered that hundreds of barrels from the family distillery had survived their sale to a multinational conglomerate. The whiskey that Julian produced after recovering those barrels would immediately be hailed as the greatest in the world—and soon would be the hardest to find. Once they had been used up, a fresh challenge began: preserving the taste of Pappy in a new age. Wright Thompson was invited to ride along as Julian undertook the task. From the Van Winkle family, Wright learned not only about great bourbon but about complicated legacies and the rewards of honoring your people and your craft—lessons that he couldn’t help but apply to his own work and life. May we all be lucky enough to find some of ourselves, as Wright Thompson did, in Pappyland.

Proclaimed a masterwork when it was originally published in 1995, The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys by Gary Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan runs the gamut of American whiskey. This widely acclaimed work contains details on every aspect of American whiskey up to the mid-1990s. This landmark book contains a concise look at how whiskey in America evolved from the time of the Pilgrims, right through to the end of the twentieth century. Every distillery that was around at that time is comprehensively covered. The vast majority of American whiskeys on the market are described. There are cocktail recipes, recipes for appetizers, entrees, and desserts, all containing whiskey. There's even a chapter that offers guidance to aficionados visiting Kentucky and Tennessee.

John C. Tramazzo highlights the relationship between bourbon and military service to show the rich and dramatic connection in American history.

Brian Haara recounts the development of commercial laws that guided the United States from an often reckless laissez-faire mentality, through the growing pains of industrialization, past the overcorrection of Prohibition, and into its final state as a nation of laws.

Saving Kentucky is about preserving not only land and historic property, but also a way of life. It tells the stories of an eclectic group of Kentuckians, both in their own words and through the extraordinary photographs of Thomas Hart Shelby. From tenant farmers to urban revivalists, they have one thing in common: a deep connection to their heritage and a fierce determination to preserve it for future generations.

Sara Havens is The Bar Belle for LEO Weekly and writes about everything from the Louisville, Ky., nightlife and hangover cures to the latest in bars, cocktails and watered-down American swill. A personality-driven column that runs every other week in LEO, The Bar Belle was created in 2006, which is, ironically, the year Sara's mother stopped reading the paper. The Bar Belle was named Best Column (for a circulation under 50,000) at the 2011 AltWeekly Awards. This book features 100 of her best columns from 2006-2010.