Anthony Bourdain:
"I will never reveal what this wonderful bourbon is because there are too many sons of bitches out there who would steal it from me!"

A tour of 11 legendary distilleries across the United States, exploring ingredient ratios, distillation characteristics, branded bottlings，
How to choose and how to taste? Explore the three mainstream distilleries: Bourbon, Tennessee and Rye.
Inventory of 6 master distillers and the dreamy products that "no amount of money can buy"!

"The beginnings of American independence came from the demand for alcohol and commercial interests!"
The history of whisky, the science of the process, and the most complex spirit in the world of whisky.
Talking about adventures, wars, film and television trends, the evolution of norms, the process of making whiskey, counting the legendary distilleries and the rarest American whiskeys on the market, combing the inextricable links between the culture of spirits vs. George Washington, the gangster godfathers, Hollywood, and the common man, to see how the distilling industry has been pulling the strings of American history for 250 years!

[Drinking American Spirits, Reading American History]
The United States is the world's most addicted to alcohol, even the first President Washington had the largest whiskey distillery in the United States, far from the colonial period, distilled spirits is deeply rooted in the blood of Americans.
　
◎The story of adventure, war and spirits: the pioneer West, the Civil War, and the Korean War all went hand in hand with the development of whiskey, and the fact that it was large, cheap, and represented patriotism made American whiskey an inseparable part of civilian life.
◎Mark Twain's Gilded Age: After the Civil War, bootleg moonshine was prevalent, society was intoxicated, and politics and business were corrupt, but it also laid the foundation for the regulation of bourbon.
◎The entanglement between gangsters and bootleggers: The epic films "The Godfather" and "The Four Seas Brothers" portrayed the social reality, and the impact of "Prohibition" on politics, people's livelihoods, the economy, and the social order was both profound and wide-ranging!
◎The Cold War brought Bourbon out of the United States: Bourbon and Scotch, French Cognac, Champagne, and Spanish sherry were certified as "National Unique Products" because the big distillers hoarded too much during the Korean War? Not only was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a fan of Tennessee Whiskey, but Bourbon has also spread around the world with the spread of US military bases.

[Classic Distilleries & Fantastic Escapes]
◎Not all Meadville is bourbon! Bourbon barrels are a catchy phrase for wine fans, but they don't really understand what bourbon is, and what the difference is between bourbon and straight bourbon. What is the difference between bourbon and pure bourbon?
◎Get to know the three classic types of Mavis: from the raw materials, regulations, and distillation process, we will explain the characteristics of the mainstream Mavis-
Bourbon Whiskey
Tennessee Whiskey
Rye Whiskey
◎An in-depth analysis of distillery legends: Ginbin, Burnham Tennessee, Jack Daniel's, Bison Wizard, Four Roses… counts down the history, processes and classic bottlings of the heavyweight distilleries.
◎A Discussion of Master Distillers and Fantasy: Paco Rabin (Tianshan), Booker T. Bennett (Bowie), Picasso (Bowie) Paco Rabin (Tien Shan), Booker T. Noe (Gimbin), Jimmy B. Noe (Gimbin), Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey), Elmer B. Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey), Elmer Lee (Wizard of Bison), Bill B. Lee (Bison), and J.J. Lee (Bison). Almer Lee (Bison Wizard), Bill Samuels (Meigs), Jim Lee (Bison Wizard). Samuel (Meg), Jim Rutledge (Four Roses).
◎The three major creations that saved the bourbon industry: Blanton's Single Barrel (1984), Elijah Craig Small Batch (1986), and Dr. Booker's (1987).


The whiskies of both sides of the Atlantic, Mavis and Solvay, both developed at the end of the eighteenth century, established their norms in the same year at the beginning of the twentieth century, suffered from the Great Depression of the 1970s, and exploded into the twenty-first century at the same time. It's no coincidence that the development of Meadville and Solvay each had its own brilliant counterpart, and any whisky lover can't afford not to be aware of it, or to know about it.

Qiu Defu

Keepers of the Quaich, the Scottish amphorae tipple enforcer
Columnist, Fortnightly Financial Times
Columnist, Whisky Magazine
"Third Chairman of the Taiwan Single Malt Whisky Tasting Association
Blogger of the blog "Spilling wine on the heights, enjoying the pleasure"

‧Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, U.S.A. He has been working as an engineering consultant for more than 20 years.
‧Since 2005, he has been running the blog "Spritzing from a High Height, Enjoying Yourself", and has completed more than 2,000 types of tasting notes and published hundreds of articles on whisky.
‧In 2006, he joined the Taiwan Single Malt Whisky Tasting Society, and from 2012 to 2015, he was the chairman of the board of directors, organizing and assisting in hundreds of tasting events.
‧Since 2014, he has been writing a whisky column for Caixin Biweekly.
‧2015 Awarded the title of Keepers of the Quaich in the fall
‧2018 Published Whiskyology
‧2019 Whisky Magazine
‧2020 The Drinker's Book published
‧2020 The Voice of the Quaich Podcast launched
‧2020 New edition of Whiskyology published
‧Column in Food Power, 2020 - present

[Recommendation Preface]
[Author’s Preface] The Road Not Taken

Part I American History in a Wine Bottle
The Wedge: The 1964 Resolution
First: A Long, Long Time Ago
The Voyageur's Water of Life: Immigration and Distillation / The American War of Independence / Molasses and Patriotic Spirits / The Whiskey Riots
Second: The Birth of Bourbon
Wooden Barrels and Bourbon Whiskey / Kentucky Corn and the Explorers / The Mystery of Bourbon's Birth
Third: The Industrial Revolution and the Distillers
The Railroad Era, the Making of Whiskey Country / The Rise of the Distillers
Fourth: The Civil War and Aftermath
The Impact of the Civil War / After the Civil War: Liquor Taxes and Bootlegging / The Rise of Jack Daniel's, the Largest Mavis Distillery / The Rise of the Whiskey Industry
Colonel Taylor, the Father of the Whiskey Industry's Renaissance
Fifth: The Gilded Age
Hotbeds of Degradation - The Whisky Circle / Octopus - The Whisky Trust / The Rise of the Brands
Sixth: What is Whisky
The Clean Food and Drugs Act / Definition of Whisky
Seventh: Prohibition
Morality vs. Corruption? The Temperance Movement/Political Beacon of Prohibition.
Love of Alcohol vs. Love of Country? The Constitutional Kick / The Numbing of the Liquor Industry / Smuggling and Gangsterism: The King of Bootleggers, Remus / The Way is Higher, the Devil is Higher / Prohibition: The Definition of Whiskey
The Taoist is a man of high stature / Tomorrow won't be better without alcohol - the repeal of Prohibition
Eighth: Rebirth by Fire
Liberating the New World? The Early Years of Openness / The Consensus of the Distillers / The Revival of the Distilleries
Ninth: World War II and the post-war period
World War II / Post-war recovery and mergers and acquisitions / Extending the bond - the Forand Bill / Going global, going big
Tenth: Dark times and the dawn of light
Enemy at hand: Vodka on the prowl / Shimmering light in the darkness
Eleventh: Making Mavis Great Again
Into the 21st Century: A Return to Glory / The Rise of Craft Distilleries / The Renaissance of Rye Whisky / The Chase for Higher Prices

Part II Understanding Meadville's Regulations
First: Bourbon Is Not Straight Bourbon - The Complexity of Mavis Regulations
Definition of Whiskey Types: A Dictionary of Whiskey Types / What Is Bourbon? /
The Tug-of-War Between History and Profit / What the Label Can Say
Second: Shortcomings and Fixes of Laws
The Sprawling Draft Revision / The 2020 Revision / Malt Whisky / The 2020 Revision
Third: A Few Terms to Understand When Getting to Know Mayweather
Kentucky Whiskey / Why Is Tennessee Whiskey Not Bourbon? /
The Origin of Jack Daniel's and Tennessee Whiskey / True Distillation or False Distillation - The Original Liquor Sourcing (Juice Sourcing)

Part III Production Demystified
First: Cereal Raw Materials
Second: Cereal Recipe
Third: Saccharification of Grains
Fourth: Fermentation
Fifth: Distillation
Sixth: Aging

Part IV Distillery Tour
First: Distilleries and Brands
Second: Gimbin
Third: Meigs
Fourth: Balfourmont and Oberst
Fifth: Wolfer's
Sixth: Heaven Hill-Burham
Seventh: Bison Wizard
Eighth: Barton 1792
Ninth: Wild Turkey
Tenth: Four Roses
Eleventh: Tennessee Whiskey
Twelfth: Jack Daniel's.
Thirteenth: George Dicko