Overview

"Bourbon Backroads can be read in the traditional way; simply retire to an armchair and read about how distillers made that bright amber liquid in the cut-glass tumbler standing on your side table. Or, one can use the book as a guide to visit and experience the places where bourbon's heritage was made. Kentucky is strewn with the landmarks of bourbon's long story: distilleries long-standing, relict, razed, and brand new, the grand homes of renowned distillers, villages and neighborhoods where laborers lived, Whiskey Row storage warehouses, river landings and railroad yards, and factories where copper distilling vessels and charred white oak barrels are made. Throughout the nineteenth century, distilling changed from an artisanal craft practiced by farmers and millers to a large-scale mechanized industry that practiced increasingly refined production techniques. Distillers often operated at comparatively remote sites - the ""backroads"" - to take advantage of water sources or transport access. As time went on, mechanization and the steam engine shrank the industry's reliance on water power and permitted relocation of distilleries to urban or rural rail-side sites. This shift changed not only our ability to consume bourbon but also how we engage with the industry and its history. Blending several topics - tax revenue, railroads, the mechanics of brewing, geography, landscapes, and architecture - this primer and geographical guide presents an accessible and detailed history of the development of Kentucky's distilling industry and explains how the industry continues to thrive."

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9780813182292

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Reviews

Exceptionally researched and immediately captivating for those wishing to get into the finer points of bourbon's rich history of technical innovation and adaptability. -- DrinkHacker [Raitz's] extensive research details how geography, landscape and architecture led to the development of Kentucky's distilling industry over two centuries. The book is recommended for geographers, historians and bourbon lovers. -- The Kentucky 100 In this age of craft distilling and artisan whiskey, Kentucky bourbon stands out as an icon of American taste and culture. What Karl Raitz demonstrates in this superb volume is that bourbon is also an expression of a cultural landscape and historical geography that is as deep, rich, and complex as the whiskey that has made Kentucky famous. Geographers, historians, and whiskey aficionados will want to savor this book. -- Warren R. Hofstra, Shenandoah University in Virginia

[Raitz's] extensive research details how geography, landscape and architecture led to the development of Kentucky's distilling industry over two centuries. The book is recommended for geographers, historians and bourbon lovers. -- The Kentucky 100 In this age of craft distilling and artisan whiskey, Kentucky bourbon stands out as an icon of American taste and culture. What Karl Raitz demonstrates in this superb volume is that bourbon is also an expression of a cultural landscape and historical geography that is as deep, rich, and complex as the whiskey that has made Kentucky famous. Geographers, historians, and whiskey aficionados will want to savor this book. -- Warren R. Hofstra, Shenandoah University in Virginia

Author Information

Karl Raitz is professor emeritus of geography at the University of Kentucky and author of Bourbon’s Backroads: A Journey through Kentucky’s Distilling Landscape. He is coeditor of The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes from Prehistory to the Present and coauthor of Rock Fences of the Bluegrass.

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