Synopses & Reviews
Shortly after graduating from the University of Glasgow in 1934, Elizabeth and#8220;Bessieand#8221; Williamson began working as a temporary secretary at the Laphroaig Distillery on the Scottish island Islay. Williamson quickly found herself joining the boys in the tasting room, studying the distillation process, and winning them over with her knowledge of Scottish whisky.
After the owner of Laphroaig passed away, Williamson took over the prestigious company and became theand#160;spokesperson in America for the entire Scotch whisky industry. Impressing clients and showing her passion as the Scotch Whisky Associationand#8217;s trade ambassador, she soon gained fame within the industry.
Whiskey Women tells the tales of women who have created this industry, from Mesopotamiaand#8217;s first beer brewers and distillers to Americaand#8217;s rough-and-tough bootleggers during Prohibition. Women have long distilled, marketed, and owned significant shares in spirits companies, including Bushmills, Johnnie Walker, and Makerand#8217;s Mark. Williamsonand#8217;s story is one of many among the influential women who greatly influenced Scotch, bourbon, and Irish whiskey. Until now their stories have remained untold.
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Review
and#8220;Fred Minnick gives us an entertaining look at boozeand#8217;s little-known historyand#8212;including its links to childhood medicine, witchcraft, and the eighteenth-century mail order bride business. This book goes down smooth.and#8221;and#8212;A. J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
Review
and#8220;The known history of whiskey changes with
Whiskey Women. Fred Minnick has dug deep and come up with gold on the tremendous contribution women have made at each step in the history and evolution of this much-storied beverage.
Whiskey Women is a real game changer.and#8221;and#8212;Davin de Kergommeaux, award-winning author of
Canadian Whisky: The Portable ExpertReview
and#8220;The first of its kind,
Whiskey Women chronicles the great contributions of women who, like myself, take enormous pride in our work, furthering excellence in the Whiskey trade. Fred Minnickand#8217;s thought-provoking and passionate portrayal is nothing less than exceptional!and#8221;and#8212;Lauren Shayne Mayer, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America, Ltd.
Review
and#8220;Let me raise my glass and say and#8216;Cheers to Fred Minnick,and#8217; to one of my favorite whiskey cohorts and fellow bourbon magician. Fred takes us on a historical stroll, giving a voice to the women for whom whiskey was a way of life. Iand#8217;ll drink to that.and#8221;and#8212;Lee Anne Wong, former producer of Top Chef and host of the Cooking Channeland#8217;s Food Crawl
Review
and#8220;In the testosterone-laden world of whiskey, Fred Minnick finally gives women their due in his lively and entertaining book. This is an important contribution to the history of whiskey.and#8221;and#8212;Connie Kam, executive vice president of Michterand#8217;s Distillery
Review
and#8220;Brewsters, blenders, bootleggers, moonshiners, distillersand#8212;whatever your favorite spirit, little-known and highly influential women in Europe and the United States have helped create it, sell it, and fight for and against its consumption. In his lively and exhaustively-researched book, Fred Minnick finally brings these fascinating whiskey women to well-deserved light. Slainte!and#8221;and#8212;Caitlin Kelly, author of Blown Away: American Women and Guns
Synopsis
On May 4, 1964, Congress designated bourbon as a distinctive product of the United States, and it remains the only spirit produced in this country to enjoy such protection. Its history stretches back almost to the founding of the nation and includes many colorful characters, both well known and obscure, from the hatchet-wielding prohibitionist Carry Nation to George Garvin Brown, who in 1872 created Old Forester, the first bourbon to be sold only by the bottle. Although obscured by myth, the his
About the Author
Wall Street Journal best-selling author FRED MINNICK, once an army journalist in Iraq, writes the award-winning and#8220;American Whiskeyand#8221; column for
TASTING PANEL Magazine and and#8220;Toasting the Huntand#8221; column for Covey Rise. A regular contributor to
Caviar Affair,
Costco Connection,
Whisky Magazine, and
Whisky Advocate, Minnick has widely written about the spirits industry, traveling around the world covering everything from Limoncello in Sorrento, Italy, to Malbec wine in Mendoza, Argentina. Minnick is a member of the Authorand#8217;s Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Meridith May, publisher of
TASTING PANEL, calls Minnick and#8220;one of the best whiskey storytellers in the business.and#8221;