Audiobook Review – A History of Bourbon by Ken Albala (Author, Narrator) (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: All Ages
Genre: Non-Fiction/History
Length: 3 hours and 55 minutes
Publisher: Audible Originals
Release Date: 17 December 2019
ASIN: B0829CBKRD
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Free Audible Originals audiobook through Audible membership
Rating: 3/5 stars
“Is bourbon the quintessential American liquor? Bourbon is not just alcohol—the amber-colored drink is deeply ingrained in American culture and tangled in American history. From the early days of raw corn liquor to the myriad distilleries that have proliferated around the country today, bourbon is a symbol of the United States.
This course traces bourbon’s entire history, from the 1700s, with Irish, Scottish, and French settlers setting up stills and making distilled spirits in the New World, through today’s booming resurgence.
On their tour of bourbon’s fascinating, turbulent, and uniquely American evolution, listeners will explore the mysterious origins of the whiskey’s name and meet the men and women who have been championed as its inventors and made it so popular – from Daniel Boone’s cousin and Baptist minister Elijah Craig to Jacob Beam and Evan Williams.
In this 10-lecture journey through the story of an undeniably American libation, listeners will:
- Hear the stories behind the earliest bourbon whiskies right up to the current “bourbon bubble”
- Learn how a contemplative spirit went from agricultural product to industrial commodity
- Explore how – and why – bourbon played such a large role in the years of the early republic
- Get the facts on when and why Congress passed whiskey-protection laws
- Discover the surprising importance of bourbon distilleries during World War II, when the spirit became war material
- Go inside the Golden Age of Bourbon – a remarkable proliferation of new brands and niche markets happening now
- Witness the growth of brands like Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Bulleit Bourbon, and Old Taylor
- Gain insights into why distilled spirits, like clothes and cars, project a message about who we are and the cultures to which we belong.”
Series Info/Source: I got this as a free Audible Originals audiobook through Audible. This is a stand alone audiobook.
Audiobook Quality (3/5): The narration was okay. There are some parts where the narrator/author stutters or mis-speaks which does give this more of a live lecture feel, versus a professional audiobook.
Story (3/5): This was a decent listen. It’s broken into a series of lectures, starting with a general history of alcohol and then proceeding to bourbon and following bourbon through history. It was informative and interesting if you are interested in history, especially the history of alcohol.
Writing Style (3/5): The pace of the audiobook is pretty fast and a lot of information is thrown at you quickly. I thought the way the information was organized was fairly well done and easy to follow. It is done in a lecture type of style which worked fine for this.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was a good overview both of the history of liquor and, more specifically, bourbon. It starts with a more general history and then progresses to the history of bourbon. Information is thrown at you quickly but it was well organized and moved at a good pace. The narration didn’t sound very professional, more like a live lecture type of style, but it was okay. I would recommend it if you are interested in this topic.
