Why does Pappy Van Winkle taste different today? Was single malt Scotch just a marketing ploy? And who really invented whisk(e)y? All of these questions and more are answered (or at least heavily debated) in Noah Rothbaum’s latest book, The Whiskey Bible, a definitive guide to the brown spirit we know and love.
Rothbaum, one of the world’s leading authorities on cocktails and spirits — as well as a James Beard Award winner and renowned drinks author (The Art of American Whiskey: A Visual History of the Nation’s Most Storied Spirit) and editor (Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails) — penned a whiskey tome that serves as equal parts history book, geographical/regional analysis, explainer and cocktail guide. But it’s the whiskey myths he explains (and often heavily reassesses) that stand out.
“When I started on this project, I naively thought most of the myths, legends and misconceptions about whiskey had already been debunked,” Rothbaum says. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. In almost every section of the book, I was shocked to discover that the truth was quite different than the accepted version of events — and usually way more interesting.”
Below, a brief Q&A with Rothbaum about the book’s origins and some of his favorite myths.
InsideHook: How long does it take to put together a book like this?
Noah Rothbaum: My publisher, Workman, approached me in January of 2020 about writing The Whiskey Bible. But really, my whole career has led me to writing this book. This is truly the culmination of my life’s work. Some of the questions about the origins and evolution of whiskey that I’ve been able to answer in this book are ones I have been struggling to figure out for decades.
When doing research, what are a few things you personally believed that you were surprised to learn were untrue or different from what you assumed?
I was very surprised to find out that American whiskey makers didn’t always use new barrels. That only became a requirement for bourbon and rye makers after Prohibition, when the federal government was creating new standards of identity. It was fascinating to read about this fight, which takes place in the halls of Congress and was reported by political columnists.
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Everything you know about your favorite drink is probably wrong. This book could fix that.You touch on it in the book, but would you say the Scotch or the Irish have the better claim for inventing whisky?
Who created whisk(e)y is one of the most contentious and fraught questions I tried to settle. By the way, I wouldn’t suggest bringing up this question in either Ireland or Scotland. Both countries have long claimed that they are the actual creators of whiskey. Who’s right? The short answer is that neither country has built a very strong case. In fact, from what I found, the distilling knowledge that led to whiskey production may actually have come from — and I hope you’re sitting down — England. The greater truth is that the first whiskey didn’t taste anything like our modern version but was actually more like gin, flavored with botanicals and sometimes sweetened. And whiskey ultimately evolved over centuries to become the drink we now know and love. Ireland and Scotland, of course, play critical roles in that development.
This goes beyond spirits, but as someone who’s written a few books that really dig into the history of spirits, why are there so many drinking myths and tall tales?
This is a question I’ve asked myself more than once. The short answer is that up until recently, drinks weren’t considered a topic worthy of serious research and scholarship. At the same time, marketing and PR have been a huge part of selling booze. That combination means that most of what we collectively know as society about alcohol was likely dreamed up in a Madison Ave. boardroom by a Don Draper-like character.
What whisky myth do you think is the most egregious? After reading your book, I would vote for the brands using ex-sherry barrels, which often just contain rather cheap sherry that is dumped.
I think the myth surrounding how you’re supposed to drink Scotch really needs to be retired. For so long, you would literally be yelled at by bartenders and know-it-all friends if you dared add water, ice or, heaven help you, soda water to a glass of whisky. It’s utter nonsense. For one, you should drink whatever you enjoy, however you enjoy it. Full stop. It’s no one else’s business. In fact, a bit of water also opens up a whisky a bit and releases flavors. Also, Scotch became a hit around the turn of the century because people were drinking it with club soda in highballs. So this myth really has no validity.
What’s a country that’s sneakily producing great whiskey that we might be talking about in the next few years?
Whiskey has truly gone global! That’s one of the most exciting recent developments in the industry. There is a chapter in The Whiskey Bible about a number of countries or areas that are outside of the usual suspects — the U.S., Scotland, Ireland, Canada and Japan — making excellent whiskey. In future editions of my book (knock on wood there will be future editions), some of these places, like Scandinavia and Australia, will no doubt need and deserve their own chapters.
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