Pappyland
Bourbon culture is simultaneously fascinating and, like most things that people can become obsessive about, a bit ridiculous. This book gives you a taste of both, but regardless, you’ll finish reading and want to get into bourbon…all the way into it.
Candidly, I was not familiar with Julian Van Winkle prior to picking up this book. I didn’t know what Pappyland even referred to. Now, I realize it’s one of the rarest most expensive bourbons in the world. And if you’re tempted to turn your nose up at that (which I was at first), it helps to understand the full story of how three generations of one family tried to make the best whiskey they could. And, as many would say, they succeeded.
Wright Thompson tells you that full story through the eyes of Julian Van Winkle, the current elder statesman of the family. Though throughout the book, Julian remains largely aloof and unquoted. I wanted to hear more from him, to hear him share his story. Instead, I read a witness pontificate on the potential emotions the subject of the book was experiencing…without actually getting much firsthand knowledge on that same topic.
And maybe that’s part of the draw to the Van Winkle family and to bourbon as a whole. You can only learn so much. The knowledge of the subject doesn’t fit itself into a book. You have to taste it.
For that reason, I’d recommend doing exactly what this book says. Find yourself a nice bourbon that you like, put it on a shelf in your kitchen, and when good friends come over, pour them a drink and invite them to have a taste that will stamp itself as a memory inside their head.
That’s really the power of bourbon. It’s an art form to be sure, but really it’s a taste of time.
Favorite Quote
The magic of those exploding starburst shells, and knowing we’d be watching a game my father didn’t live long enough to see, burned the images deep into my memory. I won’t ever forget them. I believe that’s why we covet bourbon so much. That is its great gift to us. It allows us to see clearly through dimensions…