Review of American History Through a Whiskey Glass

In a previous essay in this journal (Book Review – James M. Gabler: Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson.” Journal of Wine Economics 16 (2021): 102–114), I highlighted the fact that the book combined my “armchair fascination with American history and my abiding interest and love of fine wine.” So, it is not a massive stretch to now offer a review of a book that provides an unconventional perspective on American history by tracing the cultural, economic, and political impact of some distinctively American beverages – bourbon and rye whiskeys. The full title of the book summarizes its ambitious scope and objective: American History Through a Whiskey Glass: How Distilled Spirits, Domestic Cuisine, and Popular Music Shaped a Nation. The author, Harris Cooper, is a distinguished professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, and clearly a lover of American whiskey.