Whiskey Rebels

In 2003, the United States had about 60 craft whiskey distillers; today there are over 2,000 active craft distillers in the country. This book will introduce the entrepreneurs and the companies behind this movement. Whiskey Rebels is a collection of first-person accounts of the brilliant, brave, and slightly crazy innovators responsible for changing the whiskey landscape forever--people like Jack Joyce, a former Nike executive who founded the American Distillers Festival in 2005; Storm King Distilling entrepreneur John Torgersen, who lobbied the US government to change the laws that spearheaded the craft movement; Ralph Erenzo, "the Sam Adams of Whiskey" and the recipient of the first distilling license in 80 years who went on to create Hudson Baby Bourbon; and Nicole Austin, a prominent female producer and vocal activist who has brought an indie spirit to the renowned American whiskey region of Tennessee through George Dickel Tennessee Whisky. Spirits pro and award-winning author John McCarthy (The Modern Gentleman) has conducted hundreds of hours of interviews to gather these fascinating first-person accounts and give readers an amusing and thorough insight into the world of craft distillers. Under his expert guidance, readers will also learn the requirements to be considered a craft whiskey distiller, the effect of the craft beer movement on modern craft distilling, why craft distillers hate the word "craft," and many other pieces of insider information.