What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead Distillers: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits
Founders and award-winning distillers of Kings County Distillery Colin Spoelman and David Haskell follow up their successful Guide to Urban Moonshining with an extensive history of the figures who distilled American spirits.
Dead Distillers presents 50 fascinating—and sometimes morbid—biographies from this historic trade’s bygone days, including farmers, scientists, oligarchs, criminals, and the occasional US president. Readers may be surprised to find the names George Washington, Henry Frick, or Andrew Mellon alongside the usual suspects long associated with booze—Jasper “Jack” Daniel, Jim Beam, and Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle. From the Whiskey Rebellion to Prohibition to the recent revival of craft spirits, the history of whiskey, moonshine, and other spirits remains an important part of Americana.
Featuring historical photos, infographics, walking-tour maps, and noteworthy vintage newspaper clippings, Dead Distillers is a rich visual and textual reference to a key piece of American history—and a spirited portrait of the unusual and storied origins of forgotten drunkenness.
Dead Distillers presents 50 fascinating—and sometimes morbid—biographies from this historic trade’s bygone days, including farmers, scientists, oligarchs, criminals, and the occasional US president. Readers may be surprised to find the names George Washington, Henry Frick, or Andrew Mellon alongside the usual suspects long associated with booze—Jasper “Jack” Daniel, Jim Beam, and Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle. From the Whiskey Rebellion to Prohibition to the recent revival of craft spirits, the history of whiskey, moonshine, and other spirits remains an important part of Americana.
Featuring historical photos, infographics, walking-tour maps, and noteworthy vintage newspaper clippings, Dead Distillers is a rich visual and textual reference to a key piece of American history—and a spirited portrait of the unusual and storied origins of forgotten drunkenness.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2016
29 people are currently reading
670 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 14, 2016
I really liked this book a lot! There were a lot of interesting, almost scandalous stories included which hold the readers interest throughout the book. The book also included a lot of nifty maps for anyone interested in checking out the tourist locations which I loved. I would definitely recommend this one! Great addition for the home library. See my full review here: Dead Distillers
May 23, 2016
Very interesting, well documented and well written history of American spirits starting with the 1600s onwards. I particularly appreciated the historical coverage and the stories as such, revealing not only details about the spirits, but about the American history as well. It also tells inspiring stories of American entrepreneurship and resilience.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review
September 18, 2018
This was essentially a small collection of stories about the lives of those that distilled in the United States and also of those that had a part in the distilling industry. Many of these names are well known (Jim Beam, Elijah Craig, Jack Daniels), but many are much lesser known, but far more interesting. While I didn't get much out of the aspect relating to where these men are buried (Who cares?) I did enjoy the lesser known stories of the early years of the production of alcoholic spirits.
January 16, 2019
Interesting book but it seemed a little jumbled at times. The information about the distillers was often disjointed and it didn't give you much of a picture of who they were or how they lived. I realize that these are just meant to be short vignettes, but they still felt very abrubt and incomplete. While I enjoyed reading the book, I was also frustrated at times. It just felt like this could have been so much better.
August 24, 2018
I don't know that this book is any earth-shattering piece of literature or information, but it was just plain fun to read. I liked the stories, I enjoyed looking at the maps, and I found it interesting. This is a good read for some light-hearted information and trivia that you may or may not remember or that you may or may not share with your friends when the conversation is lagging.
October 20, 2019
Filled with interesting tidbits in bite size chunks, you can read it one person at a time when you only have a couple of minutes. A great place to start gathering knowledge about all things distilled.
January 2, 2025
This is a great, fast read that I picked up on a visit to Bowman Distillery. Great for whiskey and bourbon lovers (and even if you're not), so much historical information I never knew, and I'm already planning a few road trips. Thoroughly enjoyed.
March 11, 2025
History is fascinating. Short vignettes about famous, infamous, and forgettable distillers and whiskey-adjacent men and women. The way their stories often intertwine with names and events you know is pretty wild. Fun read.
July 25, 2017
It you like American history, whiskey and cemeteries...this might be the perfect mix of short story history lessons.
December 7, 2018
Fun read on an obscure subject
The title tells it all and it is a surprisingly fun fast read. Short down to the point chapters that give you a quick look at some long lost history.
The title tells it all and it is a surprisingly fun fast read. Short down to the point chapters that give you a quick look at some long lost history.
March 22, 2021
This book would be perfect as a source if I was writing a paper in my college days. Basically a reference book with a few interesting anecdotes.
June 29, 2022
Some stories were really interesting. I enjoyed the drama of the prohibition!
Read
May 26, 2023America is wild and distilling is too. I learned a lot but it was also history-heavy. Only for those seriously interested in distilling, or American culture.
July 4, 2024
Very informative and entertaining. Recommend to any whiskey/bourbon enthusiasts!
January 20, 2025
Enjoyable read. I like the part where they talk about whiskey.
June 23, 2017
“WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY ALL NIGHT LONG
OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN”
– The Tossers “Break of Dawn”
Meed the Dead Distillers: heroes, villains, and forgotten players from America’s past who helped to advance the science of making hard liquor, or make a quick buck, or fund other pursuits, or all of the above. Spoelman and Haskell are the founders of King’s County Distillery in New York (check out their website at http://www.kingscountydistillery.com) and they have pieced together a visually appealing, accessibly written history of American distillers in short, to-the-point format (dare I say, as history shots?)
In this book, we meet businessmen and bootleggers, patriots and presidents, colonists and chemists. We meet lawmakers and mobs, mobsters and soldiers.Suffice it to say: the distillation of alcohol has been an integral and omnipresent part of American history since the very beginning. Between these pages you will find the likes of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Lincoln (Abraham’s father). More recently you will find Al Capone, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels. You will also find less well known distillers, including a fair number of women who made a name for themselves in what was (and largely still is) a man’s industry.
This is a great book, not only for history buffs or whiskey lovers. Dead Distillers gives us a bit of the history I, personally, love: the parts underneath, or just around back, or hidden away. We all know George Washington as the first president of the United States, as a general, and a cherry tree murderer, but how many know he operated a fairly large distillery at Mount Vernon? And, especially in the case of the more obscure moonshiners, and those distillers whose enterprises failed, they aren’t usually in the history books. They survive in newspaper clippings, local lore, and family stories. These hidden histories are a wonderful store of knowledge, and I applaud anyone who chooses to bring these stories to light.
PS – Just as a personal aside (and a Pittsburgh resident) I’m quite happy to see both Pittsburgh’s Whiskey Rebellion (you read that right) and Wigle Whiskey (Pittsburgh’s own craft distillery, named after one of the rebels) get a mention!
A free copy of this book was provided via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. Dead Distillers is currently available for purchase.
Check out more reviews by checking out my blog!
https://theirregularreaderblog.wordpr...
OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN”
– The Tossers “Break of Dawn”
Meed the Dead Distillers: heroes, villains, and forgotten players from America’s past who helped to advance the science of making hard liquor, or make a quick buck, or fund other pursuits, or all of the above. Spoelman and Haskell are the founders of King’s County Distillery in New York (check out their website at http://www.kingscountydistillery.com) and they have pieced together a visually appealing, accessibly written history of American distillers in short, to-the-point format (dare I say, as history shots?)
In this book, we meet businessmen and bootleggers, patriots and presidents, colonists and chemists. We meet lawmakers and mobs, mobsters and soldiers.Suffice it to say: the distillation of alcohol has been an integral and omnipresent part of American history since the very beginning. Between these pages you will find the likes of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Lincoln (Abraham’s father). More recently you will find Al Capone, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels. You will also find less well known distillers, including a fair number of women who made a name for themselves in what was (and largely still is) a man’s industry.
This is a great book, not only for history buffs or whiskey lovers. Dead Distillers gives us a bit of the history I, personally, love: the parts underneath, or just around back, or hidden away. We all know George Washington as the first president of the United States, as a general, and a cherry tree murderer, but how many know he operated a fairly large distillery at Mount Vernon? And, especially in the case of the more obscure moonshiners, and those distillers whose enterprises failed, they aren’t usually in the history books. They survive in newspaper clippings, local lore, and family stories. These hidden histories are a wonderful store of knowledge, and I applaud anyone who chooses to bring these stories to light.
PS – Just as a personal aside (and a Pittsburgh resident) I’m quite happy to see both Pittsburgh’s Whiskey Rebellion (you read that right) and Wigle Whiskey (Pittsburgh’s own craft distillery, named after one of the rebels) get a mention!
A free copy of this book was provided via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. Dead Distillers is currently available for purchase.
Check out more reviews by checking out my blog!
https://theirregularreaderblog.wordpr...
August 20, 2016
“WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY ALL NIGHT LONG
OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN”
– The Tossers “Break of Dawn”
Meed the Dead Distillers: heroes, villains, and forgotten players from America’s past who helped to advance the science of making hard liquor, or make a quick buck, or fund other pursuits, or all of the above. Spoelman and Haskell are the founders of King’s County Distillery in New York (check out their website at http://www.kingscountydistillery.com) and they have pieced together a visually appealing, accessibly written history of American distillers in short, to-the-point format (dare I say, as history shots?)
In this book, we meet businessmen and bootleggers, patriots and presidents, colonists and chemists. We meet lawmakers and mobs, mobsters and soldiers.Suffice it to say: the distillation of alcohol has been an integral and omnipresent part of American history since the very beginning. Between these pages you will find the likes of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Lincoln (Abraham’s father). More recently you will find Al Capone, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels. You will also find less well known distillers, including a fair number of women who made a name for themselves in what was (and largely still is) a man’s industry.
This is a great book, not only for history buffs or whiskey lovers. Dead Distillers gives us a bit of the history I, personally, love: the parts underneath, or just around back, or hidden away. We all know George Washington as the first president of the United States, as a general, and a cherry tree murderer, but how many know he operated a fairly large distillery at Mount Vernon? And, especially in the case of the more obscure moonshiners, and those distillers whose enterprises failed, they aren’t usually in the history books. They survive in newspaper clippings, local lore, and family stories. These hidden histories are a wonderful store of knowledge, and I applaud anyone who chooses to bring these stories to light.
PS – Just as a personal aside (and a Pittsburgh resident) I’m quite happy to see both Pittsburgh’s Whiskey Rebellion (you read that right) and Wigle Whiskey (Pittsburgh’s own craft distillery, named after one of the rebels) get a mention!
A free copy of this book was provided via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. Dead Distillers is currently available for purchase.
OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY, OH WHISKEY UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN”
– The Tossers “Break of Dawn”
Meed the Dead Distillers: heroes, villains, and forgotten players from America’s past who helped to advance the science of making hard liquor, or make a quick buck, or fund other pursuits, or all of the above. Spoelman and Haskell are the founders of King’s County Distillery in New York (check out their website at http://www.kingscountydistillery.com) and they have pieced together a visually appealing, accessibly written history of American distillers in short, to-the-point format (dare I say, as history shots?)
In this book, we meet businessmen and bootleggers, patriots and presidents, colonists and chemists. We meet lawmakers and mobs, mobsters and soldiers.Suffice it to say: the distillation of alcohol has been an integral and omnipresent part of American history since the very beginning. Between these pages you will find the likes of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Lincoln (Abraham’s father). More recently you will find Al Capone, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels. You will also find less well known distillers, including a fair number of women who made a name for themselves in what was (and largely still is) a man’s industry.
This is a great book, not only for history buffs or whiskey lovers. Dead Distillers gives us a bit of the history I, personally, love: the parts underneath, or just around back, or hidden away. We all know George Washington as the first president of the United States, as a general, and a cherry tree murderer, but how many know he operated a fairly large distillery at Mount Vernon? And, especially in the case of the more obscure moonshiners, and those distillers whose enterprises failed, they aren’t usually in the history books. They survive in newspaper clippings, local lore, and family stories. These hidden histories are a wonderful store of knowledge, and I applaud anyone who chooses to bring these stories to light.
PS – Just as a personal aside (and a Pittsburgh resident) I’m quite happy to see both Pittsburgh’s Whiskey Rebellion (you read that right) and Wigle Whiskey (Pittsburgh’s own craft distillery, named after one of the rebels) get a mention!
A free copy of this book was provided via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. Dead Distillers is currently available for purchase.
February 7, 2017
Empecemos por lo importante:
AMO EL WHISKY y similares, lo cual nos lleva a los bourbons, los whiskeys, los ryes, whitedogs y demás de este lado del océano. Por eso mismo me interesó este libro, para conocer más de los orígenes en Estados Unidos así como un poco más de las personas que ahora son leyendas.
No está mal, pero sí algo escueto sobre todo en el tema de las biografías ya que siento que podría ahondar en el legado que conllevaron estos Distillers.
Eso sí, todo cuanto menciona de la prohibición es maravilloso.
3.2/5
AMO EL WHISKY y similares, lo cual nos lleva a los bourbons, los whiskeys, los ryes, whitedogs y demás de este lado del océano. Por eso mismo me interesó este libro, para conocer más de los orígenes en Estados Unidos así como un poco más de las personas que ahora son leyendas.
No está mal, pero sí algo escueto sobre todo en el tema de las biografías ya que siento que podría ahondar en el legado que conllevaron estos Distillers.
Eso sí, todo cuanto menciona de la prohibición es maravilloso.
3.2/5
May 21, 2016
Not being a whiskey drinker, I wasn't sure about this book's ability to hold my interest. The book was a pleasant surprise. I found myself reading the particularly interesting portions aloud to my family. This book was history made interesting.
March 14, 2019
This was a quick and fun history of distilling in America based on the obituaries of various distillers and bootleggers.It turns out making whiskey is dangerous. Also, the author thinks Prohibition was a pretty bad idea.
August 11, 2016
My review can be found online here:
http://www.bourbonbanter.com/gear/gea...
http://www.bourbonbanter.com/gear/gea...
August 21, 2016
Interesting, but had hopes for more contextual history instead of a series of short vignettes about individual distillers.
January 9, 2022
An excellent book about the early distillers in the United States who forged the future of the current bourbon and American whiskey industry.
August 14, 2016
Great whiskey history and tour thru time pre and post prohibition
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews