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Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine
Chasing the White Dog is intoxicating look at the inner workings of the moonshine business.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Max Watman
9 books2 followersMax is the author of "Chasing the White Dog" (S & S, 2010) & "Race Day" (Ivan R. Dee, 2005).
He was named a 2008 NEA Fellow.
He is the former horse racing correspondent for the NY Sun. It's a point of pride that he was the turf hack the paper ever had.
Max has written widely on books, food, drinks, music, and occasionally cinema.
Raised in the Shenandoah sticks. Many collegiate adventures later, he graduated from VCU & Columbia U.
Moved up the river to the Hudson Valley, and loves it."
He was named a 2008 NEA Fellow.
He is the former horse racing correspondent for the NY Sun. It's a point of pride that he was the turf hack the paper ever had.
Max has written widely on books, food, drinks, music, and occasionally cinema.
Raised in the Shenandoah sticks. Many collegiate adventures later, he graduated from VCU & Columbia U.
Moved up the river to the Hudson Valley, and loves it."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
June 14, 2010
A scattershot series of articles loosely based on the history and practice of illegal distilling in the United States. Sometimes fascinating, sometimes confusing (since Watman often has to be cagey about exactly who, where, and what he's talking about), sometimes quite funny. He asserts on the one hand that southern NASCAR types make up only a very small proportion of moonshine consumers and that African-Americans account for more than half of the customers, and on the other he talks at length about multimillion dollar operations in the hills of Virginia that certainly can not be exporting all their product to blacks in Philadelphia. His descriptions of his own attempts at distilling are vague enough not to be used as how-tos, but are hilarious in their extravagant failure. He introduced me to a good new word when he described a museum devoted to distilling, with its vast "collection of moonshiniana." Describes his tasting experiences in terms that would impress a wine connoisseur, which only lends weight to his description of one moonshine he tried: it was "as if you took the stomach acid from acid reflux and strained it through a cheesecloth and blended in a dash of simple syrup to sweeten it." Yum.
January 4, 2021
A journalist's first hand experience into the subculture of fabricating moonshine i.e. good old american wiskey in the United States. Touches on the historical, cultural, sociological, legal (Spoiler alert. Completely insane and biased laws) and economic aspects. Fascinating. Especially if, like me, you live outside of the United States.
July 8, 2015
Stuff I Read - Chasing the White Dog by Max Watman Review
So I picked this one up from the library because I was looking for books on Prohibition and this just happened to be right there and looked interesting. And does have a little bit about the subject, but it's by no means a history book. Not really. It's more a sort of memoir about the author's tour through illegal distilling. And some legal distilling, but mostly illegal. The book is certainly interesting, and told with an engaging voice that keeps things moving along nicely despite at time dealing with some rather dull subject matter. Mostly this is a book for drinkers. Because for those who like booze this is like porn just how many high-end distillers he got to talk with and, more important, drink with.
The book provides a lot of interesting insights into illegal distilling, but mostly from an outsider's perspective. The author freely admits it, in some ways adopts that as his character, the wide-eyed innocent brought up in a much more sheltered environment and seeking some understanding to this side of the country for which moonshine is an important ingredient. There is a romanticism to his work, to his ponderings. He seems to believe in the heroics of moonshine, the history of it wrapped up in cars and rebellion and such. Of course, there are also a lot of problems with the practice, and the author does struggle with that, with how to view bootlegging and moonshining. It's something that he never quite comes to a conclusion about, but the journey is a rather interesting one.
There is a lot of information in this book, a lot of really interesting history about moonshine and illegal alcohol. At the same time, it is the journey of the author engaging in distilling illegal alcohol. Not always incredibly well, but with a curiosity and a sense of wonder that he can create alcohol for to actually drink. It's a charming story and full of fear and insecurity and it gives the whole experience a more personal narrative. Which is fun and makes the whole project a bit more intimate, not really being about the subjects of the various stories but about how the author relates to all of them, how he fits into it all and, in the end, where he ends up.
And where he ends up is probably a bit where I was the most disappointed. Not that he doesn't make a lot of good points, and not that he doesn't humanize the people running illegal booze that he likes. But there is the rather romantic vision of moonshine that the author shows during the book and then the uglier side that really isn't gotten too much into. Perhaps because the author is more of a nicer kind of person. Someone interested in the culture of moonshine but very much as someone who can afford better. Though he touches on the very problematic aspects of the moonshine business (racism, violence, and greed being a big part of the manufacture of profit-driven white alcohol). He balances these with the craft distillers, people with money and time to spend tinkering with booze. And that didn't seem incredibly even.
Really, though, the book is well told and a fascinating read. It covers a lot of ground and manages to give the basics on home distilling as well as the history of illegal distilling in general. It's not a complete picture, being more about one man's journey through the landscape, but it is well done and entertaining and that's why I'm giving it a 6.5/10.
So I picked this one up from the library because I was looking for books on Prohibition and this just happened to be right there and looked interesting. And does have a little bit about the subject, but it's by no means a history book. Not really. It's more a sort of memoir about the author's tour through illegal distilling. And some legal distilling, but mostly illegal. The book is certainly interesting, and told with an engaging voice that keeps things moving along nicely despite at time dealing with some rather dull subject matter. Mostly this is a book for drinkers. Because for those who like booze this is like porn just how many high-end distillers he got to talk with and, more important, drink with.
The book provides a lot of interesting insights into illegal distilling, but mostly from an outsider's perspective. The author freely admits it, in some ways adopts that as his character, the wide-eyed innocent brought up in a much more sheltered environment and seeking some understanding to this side of the country for which moonshine is an important ingredient. There is a romanticism to his work, to his ponderings. He seems to believe in the heroics of moonshine, the history of it wrapped up in cars and rebellion and such. Of course, there are also a lot of problems with the practice, and the author does struggle with that, with how to view bootlegging and moonshining. It's something that he never quite comes to a conclusion about, but the journey is a rather interesting one.
There is a lot of information in this book, a lot of really interesting history about moonshine and illegal alcohol. At the same time, it is the journey of the author engaging in distilling illegal alcohol. Not always incredibly well, but with a curiosity and a sense of wonder that he can create alcohol for to actually drink. It's a charming story and full of fear and insecurity and it gives the whole experience a more personal narrative. Which is fun and makes the whole project a bit more intimate, not really being about the subjects of the various stories but about how the author relates to all of them, how he fits into it all and, in the end, where he ends up.
And where he ends up is probably a bit where I was the most disappointed. Not that he doesn't make a lot of good points, and not that he doesn't humanize the people running illegal booze that he likes. But there is the rather romantic vision of moonshine that the author shows during the book and then the uglier side that really isn't gotten too much into. Perhaps because the author is more of a nicer kind of person. Someone interested in the culture of moonshine but very much as someone who can afford better. Though he touches on the very problematic aspects of the moonshine business (racism, violence, and greed being a big part of the manufacture of profit-driven white alcohol). He balances these with the craft distillers, people with money and time to spend tinkering with booze. And that didn't seem incredibly even.
Really, though, the book is well told and a fascinating read. It covers a lot of ground and manages to give the basics on home distilling as well as the history of illegal distilling in general. It's not a complete picture, being more about one man's journey through the landscape, but it is well done and entertaining and that's why I'm giving it a 6.5/10.
July 25, 2015
I've read a few books on Prohibition, but mostly about the glamorous and dangerous speakeasy lifestyle. I didn't know much about what I considered the hillbilly practice of making moonshine.
One of the first things I discovered in Max Watman's book is that this isn't entirely a historical analysis. Watman talks about the Whiskey Rebellion, the act and attitudes that gave birth to modern moonshining, but also about current consumption, emerging microdistilleries, a moonshine trail he sat through and even his own adventures in distilling white liquor. So while this is a good overview of the entire American life cycle of illegal whiskey, I still feel like I don't have more than a cursory bit of trivia about any aspect of it.
One of the first things I discovered in Max Watman's book is that this isn't entirely a historical analysis. Watman talks about the Whiskey Rebellion, the act and attitudes that gave birth to modern moonshining, but also about current consumption, emerging microdistilleries, a moonshine trail he sat through and even his own adventures in distilling white liquor. So while this is a good overview of the entire American life cycle of illegal whiskey, I still feel like I don't have more than a cursory bit of trivia about any aspect of it.
November 21, 2018
“Chasing the White Dog” by Max Watman, published by Simon & Schuster.
Category – Home brewing/Spirits Publication date – 2010.
I must admit I was intrigued by this book and what it might have to offer. I could imagine the moonshine stills and the characters that ran them and the “revenoors” who tried to stop them. Unfortunately this makes up a very small portion of the book.
The first part of the book is a lengthily dissertation on the making of stills and moonshine. The problem with this is that unless you are really going to make moonshine it holds very little interest for the reader. Not only that but it is almost impossible to understand.
The book really takes off when the author finally gets down to writing about the persons involved in the moonshine trade. I only hoped that he would have spent more time on the beginnings of NASCAR. NASCAR was a direct product of the moonshine runners. These people would take their souped up cars and make deliveries of moonshine while out running the authorities. They took the skills learned by doing this to the country dirt tracks. Some of the great names of NASCAR, Jimmy Johnson for one, came out of moonshine running and the dirt tracks.
I would not consider a very good read unless you are seriously thinking of making moonshine and I would bet there are better books out there to ply your trade.
Category – Home brewing/Spirits Publication date – 2010.
I must admit I was intrigued by this book and what it might have to offer. I could imagine the moonshine stills and the characters that ran them and the “revenoors” who tried to stop them. Unfortunately this makes up a very small portion of the book.
The first part of the book is a lengthily dissertation on the making of stills and moonshine. The problem with this is that unless you are really going to make moonshine it holds very little interest for the reader. Not only that but it is almost impossible to understand.
The book really takes off when the author finally gets down to writing about the persons involved in the moonshine trade. I only hoped that he would have spent more time on the beginnings of NASCAR. NASCAR was a direct product of the moonshine runners. These people would take their souped up cars and make deliveries of moonshine while out running the authorities. They took the skills learned by doing this to the country dirt tracks. Some of the great names of NASCAR, Jimmy Johnson for one, came out of moonshine running and the dirt tracks.
I would not consider a very good read unless you are seriously thinking of making moonshine and I would bet there are better books out there to ply your trade.
June 29, 2022
Pretty solid exploration of moonshining’s history, Prohibition’s lasting impact on the trade and a journal of sorts for an aspiring ‘shiner. It astounds me that Max did not manage to blow himself or a portion of his home up, but hey, props to him for staying alive.
This book is an entertaining summer read, though I did find myself wanting it to pick a lane and either stay in the history of moonshine or Max’s journey to build his own still. The combination still works (no pun intended) but the transitions can be jarring between the two stories.
Best enjoyed with the adult beverage of your choice.
This book is an entertaining summer read, though I did find myself wanting it to pick a lane and either stay in the history of moonshine or Max’s journey to build his own still. The combination still works (no pun intended) but the transitions can be jarring between the two stories.
Best enjoyed with the adult beverage of your choice.
August 28, 2017
White lightning! Though somewhat disjointed this is an exhilarating and entertaining journey through the world of liquor and moonshine. Watman is a natural writer and at every chapter made me connect and love the characters and events connected throughout his stories of outlawing, creating, and consuming Americas moonshine
May 26, 2018
A fun, and informative, overview of illicit whiskey (and other distilled spirit) manufacture in the United States. Perhaps a little too scattershot in approach; I could have done with a little less of Watman's anecdotes about his own flailing attempts to produce spirits, and found the whole history of the government's policies of regulation and enforcement to be much more interesting.
March 6, 2021
Fairly interesting history, but the author just came off as extremely pretentious. His descriptions of drinking whiskey were frankly cringe inducing.
August 3, 2017
What a disappointing book.
I'm from Appalachia, and I've had some good homemade liquor (pronounced likker, and not lee-core or however you'uns say it), so I was honestly looking forward to reading this book. And it sucked. It sucked bad.
The author states that he is from the Shenandoah Valley originally, but he comes across as an outsider pretty quickly. Honestly, he seemed like a pretentious hipster who thought he was so fucking cool to be dabbling in making his own (still illegal) brew. You know the type - the ones who grow a beard and wear flannel and skinny jeans. Blech. And he just grated on my last freaking nerve until I could not tolerate him any longer.
He criticizes Popcorn Sutton's authenticity. Okay, he made some points. Popcorn was partially a character. But he was also more than partially the real deal. Popcorn was busted for making liquor and, facing hard time, decided to commit suicide rather than possibly die in prison. So criticizing a dead man's authenticity, especially coming from a hipster outsider, just rubbed me the wrong way.
He is dismissive of the Appalachian culture being separate. I'd argue on that one hard. My area of Ohio is a hell of a lot different from the rest of Ohio, from my accent to my values to the terms I use to describe things. Same goes for Appalachian Virginia versus coastal Virginia and metropolitan Virginia, etc, etc.
He likens himself to a "musicologist," which is actually pretty accurate, although I'm sure he didn't know it. What is a "musicologist?" To outsiders, that's someone who came into Appalachia and "preserved" our music for the outside world. In reality? A "musicologist" is an outsider who didn't know shit, who came into Appalachia under some misguided notion that they were going to "preserve our culture" like we couldn't do that ourselves and hadn't been doing that ourselves for generations, and often recorded our songs, our hymns, our culture and took it to the outside world to turn a profit on what was freely given. So, yeah, I can see him as a "musicologist."
And he's damned surprised that he bought painter's piss and it tasted, well, like painter's piss. Look here, you buy a baby jar of cheap liquor for a buck, and see what you get. Don't act surprised that it's not top shelf. That shit's made cheap and bought cheap and tastes cheap. Duh.
And the way that he thought he would just horn in on people who buy painter's piss. Nope. What a moron. Dude, I don't know in what hipster paradise you're living in now, but you do not go into a town with multiple nip joints with any desire to get into any of the nip joints. Nip joints are not places you want to be. They're selling illegal cheap shit and are liable to kill you and dump you where your body will never be found. But he gets this grand notion that he's going to just waltz into a nip joint and sit in some corner, like a fucking "musciologist" of old, and just watch the wonderful culture around him. Idiot.
Just writing this review makes me angry.
I don't have any alternate recommendations for those interested in real liquor culture and making, but I know for sure this isn't worth a drop of nothing.
I'm from Appalachia, and I've had some good homemade liquor (pronounced likker, and not lee-core or however you'uns say it), so I was honestly looking forward to reading this book. And it sucked. It sucked bad.
The author states that he is from the Shenandoah Valley originally, but he comes across as an outsider pretty quickly. Honestly, he seemed like a pretentious hipster who thought he was so fucking cool to be dabbling in making his own (still illegal) brew. You know the type - the ones who grow a beard and wear flannel and skinny jeans. Blech. And he just grated on my last freaking nerve until I could not tolerate him any longer.
He criticizes Popcorn Sutton's authenticity. Okay, he made some points. Popcorn was partially a character. But he was also more than partially the real deal. Popcorn was busted for making liquor and, facing hard time, decided to commit suicide rather than possibly die in prison. So criticizing a dead man's authenticity, especially coming from a hipster outsider, just rubbed me the wrong way.
He is dismissive of the Appalachian culture being separate. I'd argue on that one hard. My area of Ohio is a hell of a lot different from the rest of Ohio, from my accent to my values to the terms I use to describe things. Same goes for Appalachian Virginia versus coastal Virginia and metropolitan Virginia, etc, etc.
He likens himself to a "musicologist," which is actually pretty accurate, although I'm sure he didn't know it. What is a "musicologist?" To outsiders, that's someone who came into Appalachia and "preserved" our music for the outside world. In reality? A "musicologist" is an outsider who didn't know shit, who came into Appalachia under some misguided notion that they were going to "preserve our culture" like we couldn't do that ourselves and hadn't been doing that ourselves for generations, and often recorded our songs, our hymns, our culture and took it to the outside world to turn a profit on what was freely given. So, yeah, I can see him as a "musicologist."
And he's damned surprised that he bought painter's piss and it tasted, well, like painter's piss. Look here, you buy a baby jar of cheap liquor for a buck, and see what you get. Don't act surprised that it's not top shelf. That shit's made cheap and bought cheap and tastes cheap. Duh.
And the way that he thought he would just horn in on people who buy painter's piss. Nope. What a moron. Dude, I don't know in what hipster paradise you're living in now, but you do not go into a town with multiple nip joints with any desire to get into any of the nip joints. Nip joints are not places you want to be. They're selling illegal cheap shit and are liable to kill you and dump you where your body will never be found. But he gets this grand notion that he's going to just waltz into a nip joint and sit in some corner, like a fucking "musciologist" of old, and just watch the wonderful culture around him. Idiot.
Just writing this review makes me angry.
I don't have any alternate recommendations for those interested in real liquor culture and making, but I know for sure this isn't worth a drop of nothing.
September 10, 2011
There was a point in CHASING THE WHITE DOG when I thought I had made a grave error. It was late in the book, as Max Watman was recounting another tale of another encounter with someone directly or indirectly involved with moonshining. I realized that this was not the book I wanted it to be. Watman, a Hudson Valley New Yorker, certainly did engage in the art of moonshining, in a domestic, canning-your-own-peaches sort of way. And, as a good craftsman will, he went to the experts for tips on how to do it right. But this tale of his adventures, which also satisfyingly incorporates the history of distilling in America, just wasn't measuring up for me. Until the last fifty pages. The penultimate chapter is an engrossing tale of one particular Federal case against an alleged Franklin County (VA) distiller, and Watman's final short chapter, in which he waxes a bit philosophical about distilling in 21st century America, is the high point of this piece of non-fiction. Interested in making your own white lightning? Try to find a copy of the early Seventies' classic FOXFIRE 1. Want to read an entertaining sociological report on a small cross-section of "old school" America? CHASING THE WHITE DOG is worth the time.
July 20, 2011
I really did enjoy this book and it's right on the line for me between a 3 and a four. It really explores all possibilites of moonshine, making it making it legally as a micro distillery, making it really illeagally in the back woods, the culture and law enforcement that go along with that and the history of moonshine in America. I love the author's voice and the way he describes how he imagines things versus how they are how he wants to be vs how he knows he is. It's really easy to laugh at and relate too. The thing that got me though is that I couldn't keep track of all the stories so it took a while to get into and then when a person would reappear later in the book I could never remember who they were. It was obviously clear to the author who has a real passion but I got lost sometimes or was waiting for a story to come back that never did.
July 25, 2011
Chasing the White Dog by Max Watman is more a tale of one person's journey to find the truth about moonshining than the history of moonshine. Watman does dive into the history of whiskey and why moonshining began by discussing the events leading up to the Whiskey Rebellion, but I was expecting more history here, probably because the book was located in the history section at Borders. Either way Watman does a great job in telling his accounts of attempting to make moonshine himself. His prose is fantastic during the chapters explaining his trials with making moonshine that are interjected through his story of finding current moonshiners in the south west Virginia back country. His last chapters deal with the trial of Duck Smith, a moonshiner, and while I thought that these final chapters would drag (as they were mainly trial details) they actually were engaging.
May 20, 2010
Number one, if you're looking for a primer on making booze, look somewhere else.
Okay, now that the drunken DIY'ers are out of the way we can get down to business.
Dog is overall a decent book. It has some definite ups, and Max Watman must be a talented writer as some of the most interesting chapters had to do with Nascar's origins in bootlegging and I have ZERO interest in Nascar.
That said, the book doesn't have a very strong focus. There is some history, some rubbing elbows with modern-day legit disitllers, and the whole things ends with a drawn-out trial piece.
My personal opinion: Read the modern-day stuff, read about Max's attempts at moonshining, read about the Nascar parts and Junior Johnson. The rest is, well, mash.
Okay, now that the drunken DIY'ers are out of the way we can get down to business.
Dog is overall a decent book. It has some definite ups, and Max Watman must be a talented writer as some of the most interesting chapters had to do with Nascar's origins in bootlegging and I have ZERO interest in Nascar.
That said, the book doesn't have a very strong focus. There is some history, some rubbing elbows with modern-day legit disitllers, and the whole things ends with a drawn-out trial piece.
My personal opinion: Read the modern-day stuff, read about Max's attempts at moonshining, read about the Nascar parts and Junior Johnson. The rest is, well, mash.
November 29, 2011
This caught my eye from an old review so I picked it up really cheap. It ended up taking me several months to read. I read it in spurts. For a short, light book this one cluttered up the bed stand for a long time. Normally if it is not working for me I put a book down and never look back. But I kept on coming back to this one. It provides a good (I think) introduction to home/hobby and boutique distilling. The illegal side of distilling is also described in some detail through the profile of a actual federal court case where Watman seems to get to know pretty much all the principals involved. Watman does appreciate his liquor. Oh, yeah. Watman is a good writer. He has a detailed eye and the descriptions of people are vivid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2011
A very enjoyable look at the sociopolitical history of whiskey distilling in the US, with tasting notes and moonshiner's tips thrown in. I read this during a month-long period of abstaining from alcohol and I basically had a shopping list by the end of the book. Some of the transitions into the historical sections are abrupt, and the story ends quite far off from where it started. But for a true whiskey lover and someone with even a passing interest in American history, it's definitely worth a read.
February 8, 2012
Not quite what I expected.
It started out ok, but by the second chapter, it just fell flat for me. As I struggled through to the end, I simply felt that this was a mediocre attempt at stringing together a bunch of notes and research pieces. I thought I was going to get a historical, factual, maybe even an educational romp through our fascination with moonshiners but instead I found some revisionist American history, a wierd glorificaton of an illegal and dangerous "hobby" and a lackluster presentation of a would-be court room drama.
Bad dog for me.
It started out ok, but by the second chapter, it just fell flat for me. As I struggled through to the end, I simply felt that this was a mediocre attempt at stringing together a bunch of notes and research pieces. I thought I was going to get a historical, factual, maybe even an educational romp through our fascination with moonshiners but instead I found some revisionist American history, a wierd glorificaton of an illegal and dangerous "hobby" and a lackluster presentation of a would-be court room drama.
Bad dog for me.
March 12, 2013
I liked this book but currently I'm enamored with the idea of moonshine. My Grandmother had family involved with Al Capone in Chicago during prohibition and the whole idea of rum running, prohibition and making moonshine is interesting to me. The book is really a series of separate vignettes which the author tries to tie together. The stories are good but I think he fails to tie it all together and come to a conclusion.
It would also be nice if he gave more sources and references for his "facts".
It would also be nice if he gave more sources and references for his "facts".
May 20, 2010
Nearly done but already sure that this is one of the best things I've read this year. Max Watman is an amazing writer who has a sure way with a turn of phrase - I dare you to read until "all the sensible woodchucks" show up and then see if you can stop. Some chapters are better than others but the best of them read like lightning, no pun intended.
This is a fantastic social history that you don't have to be a fan of booze to appreciate. Just a fan of history and great writing.
This is a fantastic social history that you don't have to be a fan of booze to appreciate. Just a fan of history and great writing.
May 21, 2010
I read enough of this to know I didn't want to read all of it. It was decent non-fiction writing, (not spectacular, but I've read far worse) and might be interesting to someone with a fondness for, well, alcohol, or an old-timey way of life. Between Ava's Man and what I got through of this one, I'm guessing I know more about home-distilled corn liquor than any other Mormon out there.
February 5, 2011
I loved this book-- but, unlike some of the other reviewers here, I went onto it expecting a meditation on Moonshine in America. Parts of the book could have used diagrams, especially the technical discussions about still construction. On the whole, though, I really enjoyed the way the author wove together folklore, ethnography, history, law, and a little DIY spirit (pun intended).
This book is a quick read, full of interesting trivia, and well worth the read for any amateur booze hound.
This book is a quick read, full of interesting trivia, and well worth the read for any amateur booze hound.
May 28, 2010
This could have been a great book instead of just a mediocre one and it wasn't for lack of great subject matter. Max Watman should have read similar books before embarking on this one. Not specifically books about moonshine, but books about traveling the country searching for a disappearing part of Americana.
June 14, 2010
i can't really star this book because i didn't read all of it. i skipped the chapters Watman talked about his own adventures in moonshine making and read the ones about real moonshiners getting busted. a good writer, for sure. maybe when I'm ready to make my own moonshine I'll go back to those chapters
December 27, 2015
Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventure in Moonshine by Max Watman (Simon & Shuster 2010) (363.41092) is an interesting summary of the place of moonshine in U.S. history as well as a good study of the craft of distilling in today's society. I've never run across a book quite like this one! My rating: 6/10, finished 2/12/11.
May 11, 2011
Really enjoyed reading this book. I was amazed at the amount of money the author spent researching the subject and trying to make his own "hooch." Pretty interesting history on the development of moonshining in the U.S. I was really surprised by his account of the city of Philadelphia and the moonshine business.
November 20, 2015
There's a lot of fun in this book--sliding in and outside of the law of distilling alcohol. There's even a lot on how to make a still--which was WAY out of my wheelhouse. Regardless, it was an interesting look at the Then and Now of the story of moonshine. There are a number of my friends who I'd want to read this book, particularly those who are fond of Kentucky bourbon. It's fascinating.
March 20, 2013
I have recommended this book to dozens of friends. It follows 4 subjects and a semi biography. It follows the history of distilling, the history of moonshining, moonshining today, and the revolution of micro-distilling. Also he tries to make apple whiskey at home. Great book, lots of great info, loved it.
April 14, 2013
I enjoyed the brief history on whiskey in the States, and how he relates his own experiences with those of the people he interviews. Some of it goes on an on in ways I didn't find terribly interesting, i.e. when he writes about NASCAR. I understand the connection between moonshine and NASCAR, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't care.
Its a good book, and you should read it.
Its a good book, and you should read it.
July 9, 2010
Add distilling to the list of things I'm going to do when I finally get a basement or garage. This is exactly the kind of non-fiction I love - author goes on personal journey to learn how to do something while explaining the history of that thing to the reader.
November 1, 2010
The writing and story were great, but there was an issue with the pacing. The way Watman cut between history and personal experience felt too disjointed. It was just too much effort to follow the separate story strands.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews