American Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Bourbon, Rye, and Other American Whiskeys

Biographical Note:

Lew Bryson has been writing about beer and spirits full-time since 1995. He was the managing editor of Whisky Advocate magazine from 1996 through 2015. He is a columnist for Craft Spirits magazine, and produces "Seen Through A Glass," a podcast about central Pennsylvania food and drink.He has served as a judge for the American Craft Spirits Association, the New York State Brewers Guild, and the Great American Beer Festival. Bryson lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife and two Welsh Corgis.

Foreword
Chapter 1: A Great Story
Chapter 2: Meet the Traditional Whiskeys
Chapter 3: Meet the New Whiskeys
Chapter 4: Amber Waves of Grain
Chapter 5: There's Magic in the Mash
Chapter 6: The Secret Partner
Chapter 7: Distillation: Making Cuts
Chapter 8: Pot Still Romance
Chapter 9: Columns Crank It Out
Chapter 10: Building the Barrel
Chapter 11: Welcome to the Warehouse
Chapter 12: Invisible, Indispensable: Time
Chapter 13: Putting It Together
Chapter 14: Proof, Package, Bottle
Chapter 15: All the People
Chapter 16: Intangibles
Chapter 17: It's in the Glass
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index

"Whether you are new to the whiskey scene or if you believe you're a whiskey know-it-all, by the time you close the back cover, you're going to walk away with something you didn't know (pot shot intended). It is an easy-to-digest book that you'll be proud to own."

"required reading for any cocktails and spirits drinker. ..Lew graciously shares his many insights and deep knowledge that he has accrued over his decades covering whiskey"

"This is the book that helps you explain whiskey to others without sounding condescending or vague."

• An overview of the different types of whiskeys, including the rules and identities of each. He also includes information on craft whiskeys, which tend to be more creative and freewheeling than the styles made by traditional producers.
• Exploration of the key whiskey ingredients, with a close look at the flavor contributions of malt, peat, corn, rye, wheat--even water.
• Distillation for non-distillers and the beauty of barrels: Whiskey is both an art and a science, and what's in the glass is affected by things like pot stills vs. column stills, barrel char, and of course, time.
• Numerous interviews with master distillers, still makers, and other artisans at the top of their field.
• Tasting notes throughout, including more than two dozen new ones, so you can identify the whiskeys you might want to try next.
• New and expanded material, including how to decode and decipher rare bottles, new developments in the American whiskey market (notably single malts), new profiles and interviews of "must-know" producers, new photos, and more.
• A new introduction from Fred Minnick, author of Bourbon Curious

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 125 (EAN 9780760396209, Hardcover)