There are hundreds of books about bourbon and whiskey out there, but these are the books we come back to again and again. We asked leaders and members what books they loved as reference books to learn about whiskey and bourbon culture. Enjoy!
History and General
- American History Through a Whiskey Glass: How Distilled Spirits, Domestic Cuisine, and Popular Music Helped Shape a Nation by Harris Cooper
- Bourbon Curious: A Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker with Tasting Notes for Dozens of New Bourbons by Fred Minnick
- Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey by Reid Mitenbuler.
- Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped AMerica by Brian F. Haara.
- Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey, by Fred Minnick.
- Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey by Clay Risen.
- Dead Distillers: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits by Colin Spoelman.
- Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbot
- Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage by Michael Veach.
- Imbibe! Updated and Revised Edition: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar by David Wondrich
- Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last by Wright Thompson
- A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present by Mark Forsyth
- The Social History of Bourbon: An Unhurried Account of Our Star-Spangled American Drink by Gerald Carson
- Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick
Books by Bourbon Women
- Barrel Strength Bourbon: The Explosive Growth of America’s Whiskey by Carla Carlton
- Bourbon Is My Comfort Food: The Bourbon Women Guide to Fantastic Cocktails at Home by Heather Wibbels
- The Bourbon Tasting Notebook by Susan Reigler and Michael Veach
- Kentucky Bourbon Country: The Essential Travel Guide by Susan Reigler
- The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book (also More Kentucky Bourbon Cocktails) by Joy Perrine and Susan Reigler
- Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon? by: Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties by Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler
- Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life by Heather Greene
Science and Reference
- The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World’s Great Drinks by Amy Stewart
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum
- Proof: The Science of Booze by Adam Rogers
- A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
Cocktails and Food Related
- The Bourbon Country Cookbook: New Southern Entertaining: 95 Recipes and More from a Modern Country Kitchen by David Danielson and Tim Laird
- Bourbon Is My Comfort Food: The Bourbon Women Guide to Fantastic Cocktails at Home by Heather Wibbels
- The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book (also More Kentucky Bourbon Cocktails) by JoyPerrine and Susan Reigler
- The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook by Albert W. A. Schmid
- Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon? by: Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties by Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler