Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last

By Wright Thompson

Book Overview

The New York Times bestseller

"A warm and loving reflection that, like good bourbon, will stand the test of time." --Eric Asimov, The New York Times

"Bourbon is for sharing, and so is Pappyland."--The Wall Street Journal

The story of how Julian Van Winkle III, the caretaker of the most coveted cult Kentucky Bourbon whiskey in the world, fought to protect his family's heritage and preserve the taste of his forebears, in a world where authenticity, like his product, is in very short supply.

Following his father's death decades ago, Julian Van Winkle stepped in to try to save the bourbon business his grandfather had founded on the mission statement: "We make fine bourbon--at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon." With the company in its wilderness years, Julian committed to safeguarding his namesake's legacy or going down with the ship.

Then he discovered that hundreds of barrels from the family distillery had survived their sale to a multinational conglomerate. The whiskey that Julian produced after recovering those barrels would immediately be hailed as the greatest in the world--and soon would be the hardest to find. Once they had been used up, a fresh challenge began: preserving the taste of Pappy in a new age.

Wright Thompson was invited to ride along as Julian undertook the task. From the Van Winkle family, Wright learned not only about great bourbon but about complicated legacies and the rewards of honoring your people and your craft--lessons that he couldn't help but apply to his own work and life. May we all be lucky enough to find some of ourselves, as Wright Thompson did, in Pappyland.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0735221251
• ISBN13: 9780735221253
• Release Date: November 2020
• Publisher: Penguin Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Reading this book is like drinking oxidized bourbon thanks to Wright Thompson's uncontrolled ego

I thought the book would be a deep dive into the intersection of Ketucky, bourbon and the Van Winkle family. However, almost half of the book, especially Part III, is Wright interjecting with his own family experiences. Wright also finds a way to bring his view of politics into the book which is unnecessary. By the end of the book, Wright can't help himself but boast to the reader how close he is to the Van Winkle family and describes all of the gifts that he receives. In summary, if you are looking for a book about bourbon, look elsewhere.