Nation's Only Bourbon Historian Publishes New Book
Author shines light on bourbon's place in our national heritage.
Louisville, KY (March 7, 2013) - Associate Curator of Special Collections at The
Filson Historical Society, Michael R. Veach, and the only professional bourbon
historian in the country has released his book Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An
American Heritage.
On May 4, 1964, Congress designated bourbon as a distinctive product of the
United States, and it remains the only spirit produced in this country to enjoy
such protection. Its history stretches back almost to the founding of the nation
and includes many colorful characters, both well known and obscure, from the
hatchet-wielding prohibitionist Carry Nation to George Garvin Brown, who in 1872
created Old Forester, the first bourbon to be sold only by the bottle. Although
obscured by myth, the history of bourbon reflects the history of our nation.
Veach reveals the true story of bourbon in Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American
Heritage (ISBN: 978-0813141657, $24.95, The University Press of Kentucky).
Starting with the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s, he traces the history of this
unique beverage through the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, Prohibition,
the Great Depression and up to the present. Veach explores aspects of bourbon
that have been ignored by others, including the technology behind its production,
the effects of the Pure Food and Drug Act and how Prohibition contributed to the
Great Depression. The myths surrounding bourbon are legion, but Veach separates
fact from legend.
The book is available at Louisville area Barnes and Noble and Carmichael's
bookstores, The Filson Historical Society and online at Amazon.com.
A staff member at The Filson Historical Society since 1997, Michael Veach has
spent almost two decades sifting through the personal papers of bourbon's royal
families and studying the distilling industry and culture of the time to clear up
mysteries, dispel myths and answer any hows and whys that might catch his
imagination. His career began, as a graduate student studying medieval history
when he accepted an internship with United Distillers.
In 2006, he was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. Since 2009,
Veach has taught numerous Filson Bourbon Academies - an all-day history and
tasting lesson that parallels his book Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American
Heritage - in both Louisville and select cities around the United States. Veach
is currently work on a tasting book with Louisvillian and former Courier-Journal
journalist Susan Reigler.
The Filson Historical Society was founded in 1884 and is Kentucky's oldest
privately supported historical society, named after Kentucky's first historian
John Filson. With documents, books and historic photographs of Louisville,
Kentucky and the area's bourbon industry, thousands of people visit annually to
conduct research, attend nearly 100 programs, scholarly conferences and lectures
and tour The Filson's headquarters building, the Ferguson Mansion (1310 S. Third
St, Louisville, KY 40208, 502-635-5083), and museum in Old Louisville.
To request The Official Guide to Bourbon Country or learn more about Bourbon
Country visit www.bourboncountry.com.
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Since 1968, the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau's(LCVB) primary goal has
been to enhance the city and county's economy through tourism development - to
promote and sell Louisville as a destination for conventions, trade shows,
corporate meetings and pleasure and business travel on a worldwide basis. The
LCVB was one of the first Destination Marketing Organizations to become
accredited in 2006, through the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, an
independent, international standards program developed by the Washington, D.C.
based Destination Marketing Association International. Lonely Planet Guidebooks
recognized Louisville as its top U.S. travel destination for 2013.
For more information, contact:
Nancy Stephen, Louisville CVB, nstephen@gotolouisville.com, 502-560-1488 Michael
Veach, The Filson Historical Society, veach@filsonhistorical.org, 502-635-5083