How To Make Whiskey: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Whiskey Paperback – October 12, 2012

I came home with a whiskey barrel, recently. Because of that, a myriad of alcohol infused ramblings and one incident involving a garden weasel and and my neighbor's cat, my wife became acutely aware of my affection for quality bourbon. So, she got me a different book on this same topic for my birthday. I already had this book in my shopping cart so, I pulled the trigger... For some reason, I was drawn to this book. Now I know why. It's all the information I wanted and - nothing more. There's no braggadocios filler or fluff and no historical reference that doesn't have specific ties to the process. I now have a very good understanding of how to make whiskey. That's all I wanted. The author delivers a very informative, conversational and witty read that left me wanting to buy copper tubing that afternoon. If you're interested in learning this craft, this book is great place to start. It's strong reference material that I'll probably be checking again and again.

I like this book. It covers many of the aspects of whiskey making without getting too carried away in technical jargon. And the jargon used is well explained. From the equipment you need to the recipes for the major whiskey types to used wine barrel preparation, just about everything gets touched on in a writing style that's informative while retaining the right to be humorous and interesting.Why no 5th star? To be blunt: there's a severe lack of depth in some things that is an impediment to exploring whiskey making. For instance, a web link is supplied as one place to look for a still. Unfortunately, the site is very limited in its offering and just running google searches will mostly get you moonshine stills for mounting on your mantle rather than using for any purpose that may or may not be legal in your state. Aging is another area that's glossed over a bit. What's the best environment for aging different kinds of whiskeys? How often should the whiskey be sampled/tested during aging? There's reasons for being skimpy here. In the book, Mr. Davis notes that unless you're going to use a 59-gallon used sherry or bourbon barrel, your results will likely be skewed by things like wood area exposed to the whiskey. And then there's glass aging that he covers, but how much is a "bottle." In short, the information is not as complete as I had hoped. So the loss of a star.But worth what Amazon charges for it, by all means, and a very friendly way to get started.

This was a great beginners guide that doesn't overwhelm the reader with facts. The author gets straight to the point and overviews the many complex parts of distilling whiskey. Although the reader will likely need more information before actually beginning, this is a great starting point.At first I had a complaint that there was not enough detailed information such as exact sizes of certain ingredients, wait times, etc. However, the authors outlook is that a distiller should experiment and therefore purposely withholds some of this information.

There is more to "How to Make Whiskey" by Bryan Davis than one would initially suspect. While this book is definitely for home brewers who wish to turn their talents to more serious whiskey making, the book is filled to the brim (pun intended) with the history of the craft, as well as valuable knowledge/safety tips on what to do--or not do, as the case might be--as the"elixir of the gods" is being made. The technical know-how that is being imparted by the head distiller of Lost Spirits Distillery leads the reader through each step in the process, so that even a novice could attempt and succeed in making whiskey. Don't let the whimsical style of the writing mislead you. Although this is an easy read, it is an excellent resource.

I've read a lot of books in preparation for going down this road, and this is by far the most straightforward, succinct book on the subject that I have come across to date; I cannot recommend it enough. This is the book I always go back to and it's short enough to continually re-read. Bryan Davis does a great job of capturing the technical aspects of distillation, focusing on what is important rather than exhaustively demonstrating how knowledgeable he might be (yawn). The writing is casual, humorous and inspiring. Lots of practical examples and encouragement to explore and discover. If you only buy one whiskey making book to get you started, it should be this one. I don't even care for scotch and I can't wait to visit the Lost Spirits distillery!

This e-book, How To Make Whiskey: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Whiskey, was bought by me as a Kindle Edition. Bryan Davis has given up a nice read, and for the price some good information concerning the making of Whiskey. I don't plan to make my own whiskey, I just purchased it for the knowledge. If one is interested in doing this, I imagine they already know the making of whiskey as an detailed endeavor and that they will surely need a bit of experience. The equipment for distillation is quite involved and one will need some cash outlay and a fairly large area for this process. The book is interesting and sheds a lot of information on what it takes to make your own whiskey.

This book actually IS a how-to book. At first, it's easy to think that you've wasted your money, but stick with it...the author delivers an immense amount of information. So much so, that it's relatively easy to overlook the very poor writing & editing. When I finished the book, I went back to read the dedication/thank you/etc... pages. Big surprise, the book was edited by the distillers mother-in-law (I suppose that's better than not having it edited at all, but I'm certain that editing is not her primary job). Even still, I found myself highlighting a lot of good information for use later on. This fellow obviously knows his stuff.