- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (5 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0471444073
- ISBN-13: 978-0471444077
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.1 x 2.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 540,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
American Still Life
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.85
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in American Still Life: The Jim Beam Story and the Making of the World's No.1 Bourbon for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.85, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
How does a sour mash corn whiskey brand go from being a Kentucky family′s "adjunct farming activity" to founding a corporation that ships over five million cases worldwide each year? Pacult (Kindred Spirits: The Spirit Journal Guide to the World′s Distilled Spirits and Fortified Wines) extensively researched the story of the Beam family, which is just as much a 19th–and 20th–century American history. The young country′s struggles with slavery, Prohibition and war, its sociopolitical maturation and its shift from the agricultural to an industrial economy all come into play. A prolific spirits writer, Pacult has an expert′s grasp on the topic, which carries the book through its slow periods. Upstanding citizens to a man, the Beams don′t always make for scintillating reading – no scoundrels, no scandals – and only Jim Beam′s grandson Booker Noe, the refreshingly blunt, six–foot–four, 360–pound former master distiller, emerges as a character with any color. Trying to keep all the Beams straight might make readers feel like they′ve just downed a few shots of the bourbon itself. Most interesting is Pacult′s examination of American popular culture and its effect on the bourbon business: how bourbon became déclassé in the 1970s, the venerable spirit losing out to sexy newcomer vodka (and its inadvertent pitchman, James Bond), and how scotch whiskey′s rising popularity in the 1980s fueled the production of bourbon′s answer to the single–malt, the small–batch bourbon. The book could use a few more colorful details, however, such as the bit about temperance activist Carry Nation and her ax attacks on taverns. (Aug.) (Publishers Weekly, June 16, 2003)
"...It′s a fascinating glimpse of American political history..." (Drinks International, December 2003)
"...It′s a fascinating glimpse of American political history..." (Drinks International, December 2003)
Product Description
The untold story of the world′s premier bourbon and the family that made it #1
American Still Life tells the intertwined true stories of America′s favorite whiskey and the family dynasty that produces it to this very day. Jim Beam is the world′s top–selling bourbon whiskey, with sales of over five million cases per year. Not a day has passed in the 207 years of Jim Beam′s existence when a Beam family member has not been master distiller. Dedicated to quality, and dedicated to the family legacy, the Beams have shepherded their particularly American spirit to the top of their industry. And they′ve done it in an industry beset by challenges, from government regulation and prohibition, to changing consumer tastes, to fierce new global competition. By creating a brand of unparalleled quality and consistency, and by tying the success of their product with the good name of the family, the Beams have established a lasting legacy as perhaps one of the greatest family business dynasties in American history. Not just a simple history of "America′s native spirit" (so named by an act of Congress in 1964) or a simple family history, American Still Life is a story of business success based on quality and attention to detail, constant innovation, revolutionary branding and advertising, and adaptation to the business environment.
F. Paul Pacult (Walkill, NY) is recognized the world over as his generation′s most accomplished and respected authority on beverage alcohol. He has written for many magazines, including Playboy, Wine and Spirits, Connoisseur, Whisky, Drink, Men′s Journal, Cheers, Country Inns, Travel and Leisure, Bon Appetit, Decanter, and Food and Wine. Among his many accomplishments, he has hosted and coproduced two syndicated talk–radio programs and served as the primary expert on whiskey, beer, and wine for the History Channel documentary America Drinks: History in a Glass.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
THE DISTILLED SPIRIT OF a nation epitomizes its people, its natural resources, and its commercial and political history. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE DISTILLED SPIRIT OF a nation epitomizes its people, its natural resources, and its commercial and political history. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Whether It's History or Business You're After, Great Read
29 Sep 2003
Format:Hardcover
This book kept me enthralled for an entire weekend. A great look at a family that created an entire industry with a distinctly American product, Bourbon.
As the story of a facinating family, the author gently takes you through the many generations of the Beams without getting you lost in a morass of detail. You remain excited waiting for the next turn in their fortunes, and you get a wonderful look at the many personalities involved in building the Bourbon industry over time in the process.
When I think about the book from a business standpoint, Paul Pacult succeeded in conveying the patience and the passion these people have for their product, and how they manage to maintain that passion, literally over generations. In a world of managing quarter to quarter, the Beams are a refreshing change.
A very-well written, facinating look at a piece of Americana. I heartily recommend it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Fascinating history, wonderfully written
17 Mar 2004
Format:Hardcover
This book captures a truly unique American product, and a family that was integral to the creation of the industry. As I write this review, Booker Noe's death was just recently announced. The personalities of the larger than life characters like Booker are wonderfully captured within the narrative. Even if you're not a fan of bourbon (philistine!), you'll come away with a great appreciation for the definitive American spirit (both the drink and the people).
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Reads like a novel
22 Sep 2003
Format:Hardcover
I read American Still Life this Summer. It reads like a Michener novel. I prefer reading non-fiction but most non-fiction is boring and tedious. So I was pleased when I had a chance to read this book. It's a strong testament to our American founders and to the Beams, American icons, who 'took the pain' out of the daily struggles. Great Read!
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > United States
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Biographies & Memoirs
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Business & Economic History
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Company Histories
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Economics
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Management
- Books > Food & Drink
- Books > Science & Nature > Food & Farming > Food Science
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
