Dead Distillers: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits

George Washington ran one of the largest whiskey distilleries in colonial America. That fact alone reframes a lot of what most people think they know about American history — and it's the kind of detail that Dead Distillers: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits delivers with the confidence of a book written by people who actually distill. Published by Abrams, this is the follow-up from Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the award-winning founders of Kings County Distillery, whose earlier Guide to Urban Moonshining found a devoted audience among spirits enthusiasts and history readers alike.

The book moves through 50 biographies — farmers, scientists, oligarchs, bootleggers, and brand founders — tracing the long, complicated arc of American whiskey and moonshine from the Whiskey Rebellion through Prohibition and into the craft spirits revival still happening now. Henry Frick is here. Andrew Mellon. Jasper "Jack" Daniel. Jim Beam. Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle. The connections between these figures and broader American economic and political history are the kind of thing that makes a dinner conversation go long.

• 50 individual biographies of American distillers, spanning colonial times through the modern craft spirits era
• Authors Colin Spoelman and David Haskell are practicing distillers and founders of the award-winning Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn
• Covers major historical episodes including the Whiskey Rebellion and Prohibition alongside the current craft spirits revival
• Profiles include iconic figures: George Washington, Jack Daniel, Jim Beam, Pappy Van Winkle, Andrew Mellon, and Henry Frick
• Draws documented connections between American political and business history and the spirits industry
• Published by Abrams, known for well-produced narrative nonfiction and illustrated reference books
• Sequel to the authors' Guide to Urban Moonshining, extending their research into broader historical territory

Books reward simple care. Keep Dead Distillers away from direct sunlight, which fades spines and yellows pages over time. A dry shelf at consistent room temperature is all it needs — the kind of considered storage that keeps a well-chosen Abrams title looking as good in five years as the day it arrived. If the dust jacket picks up a smudge, a dry microfiber cloth handles it without damage to the finish. This is the sort of American spirits history book that holds its place on a shelf the way a good bottle holds its place on a bar cart — purposeful, worth returning to, and specific enough that it says something about whoever put it there.