About the Author

For over five years, Noah Rothbaum wrote for SmartMoney The Wall Street Journal Magazine. He has also written about spirits for Money, Forbes.com, the academic food journal Gastronomica and the trade publications Beverage Media and Beverage Dynamics. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Food Arts, O, The Oprah Magazine, Esquire, Details, Fortune Small Business and Life.

Reviews

From LIBRARY JOURNAL:"Journalist Rothbaum's expertise in the alcoholic beverage category has been featured in trade and business media. His book briskly moves readers through relevant history from Prohibition to the present. Though the book is organized by drink categories, e.g., whiskies, vodkas, cocktails, including the latest trends, Rothbaum's common thread is the move away from the temperance movement toward more sophisticated lifestyles that demand 'premium' brands. Many books address the experience of drinking particular beverages from the perspective of the consumer. This book is just as educational but provides a broader context about trends over decades and the profit motive that impacts why there are so many products on the market. For example, vodka brands are everywhere because it can be produced, marketed, and enjoyed within a year, compared to Scotch, which commonly takes 12 years before it is consumed. Other books, such as John Kobler's Ardent Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition or The Business of Wine: Industry Insiders on the Production & Delivery of a Premium Product from Vine to Table, offer more focused glimpses into aspects of the booze business. Rothbaum connects his research to today's realities and does not assume professional production knowledge. His book is so well written and covers so many different topics that it would be a valuable addition to libraries of all kinds in their marketing category or with books on wines and spirits-or even in general history collections." --Stephen Turner, Turner & Assocs., Abington, PA