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Kings County distiller publishes Bourbon guide

The Bourbon Drinker’s Companion, by Kings County co-founder Colin Spoelman, is an illustrated and narrative look about American craft distilling.

The Bourbon Drinker’s Companion is Spoelman’s third book and features notes from his travels

Spoelman, co-founder and distiller at Brooklyn’s Kings County Distillery, played host on Tuesday 14 May, celebrating his latest book, The Bourbon Drinker’s Companion: A Guide to American Distilleries, with Travel Advice, Folklore, and Tasting Notes.

Spoelman toured the US, visiting distilleries and chatting with whiskey makers, and returned to Brooklyn to share his notes with those gathered at the Gatehouses, his distillery’s cocktail bar, tasting room and event space.

“If you want a guide to American whiskey, go find a distiller and they will tell you who their friends are and who’s doing it right,” Spoelman said, addressing the room during a brief Q&A session.

“Being a distiller you are drawn to certain things. And I think the world of whiskey is full of bullshit and full of marketing and full of money that is pushing you towards the wrong things. So you do need a guide.”

The Bourbon Drinker’s Companion is published by Abrams and priced at US$30. At 296 pages, it features infographics and sidebars, exploring the effects branding, taste, region, and distilling processes have on Bourbon.

Kings County Distillery was founded in 2009 and moved to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2012. Spoelman credits that move and a decision to commit to whiskey early on for Kings County’s success. He takes issue with the fact that so much of today’s whiskey comes from the same few sources, and that the consumer isn’t trained to seek out craft.

“I think the general consumer still doesn’t know very much about the difference between a brand and a distillery. And what differentiates a commercial distillery in Kentucky from a craft distillery in New York,” he said. “I found that the best way to understand a whiskey was to go meet the people that make it and to go to the facility that makes it and understand how those two things come together.”

In August 2023, Kings County was named ‘Distillery of the Year’ at the New Orleans Spirits Competition. Spoelman previously published Kings County Distillery Guide to Urban Moonshining in 2013 and Dead Distillers: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits in 2016.

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