Whiskey Women

The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey

By: Fred Minnick

Narrated by: James Killavey

Without women, whiskey may not exist. In Whiskey Women, Wall Street Journal-best-selling author Fred Minnick tells the tales of women who have created this industry, from Mesopotamia's first beer brewers and distillers to America's rough-and-tough bootleggers during Prohibition. Women have long distilled, marketed, and owned spirits companies. These strong women built many iconic brands, including Bushmills, Laphroaig, and Maker's Mark. Until now their stories have remained untold.

©2013 Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Fred Minnick shows us how the fairer sex established liquor techniques, culture, and tastes as we know it today." (Esquire.com)

"This enjoyable book leaves readers feeling a way they're likely not accustomed to after such a wild, whiskey-soaked ride: enlightened." ( American Way Magazine)

" Whiskey Women is an entertaining and unexpected look at the role of women in the spirits industry. They were an integral part of this history and I'm delighted their story is finally being told." (Southern Foodways Alliance)

Very interesting

If you could sum up Whiskey Women in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, informative, good

Who was your favorite character and why?

non-fiction

Which scene was your favorite?

This was a history so...all of it was interesting.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Title is fine but it would have to be a documentary.

Any additional comments?

Reader was quite good. Some of the pronunciations were tough and, as far as I could tell, he got them all.

Great history lesson of women in distillation

I personally did not care to much for the reader, it was hard at times to stay tuned in, I think his voice would be more suited if it was a reading about wars or "how its made". Despite that...I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very interesting to know about not just the history and foundations of the distillation process of whisky, but the historical aspects of it and the importance of the role of women, throughout history up to the present, in the whisky industry!

Excellent

What made the experience of listening to Whiskey Women the most enjoyable?

Credit given to the remarkable input of women to all phases of whiskey making..types, labeling, defeating prohibition. Women power in a place I knew nothing about.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Whiskey Women?

Some of the stories about women bootlegging during prohibition were hysterical.

Have you listened to any of James Killavey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the third book of his that I'd heard. I like his style, especially for this type of book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No...much too long.

Any additional comments?

Never lost my interest ... very enjoyable.

Robotic Narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Whiskey Women to be better than the print version?

NO. At least the print version would be silent and I wouldn't have to hear the narrator.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I love women's history and I'm researching distilleries and distilling history at the moment. This book was painful to listen to.

What didn’t you like about James Killavey’s performance?

He sounds like that mockery of William Shatner--where people overact his timber, cadence, accent on words. Although this was no mockery, it was the actual book. It's like Siri narrated it--it was either flat and monotone or it was accented in odd nonsensical places.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me angry.

Any additional comments?

I want my credit back. I'm returning this book ASAP.

Revelation

Would you listen to Whiskey Women again? Why?

Maybe...at some point in the future.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a few stories that made me laugh.

Any additional comments?

This reader is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. He's quite good.

Good book bad audio

I love Audio Books and this is a great book. The only sugestión is the audio. There was little passion and it sounded like a machine was reading it. Would have loved a female voice or at least some one that would have made me feel the book. To be honest it got a bit under my skin.

glass half full

The book was full of interesting history and some good stories but the male narrator's interpretation of the female voice was grating. I wish this book, about women, would have been written by a woman, but it wasn't. It could have at least had a female narrator.

I struggled to listen to the terrible narration!

I struggled to listen to this title because of the horrible narration. it's like listening to a robot. The book may be good but I'll never know unless I buy a hard copy as this was painful!

Very Dry Book

This book is written in a very academic style. While there’s some interesting tidbits in here, they’re buried deep within the extremely-dry narrative. Pretty boring.

Entertaining and Enlightening

What did you love best about Whiskey Women?

I got this because I'm a whiskey drinker but really don't know much about it and was curious. It turned out to be a great book on many levels. Not only answered all my questions about "whiskey history," but also gives women their due in a lively and entertaining book. My whimsical way of picking audiobooks does not always work..this time, though, I got a winner.

What about James Killavey’s performance did you like?

He was fine. slight East Coast accent but that actually added to the "flavor" of the book...pardon the pun. :)