Whiskey Women

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

By: Fred Minnick

Narrated by: James Killavey

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

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)

Women should be proud of this.

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

Perseverance, Creativity, Intelligence

What did you like best about this story?

Great listen. Really interesting. We should learn to appreciate the contributions women have made throughout history in keeping their families fed and dealing with adversity. We should be proud of ourselves and them.

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

Reading was fine. Just right for this kind of book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Lots of them, actually.

Any additional comments?

History but...very interesting history. Went way back to the beginning of whiskey production then up to prohibition and after and finally to the present.

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.

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. :)

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.

Good info and well done

What did you like best about this story?

Found the "history of whiskey" fascinating.

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

He's good. In fact, I got this because I had just finished "Wheels Stop" and I liked him as the narrator of that book

Any additional comments?

Not just for women. Really, really interesting book...if you like history.

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.

Is this narrator mocking the book?

I was so excited for this book. What a major disappointment. The narration is so painful. I can’t believe this made it through any review process. I had to stop listening by chapter five. The actual story was intriguing but I’ll have to finish it in paper form, at a later date.

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!

Awful. Could have been good

This book might have been good. I don't know because the narrator was TERRIBLE. I couldn't understand him most of the time. His inflection was wrong with broken speech patterns. Honestly, I had to check to see if there was an actual narrator because I thought they used a terrible automated computer program.

Not as good as The History of Bourbon

Didn't care for the narrator and was looking more for stories of women in whiskey.

terrible narrator

Its a fascinating story, but the terrible narration makes it hard to listen too. shame.

Good book but not a fan of the narrator

I loved learning about women in whisky throughout history. I highly recommend this book!

The narrator had quite a sing-songy voice and a very American accent and he did not know how to pronounce many of the Scottish distilleries.