Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN and the bestselling author of The Cost of These Dreams. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his family.
"Bourbon is for sharing, and so is Pappyland." --Wall Street Journal
"A soulful journey that blends together biography,
autobiography, philosophy, Kentucky history, the story of bourbon's
origins and an insider's look at how the Van Winkle whiskey is made
and marketed . . . Thompson, an ESPN senior writer by way of
Mississippi, comes off as the Boswell of bourbon country here--a
keen literary observer and respectful fanboy with an obvious
affection for his subject . . . Pappyland moves smoothly
through the family lore with the subtle nuances of a well-aged
bourbon; it has top notes of stoicism and melancholy and a
lingering finish of pride, even when recounting the hard times."
--New York Times Book Review "A warm and loving reflection that,
like good bourbon, will stand the test of time." --Eric Asimov,
The New York Times "Pappyland is as invigorating as the
smell of freshly cut Kentucky bluegrass, and goes down as smoothly
as a glass of Pappy's beloved bourbon." --Shelf Awareness "An
amiable journey, courtesy of ESPN sportswriter Thompson, into the
arcana of American whiskey [. . .] If you're a fan of the magic
that is an artful bourbon, this is just the book for you."
--Kirkus "A fast-paced and colorful history of 20th-century
Southern culture, told through the story of charismatic
cult-bourbon maker Julian P. Van Winkle III. . . . 'Being Southern,
' Thompson writes, 'means carrying a responsibility to shake off
the comforting blanket of myth and see ourselves clearly.' Thompson
more than fulfills that burden with insight and eloquence."
--Publishers Weekly (starred) "One of Wright
Thompson's many gifts is his ability to give language to those
intangibles of life that are, to the rest of us, indescribable. So
his account of the Van Winkle family and its elusive, masterful
bourbon is justly rendered in profound, utterly compelling fashion.
Success and failure; legacy and sacrifice; the commitments to
family and the fight to reclaim something lost to
time--Pappyland fits neatly alongside the traditions and
scope of great Southern literature and, like the bourbon at the
center of the story, captures a special kind of lightning in a
bottle." --Ashley Christensen, James Beard Award-Winning chef,
fan of brown water on ice with a lemon twist "In Wright
Thompson's beautifully written and delightful book, Julian Van
Winkle's odyssey to make whiskey in the spirit of his beloved Pappy
becomes a story about how we keep faith with the past--with our
ancestors and with the legacy of a great craft--and how we move on
from it. Pappyland is a beautiful antidote to false
sentiment; I cherished it." --Walter Isaacson "A
bourbon-laced Book of Hours heady with history, soul-searching,
southern shrines, and meditations on fatherhood. Thompson goes in
search of Kentucky's most potent heritage and slowly circles round
to his own. It's a story meant for sipping, rough and sweet on the
tongue." --Burkhard Bilger "Frankly I don't give a damn about
bourbon. But I do care greatly about family and children, about
fathers and sons, and about tradition and legacy, and it's out of
these ingredients that Wright Thompson distills this beautiful and
life-loving book. Pappyland is the story of bourbon master
Julian Van Winkle, told by a master writer reaching across
generations for meaning. Which means it is nothing less than the
story of mastery itself." --Tom Junod "Only Wright Thompson could
tell the story of something as beloved as Pappy and make me admire
it more. This is a profound book that is every bit as nuanced and
lasting as the whiskey it's about. It made me reconsider the power
of mythology, history, family legacy, and the stories we tell
ourselves. I also learned a lot about fine bourbon." --Eli Saslow,
winner of the Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Rising out of
Hatred "In Pappyland Wright Thompson takes his reader on a journey,
indeed a pilgrimage, across times, places, and generations all
deeply rooted in the bluegrass country of Kentucky in search of the
almost mythical Pappy Van Winkle. In elegant prose Thompson embarks
on an odyssey which, like all such endeavors, ultimately returns
the hero to home, both for his subject, Julian Van Winkle III, and
for the author." --Dr. Paul M. Pearson, Director of the Thomas
Merton Center
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