Whiskey and Philosophy: A Small Batch of Spirited Ideas (Epicurean)

387 Pages·2009·1.74 MB·English

by  Fritz Allhoff

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Whiskey
&
Philosophy
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Other books in the Epicurean Series, conceived by
Fritz Allhoff:
Steven D. Hales, ed.
Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer
Isn’t Worth Drinking
Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe, ed.
Food & Philosophy: Eat, Think, and Be Merry
Fritz Allhoff, ed.
Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on
Thinking and Drinking
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Whiskey
&
Philosophy
A Small Batch of
Spirited Ideas
Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright © 2010 by Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
Design by Forty-fi ve Degree Design LLC
The results from the experiment conducted at Stanford University Business
School that appear on page 47 are cited with permission.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Allhoff, Fritz and Marcus P. Adams.
Whiskey and philosophy : a small batch of spirited ideas / Fritz Allhoff,
Marcus P. Adams.
p. cm.—(Epicurean series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-43121-4 (pbk.)
1. Whiskey. I. Allhoff, Fritz. II. Adams, Marcus P. III. Title.
TP605.A45 2009
641.2'52—dc22
2009007425

Printed in the United States of America
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Contents
Foreword by Charles MacLean ix
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: Start Up the Still 1
Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams
unit i
The History and Culture of Whiskey 19
1 Scotch Whisky: From Origins to Conglomerates 21
Andrew Jefford
2 Provenance and Authenticity: The Dual Myths
of Scotch 40
Ian Buxton
3 The Heritage of Scotch Whisky: From
Monks to Surgeon Barbers 57
David Wishart
4 Women, Whiskey, and Libationary Liberation 72
Ada Brunstein
5 The Manhattan and You: Thinking about a
Classic Whiskey Cocktail 90
Hans Allhoff
v
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contents
unit 11
The Beauty and Experience of Whiskey 107
6 Whiskey, Whisky, Wild Living, and the
Hedonistic Paradox 109
Robert Arp
7 What to Drink? Why We Choose the
Bourbons We Do 123
Mark H. Waymack
8 The Phenomenology of Spirits: How Do
Whiskeys Win Prizes? 137
Douglas Burnham and Ole Martin Skilleås
9 The Ideal Scotch: Lessons from Hegel 152
Thom Brooks
10 Where the Fiddich Meets the Spey: My
Religious Experience 162
Harvey Siegel
unit 111
The Metaphysics and Epistemology of Whiskey 177
11 As a Good Bartender Might: Whiskey
and Natural Kinds 179
Thomas W. Polger
12 Heisenberg’s Spirits: Tasting Is More
Uncertain Than It Seems 195
Jerry O. Dalton
13 One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One
Buddhist Theory of No-Self 208
Steven F. Geisz
14 What Do Tasting Notes Tell Us? 224
Ian J. Dove
vvii
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contents
unit iv
Ethics and Whiskey 241
15 The Virtuous Whisky Drinker and Living Well 243
Richard Menary
16 Nasty Tempers: Does Whiskey Make
People Immoral? 256
Dave Monroe
17 Whisky and the Wild: On Preserving
Methods and Distilleries 269
Jason Kawall
unit v
Whisky: A Sense of Place 285
18 Peat and Seaweed: The Expressive Character
of Islay Whiskies 287
Kevin W. Sweeney
19 Japanese Whisky: “It’s Called Queen George,
and It’s More Bitched Up Than Its Name” 302
Chris Bunting
20 Whisky and Culture: From Islay to Speyside 318
Susie Pryor and Andrew Martin
Appendix A: Whiskey Tasting Notes 337
Appendix B: Our Favorite Whiskey Cocktails 343
Contributor Biographies 353
Index 361
vii
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