How has an industry that was on the rocks 30 years ago become the toast of the town? Carla Carlton examines the creation of a uniquely American spirit, its resurrection after Prohibition and its astronomical surge in the past decade, and the ways in which bourbon crafters are growing a multibillion-dollar global industry while staying true to their Kentucky roots.

EXCERPTS - CHAPTER 1

Big Names in Bourbon

Tracing the Kentucky bourbon family tree is a lot like looking up the bloodlines of Kentucky Derby winners: you'll encounter the same names time and again. Many families have worked in the distilling business for generations, partly because people born in Kentucky rarely leave, and the few who do usually have the good sense to come back.

One especially legendary name, of course, is Beam. Beams have been making whiskey in Kentucky ever since German immigrant Jacob Beam sold his first barrel in 1795. Seven subsequent generations have led what is today the Jim Beam Distillery. But Beams have also worked for just about every other major distillery in the state, and two descendants are currently reviving their branch's dormant legacy at a craft distillery they opened in 2011.

Now that you've wrapped your head around Noes distilling at Jim Beam, let's talk about the Beams distilling at Heaven Hill. David Beam's oldest son, Joseph M. Beam, had 14 children. One of them, Joseph L. "Joe" Beam, helped found the Heaven Hill distillery in Bardstown after Prohibition.

Joe's son Harry Beam was Heaven Hill's first distiller; he was succeeded by Park Beam's son Earl, who left the Jim Beam Distillery for the job. Earl was followed by his son, Parker Beam (namesake of the distillery's annual Parker's Heritage Collection); Parker and his son, Craig, were co-Master Distillers until Parker stepped down in 2012. (Parker passed away after a long battle with ALS in January 2017.) Craig Beam is now co-Master Distiller with Denny Potter. (Speaking of families, Heaven Hill is the largest independent family-owned and -operated producer and marketer of distilled spirits in the United States, having been owned by the Shapira family from the start.)

Joe Beam and his other sons also worked at various times for Four Roses and for Maker's Mark. Joseph M. Beam's oldest son, Minor Case Beam, owned a distillery in Nelson County in the early 1900s but sold it in 1910. He, his son, Guy, and his grandson Jack all worked at distilleries before and after Prohibition, but no one in that branch actually owned a distillery again until 2011, when Minor Beam's great-grandsons, Stephen and Paul Beam, opened Limestone Branch in Lebanon, Kentucky. There, they honored the distilling heritage not only of their father's family but also of their mother's, the Dants, by resurrecting that family's most famous brand, Yellowstone Bourbon.

Finally, David Beam's youngest son, John "Jack" Beam, founded a distillery in Bardstown called Early Times. His son, Edward, was supposed to succeed him as distiller, but both men died in 1915. Brown-Forman eventually bought the brand name, and Early Times is still sold today.