Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits

A journey through the world of vintage spirits as told by a journalist that has been following this shadowy, semi-legal market for years.  From rural liquor stores to Facebook groups to major auction houses, there is a small but dedicated group of people seeking out those forgotten bottles from the back of grandma's cabinet.  Learn how an Italian bartender rekindled interest in pre-Phylloxera Cognac, or how early internet message boards were the key to hunting for vintage Bourbons around rural America pre-2015. 

One part history, one part guide, Goldfarb tells you what bottles may be worth keeping an eye out for and also shares some tips for looking for and building your own collection.  And yes, even how to avoid fakes. 

On the back cover, beloved spirits writer Brad Thomas Parsons says it best:

“Like a film noir detective falling in love with a bewildering client, Aaron Goldfarb immerses himself in a world of mysterious eccentrics and obsessive dusty hunters on a never-ending treasure hunt to uncover unicorn bottles of booze from the past through estate sales and online auctions, and behind bulletproof glass in inner-city liquor stores. But vintage spirits are essentially a nonrenewable resource and Goldfarb’s meditative exploration wrestles with whether this complicated impermanence is simply chasing after trophies or truly a way to taste, and understand, the past.”

Hardcover.