Summary of Wright Thompson's Pappyland

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Wright Thompson's Pappyland in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: As a journalist said of Pappy Van Winkle, "You could call it bourbon, or you could call it a $5,000 bottle of liquified, barrel-aged unobtanium." Julian Van Winkle, the third-generation head of his family's business, is now thought of as something like the Buddha of Bourbon - Booze Yoda, as Wright Thompson calls him. He is swarmed wherever he goes, and people stand in long lines to get him to sign their bottles of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve, the whiskey he created to honor his grandfather, the founder of the family concern. A bottle of the 23-year-old Pappy starts at $3000 on the internet. As Julian is the first to say, things have gone completely nuts.

Forty years ago, Julian would have laughed in astonishment if you'd told him what lay ahead. He'd just stepped in to try to save the business after his father had died, partly of heartbreak, having been forced to sell the old distillery in a brutal downturn in the market for whiskey. Julian's grandfather had presided over a magical kingdom of craft and connoisseurship, a genteel outfit whose family ethos generated good will throughout Kentucky and far beyond. There's always a certain amount of romance to the marketing of spirits, but Pappy's mission statement captured something real: "We make fine bourbon - at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon." But now the business had hit the wilderness years, and Julian could only hang on for dear life, stubbornly committed to preserving his namesake's legacy or going down with the ship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669342441

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on Wright Thompson's Pappyland

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

On the afternoon of the Kentucky Oaks, the author was looking for Julian Van Winkle to interview him about his book on bourbon, which would include a chapter on the Pappy Van Winkle brand.

#2

The author met with the owners of Julian’s restaurant, the Van Winkles, and their family friend, Julian.

#3

The author was invited to visit Churchill Downs to watch the post for the next Derby. While waiting, she met with Julian Van Winkle, the owner of the track, who was passing around a sample of his new Pappy Van Winkle whiskey.

#4

It soon became clear that the old guard was not going to give up their seats without a fight.

#5

The author, Wright Thompson, is a journalist who was a friend of the Van Winkle family. He went to Kentucky to witness the race, and this is what he experienced.

#6

The author, a recovering alcoholic, was attending his first Kentucky Oaks, a charity horse race for three-year-old fillies. He