This is a Guest Post by Maria Ramos, a TV and Film blogger. She has noticed a trend in documentaries about craft beer and whickey and bourbon and offered this article. Since I have been a little busy lately, I took her up on her offer.
Bourbon is more than a drink for people who live in Kentucky -
it's a way of life. Now it’s a lifestyle that's rapidly gaining
popularity not only in the United States, but worldwide. New,
whiskey-themed bars are opening in cities around the globe,
reflecting an international interest in the era of smoky bars and
speakeasies. Gone are the days of Prohibition gangsters, but today's
(legal) speakeasies seek to recreate a similar aura of excitement. If
you haven’t heard yet, bourbon is the next big thing in alcoholic
beverages. Here are a few films charting its rise to modern-day fame.
Great
Scotch Whisky (2006)
Great Scotch Whisky, produced in 2006, encourages viewers
to appreciate Scotch and see it for the art form that it is. The
documentary primarily concerns itself with single malts and
peaty-style spirits. It takes viewers on a journey around Scotland
from Islay to Speyside and back again to learn about
legendary
whiskies including Bowmore, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, and
Lagavulin. The spectacular scenery and rugged Scottish landscape fill
the documentary with imagery fit for a Robert Burns poem - perfect
for connoisseurs of all things Scotch.
Addicted
to Pleasure: Whisky (2012)
Whisky, for all it’s done to benefit Scottish culture, also
presents it’s own set of problems.
While it remains one of the biggest growth industries in the
United Kingdom, it is also a highly addictive substance, often
claiming the lives of those who becoming dangerously infatuated with
it.
Addicted to Pleasure: Whisky, a 2012
BBC
production, explores the early days of whiskey in the British
Empire. The documentary also strives to explain how whiskey became
the national drink of Scotland, leading to high rates of alcoholism.
Unique in it’s candid discussion of the issue, it highlights the
differences between “problem drinking” and “social drinking”,
and ways in which viewers can enjoy the spoils of Scotland
responsibly.
Bourbontucky (2015)
More than 200 years of bourbon history is shared by bourbon
aficionados, master distillers, and historians in
Bourbontucky.
Currently airing on
Direct
TV’s
AUDIENCE
channel, it has already received praise from members of the
Kentucky whiskey community. Against the spectacular backdrop of
Kentucky’s bluegrass country, viewers will learn about how bourbon
is made, from the oak barrels used to age the spirit to the myths and
legends associated with it’s sale and consumption. This one will
leave you thirsty!
Made and
Bottled in Kentucky (2003)
Made and Bottled in Kentucky was originally produced in
1992 for the state's bicentennial, and is a unique documentary in
that it traces the history of bourbon going back to its early days in
the 18th century. Viewers learn to gain an appreciation for
Kentucky's favorite drink through tours of some of Kentucky's most
famous distilleries - even including the ruins of distilleries past.
Charles
K. Cowdery, the producer of the film as well as its writer and
director, has been inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame
for his work on this documentary and similar projects.
Rumrunners,
Moonshiners and Bootleggers (2002)
Rumrunners, Moonshiners and Bootleggers is a
History
Alive production that explore the love and hate relationship with
alcohol that's manufactured and sold illegally. It chronicles how
bootleggers, moonshiners, and rumrunners helped to build the United
States. The documentary explores the history of bootlegging and
making illegal alcohol from the Colonial era and John Hancock, who
was a smuggler, to the present day. Viewers learn about fishermen who
became rumrunners in the 1920s, and gangsters who made their millions
from bootlegging. One segment of interest to racing fans is about how
moonshiners helped to
make
NASCAR what it is today.
As bourbon continues to grow in popularity, more programs
exploring its unique history are sure to reach audiences.
Bourbontucky,
the latest to the list, only further proves that films exploring the
nature of finely-crafted alcoholic beverages can not only entertain
but elucidate, giving us a deeper sense of appreciation for some of
our favorite spirits.
Labels: bourbon, Whiskey
