By the smoke & the smell My search for the rare and sublime on the spirits trail

Thaddeus Vogler

Book - 2017

In By the Smoke & the Smell, spirits expert Thad Vogler takes readers around the world, celebrating the vivid characters who produce hand-made spirits like rum, scotch, cognac, and mezcal. From the mountains of Mexico and the forbidden distilleries of Havana, to the wilds of Scotland and the pastoral corners of France and beyond, this adventure will change how you think about your drink. Thad Vogler, owner of San Francisco's acclaimed Bar Agricole and Trou Normand, is one of the most important people in the beverage industry today. He's a man on a mission to bring "grower spirits"-spirits with provenance, made in the traditional way by individuals rather than by mass conglomerates-to the public eye, before they disap...pear completely. We care so much about the food we eat: how it is made, by whom, and where. Yet we are far less careful about the spirits we drink, often allowing the biggest brands with the most marketing dollars to control the narrative. In By the Smoke and the Smell, Vogler is here to set the record straight. This remarkable memoir is the first book to ask the tough questions about the booze industry: where our spirits come from, who makes them, and at what cost. By the Smoke and the Smell is also a celebration of the people and places behind the most singular, life-changing spirits on earth. Vogler takes us to Normandy, where we drink calvados with lovable Vikings; to Cuba, a country where Vogler lived for a time, and that has so much more to offer than cigars, classic cars, and mojitos; to the jagged cliffs and crystal-clear lochs of Scotland; to Northern Ireland, Oaxaca, Armagnac, Cognac, Kentucky, and California. Alternately hilarious and heartfelt, Vogler's memoir will open your eyes to the rich world of traditional, small-scale distilling-and in the process, it will completely change the way you think about and buy spirits.

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Subjects
Published
California : Ten Speed Press [2017]
Language
English
Main Author
Thaddeus Vogler (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
291 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780399578601
  • pt. 1. A category of human experience is becoming extinct and it is cause for tears. Calvados : the right way to be French ; Cognac : they'll hire the guy who fucked your wife ; Armagnac : all thosde moments are lost in time, like tears in rain
  • pt. 2. Ammunition?! this is no time for ammunition! Cuba, part I : the reality of cultural capital ; Cuba, part II : unbutton your trousers... this is how we do it, man
  • pt. 3. Gin a body meet a body / comin thro' the grain. Scotland, part I : haloo, Grigalach! ; Northern Ireland : but I was young and foolish ; Scotland, part II : gin a body kiss a body / need a body cry?
  • pt. 4. A category of human experience is becoming extinct and it is cause for celebration. Oaxaca, part I : a stop on the Hippie Highway ; Oaxaca, part II : Pinche teachers ; Kentucky : the rare old mountain dew.
Review by New York Times Review

j You can learn practical things from this book - like how to smell Cognac. If you dip your nose in the glass the way you sniff wine, you'll overwhelm the olfactory cells linked to your taste buds. Bring the spirit only close enough so you can just sense the aroma, appreciating its qualities from a distance. There's nothing distant or pedantic, however, about Vogler's bracing, deeply personal narrative of his travels through the homelands of Calvados, Cognac, Armagnac, rum, scotch and mezcal, in search of the soul of those spirits. The author is the owner of Bar Agricole - a restaurant with perhaps the most exacting standards for spirits in San Francisco - and has ambitions for the book beyond aesthetics. The adventures he and his drinking companions share in search of liquid truth are argonautic, with sleepless labors in France, labyrinthine exertions in Cuba and one near cataclysmic encounter in Mexico. He cites a friend who describes the magic of the drinks they seek: "That's why they call them spirits. They are freed to the heavens in the form of vapor, an escaped essence, only to be recaptured and brought back to earth." Vogler's stories are heartfelt, wise and moving, if occasionally overwrought. He is particularly worked up about human greed. The tragic theme he repeats is of the consolidation of small distilleries bought up by soulless corporations. It's an infernal reversal of the biblical begats as scores of artisanal enterprises with names out of poetry are swallowed - big gulp by big gulp - by giants who turn them into brands bereft of authenticity.

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [December 24, 2018]
Review by Library Journal Review

San Francisco bar owner Vogler brings readers along with him (and colleagues or even family) as he prospects for new sources of artisanal spirits and revisits favored distillers. The book is similar to others wherein authors visit wineries and breweries, but Vogler's focus on such products as brandies, whiskies, and rums makes this offering unique. What also distinguishes the narrative is the greater emphasis on the author's experiences and his travels rather than the liquors. The writing is personal, blunt, and even pungent in its critical assessment of people, places, and events. Vogler and his colleagues aren't always likable, but there will be many who find that refreshing. For those wanting to read more about distillers and distilling, however, this may not be the best starting point. Verdict A peek into the world of distilleries but somewhat limited in breadth, depth, and appeal.-Peter Hepburn, Coll. of the Canyons Lib., Santa Clarita, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.