Woefully Inacurrate Books

[barturtle]

On a trip to the bookstore to get some reading material I noticed Whiskey & Spirits for Dummies. Well I gotta take a look at that, I thought. Quickly I look for the Bourbon section, do a little jumping around to see if there's anything of interest and see a page with some lists. "Oh, gotta see what the list is" I thought.

The list was divided up into three sections
1-4yo and 80 proof whiskies
2-Small Batch
3-Single Barrel

Seems like an easy enough set of lists to get right, don't it?...NOT!

Listed in the Single Barrel section:
Basil Haydens
Bookers (also listed under small batch!?!)
Elijah Craig 12yo
Knob Creek
WT Rare Breed
Makers Mark

Listed as 4yo and 80 proof:
Basil Haydens (well that's at least half right)
Fighting Cock
Woodford Reserve

Knowing I wasn't going to be getting this book, I didn't flip much more, but did run across some interesting math on p 122, seems I've been incorrect all these years and 80 proof is equal to 43% ABV.

Anybody else know of some books that are so far off that they would like to put them forward as Most Inaccurate Whiskey Book?

[ACDetroit]

Well Timothy I have to say this! The title said it all an I would not picture you having that book, on the title alone! I don't think we have any DUMMIES! on the board, but thank you for being the one to take one for the team and finding the flaws in this book!

Kinda make one wonder how many other errors are in Books for Dummies!!

Tony

[barturtle]

Thing is the Beer for Dummies book is one of the best intro to beer books I've read, and I can't think of any glaring mistakes in it. It even has good sections on homebrew and cooking with beer. I still refer to it before I search out any of my other beer books.

[cowdery]

When I first became interested in this subject, Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits was generally considered the definitive source, and it is riddled with inaccuracies.

[barturtle]

When I first became interested in this subject, Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits was generally considered the definitive source, and it is riddled with inaccuracies.

This is one I do have, and am still puzzled by his descriptions of sweet and sour mash.

[jbaker]

Not a book, per se, but whatever literature the educators in the wine classes I've taken are reading is horribly written and misleading. (The courses usually only give one 3 hour class to beer and liquor together.) I often try to clarify through the use of leading questions for the sake of the poor newbies in the class or just make corrections afterwards so they aren't left with wrong information.

[Taggerung]

I think it was the Ultimate Bar Book I was looking at in Borders that listed being made in Kentucky as a requirement for bourbon.

[ILLfarmboy]

I don't know where my wife got it. She orders cookbooks and kitchen gadgets from someplace called pampered chef, so it may have come from there. Its titled "complete home bartender's guide", by Salvatore Calabrese. Most of the information contained within is better than your average misinformation tome but a few glaring mistakes are made; it states "bourbon cannot be distilled above 160 proof and is bottled at 80." OK, the first part they got right.

Their Manhattan calles for 2 ounces of Canadian Whisky (Canadian Club) and one ounce of sweet vermouth. A 2 to 1 ratio using a Canadian would be pretty heavy on the vermouth.

Their Old Fashioned calls for only 1 and 2/3 oz. bourbon and one sugar cube and one dash Angostura. Kinda sweet if you ask me. The kicker is their instruction to "top off with soda" This is presented as the historically accurate recipe. Elsewhere in the book they give instructions for a "modern recipe" which uses, among other things, maraschino liqueur and Grand Marinier.

[cowdery]

Everybody makes mistakes. Here is the errata so far from mine.

[bobbyc]

Chuck, Your book is a definitive work and a fine resource for everyone. Thank you for writing and publishing it. The item that I pointed out was a minor item that I would have never known except for the fact that by God's grace I was born into the vortex of Bourbon. Me and maybe 3 other people on this board would know of it and only a handful more, all living in this area, would have the same knowledge.
PM me on a subsequent trip to Ky for you, I have some iron in my yard thanks to you, we are due for a drink over that.