Making Bourbon: A Geographical History of Distilling in Nineteenth-Century Kentucky.

The article reviews *Making Bourbon: A Geographical History of Distilling in Nineteenth-Century Kentucky* by Karl Raitz, which provides a comprehensive historical geography of bourbon production in Kentucky. The book traces bourbon's evolution from an artisanal craft to a complex commercial industry, examining the associated industries, technologies, and landscape changes involved in distilling. It includes detailed case studies of two nineteenth-century distilleries using extensive archival records and explores contemporary marketing and tourism efforts related to bourbon heritage. Raitz employs a "geographical history" approach that integrates landscape analysis, historical ecology, and anthropological concepts to understand how diverse contributors shaped Kentucky's bourbon landscapes over time.