I would have loved this book even if it didn't name Old Overholt as a collectible spirit.

As a lover of all things vintage, I nonetheless had never considered the collectibility of vintage alcohol, and this book was a revelation. Unfortunately, if the author is correct (and I've no reason to suspect he isn't), the market for vintage spirits--or dusty booze--is already depleted. The reason for the collectibility of vintage alcohol--particularly whiskey, Scotch, and bourbon--is twofold. Those types of alcohol (and I suspect I used the incorrect spelling of whiskey/whisky despite Goldfarb's clear explanation of the difference) were not popular in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to a stockpiling among distillers and changes in distilling practices had an adverse effect on the quality of the product.

I cannot recommend this book enough for collectors, vintage afficionados, and whiskey (and other alcohol) lovers. #DustyBooze #NetGalley

Aaron Goldfarb digs into the world of “dusty hunters,” who search remote liquor stores, estate sales, and some truly unlikely venues for vintage spirits. Some simply want to collect them, others want to drink them, but seemingly every practitioner of the trade is a character. Goldfarb captures their quirks and passions with vivid prose. He even succumbs to the instinct himself. The book begins by concentrating on American whiskey, long the most active market for vintage spirits, but widens its focus to other tipples and offers primers on each. Goldfarb also hones in on the subtext of these quests: the prospect of liquid time travel, of sampling the literal taste of history, of learning that, in the end, even the dust has value. A rollicking, engaging, and ultimately moving book.