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About The Book

In Chasing the White Dog, journalist Max Watman traces the historical roots and contemporary story of hooch. He takes us to the backwoods of Appalachia and the gritty nip joints of Philadelphia, from a federal courthouse to Pocono Speedway, profiling the colorful characters who make up white whiskey's lore. Along the way, Watman chronicles his hilarious attempts to distill his own moonshine -- the essential ingredients and the many ways it can all go wrong -- from his initial ill-fated batch to his first successful jar of 'shine.

It begins in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, where drunk and armed outlaws gathered in the summer of 1794. George Washington mustered 13,000 troops to quell the rebellion, but by the time they arrived, the rebels had vanished; America's first moonshiners had packed up their stills and moved on.

From these moonshiners who protested the Whiskey Tax of 1791, to the bathtub gin runners of the 1920s, to today's booming bootleg businessmen, white lightning has played a surprisingly large role in American history. It touched the election of Thomas Jefferson, the invention of the IRS, and the origins of NASCAR. It is a story of tommy guns, hot rods, and shot houses, and the story is far from over.

Infiltrating every aspect of small-scale distilling in America, from the backyard hobbyists to the growing popularity of microdistilleries, Chasing the White Dog provides a fascinating, centuries-long history of illicit booze from an unrepentant lover of moonshine.

About The Author

Courtesy of the Author

Max Watman is the author of Race Day, which was an editors’ choice in the New York Times Book Review. He was the horse racing correspondent for the New York Sun and has written for various publications on books, music, food, and drink. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and son.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 16, 2010)
  • Length: 304 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781439170243

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Raves and Reviews

“[Watman]’s a good storyteller because he’s a good listener—curious, amiable and game for anything…a merry companion, with a fondness for down-home wisdom and hell-raising.” —Mick Sussman, The New York Times Book Review

“Wildly entertaining.” —Jason Wilson, The Washington Post

Chasing the White Dog uncovers the moral quandaries behind moonshine's sheen of hick stereotypes and sheds light on an underground industry that shows no signs of letting up.” —Eddie Dean, Wall Street Journal

"The maven of modern-day moonshine.” —Wayne Curtis, The Atlantic Monthly

“[H]ighly readable, crisply written . . . serves up every aspect of small-scale distilling in America.” —Larry Cox, Tucson Citizen

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