Drinks expert and award-winning author Noah Rothbaum has spent 25 years researching, reporting, and tasting whiskeys from around the world. Now, he brings his passion for whiskey to this comprehensive new guide, The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit (The History, Secrets, and Lore Behind the Best Scotch, Bourbon, Irish, Rye, Canadian, Japanese, Single Malt, and More). Published on September 9, 2025, the guide offers up a country-by-country examination of the prominent distillers and whiskey culture, as well as tasting notes from hundreds of whiskeys and a collection of cocktail recipes.
I caught up with Noah Rothbaum to learn more about his background in whiskey, what inspired him to write The Whiskey Bible, and what advice he would give to those who find themselves intimidated by the spirit.
What is your background in whiskey?
Over the last 25 years, I’ve written about whiskey for a number of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, and Liquor.com. I’m the author of several drinks books, including the recently published Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit as well as The Art of American Whiskey and The Business of Spirits. I’m also the associate editor of the award-winning Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails. Currently, I also serve as Men’s Journal’s spirits editor and Bartender Magazine’s editor-at-large.
How did you initially get into whiskey?
During college I did an internship at Food & Wine Magazine and worked for Pete Wells, who later became The New York Times’ restaurant critic. That summer, I worked on a number of whiskey stories and was utterly fascinated by the spirit.
What was the inspiration to write The Whiskey Bible?
In the winter of 2020, Workman [a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group] approached me about writing The Whiskey Bible. I am a big fan of their Wine Bible and Beer Bible, so I was very excited to continue the series with The Whiskey Bible.
What was your process of conducting research and putting The Whiskey Bible together?
I spent most of my time searching in libraries and archives for primary sources and vintage newspapers, magazines, government reports, and books. Over the last few years, many books and periodicals have been digitized, which made searching a lot easier and I was fortunately able to find many new sources.
How did you decide what aspects of whiskey to include in the book?
I tried to include everything I possibly could – that’s why the book is more than 600 pages!
What advice do you have for people who are interested in, but may be intimidated by, whiskey?
Whiskey is truly for all people, and you should drink it any way that you enjoy it. The best way to learn about whiskey is, of course, to taste whiskey.
What is the difference between drinking whiskey and tasting whiskey?
Drinking whiskey is all about enjoyment. Tasting whiskey, on the other hand, is about analytically evaluating a spirit.
What should you look out for as you’re tasting?
Whiskey can include a huge range of flavors, but generally, the most common are vanilla, baking spice, apple, pear, raisin, peat, smoke, hot sawdust, cedar, corn, barley, banana, and even dill pickle.
What makes craft whiskey brands different from the big whiskey brands?
Craft distillers have a major advantage over bigger brands: innovation. When a large liquor conglomerate launches a new whiskey, it essentially has to be a hit immediately. Since smaller craft brands don’t generally need to answer to Wall Street, they can take more time to nurture and grow a whiskey.
How did you curate the cocktail recipes that you included in the book?
The Whiskey Bible includes 30 classic whiskey cocktails and also 30 modern classic whiskey cocktails from some of the top bartenders around the world. I wanted readers to understand that not only is it okay, but historically accurate to use whiskey in cocktails.
What do you hope readers take away from this book?
I hope that people who read The Whiskey Bible will be more confident drinkers. To truly enjoy a dram is to know where it came from and who produced it.
Where do you see the whiskey industry going in the future?
I think we’re going to see whiskey distilleries opening up in even more countries and regions around the world. I can’t wait to try these new drams! •
To learn more about Noah Rothbaum, follow him on Instagram @noah_rothbaum. To order your copy of The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit, which was released on September 9, 2025, search for The Whiskey Bible on hachettebookgroup.com.