Book Review: Behind Bars
A good story always seems to make our favorite beverages seem more appealing, and true crime stories remain in the upper echelon of stories that capture the interest of the public. The two together with the a new book that is sure to steal the attention of lovers of libations: Behind Bars: True Crime Stories of Whiskey Heists, Beer Bandits, and Fake Million-Dollar Wines. Former Drinkhacker contributor Mike Gerrard writes the blog Travel Distilled as he covers travel and the spirits industry. It’s the follow-up to his first book released in July 2023, Cask Strength: The Story of the Barrel, the Secret Ingredient in Your Drink.
Some historians posit that nomadic peoples began to settle in one location due to the accidental discovery of fermented beverages. William Faulkner quipped that “Civilization begins with distillation.” If either of these two statements happens to be true, the world’s second oldest profession is likely looking for a way to make an illegal buck or two off of beverage alcohol. Behind Bars shares numerous historical and relatively recent stories of crime and illegal shenanigans from the spirits industry.
Gerrard gives heavy attention to moonshining and the lack of taxes being paid upon distillation. In the forefront of American minds regarding moonshine tend to be stories of Popcorn Sutton, hidden stills in Appalachia, and outrunning the law with souped-up cars. The author devotes an entire chapter to the intricacies of moonshining in America, complete with information on names familiar to Americans, as well as vital names that are less familiar, such as a Percy Flowers. However, Behind Bars opens with a chapter detailing the history of moonshining or illegal distillation prior to America, starting with Ireland and Scotland. To fully appreciate the tale of illegal distillation in America, it’s necessary to understand the history and culture of government taxation and evasion that many early American immigrant settlers faced in their not-too-far removed countries of origin.
Prohibition stories are ripe with accounts of smuggling. When the United States made it mostly illegal to sell and produce alcoholic beverages, the smuggling of booze from outside nations became big business, for those inside and outside of the United States. Gerrard gives attention to the big names in smuggling, such as Al Capone and George Remus, but also tells the story of Rum Row. Telling the story of Rum Row is vital as it ties in the reluctance of other nations to honor the United States’ silly laws regarding alcohol. Gerrard’s discussion of smuggling wouldn’t be complete without the coverage of pirates. Behind Bars gives ample attention to popular tales of piracy as historically powerful nations bickered amongst themselves in the name of riches and colonial power. While most tend to think of pirates as a distant relic of the past, Gerrard also covers the very real piracy that commonly existed during Prohibition.
While much of Behind Bars covers the distant history of booze-related crime, Gerrard gives attention to more recent capers as well. Have you ever walked into a liquor store and casually had thoughts of pulling the greatest heist of the century? For most of us, those casual thoughts are fleeting as we pull out our wallet to pay for our desired beverages of choice. However, Gerrard offers up stories of devious drinkers who actually took their shot at the crime of the century. Behind Bars provides the details on criminals who managed to exit liquor stores with extremely expensive bottles. Taking the sticky-finger stories further, the book details accounts of those who stole from the distilleries themselves, such as the infamous Pappygate saga.
Perhaps the most interesting chapter of the book relates to fakes and forgeries in the spirits industry. The willingness of consumers to pay top dollar for spirits is currently extremely inflated, which means that criminals are all too happy to take advantage. At least when it comes to the highest of high-end spirits, tampered-with or simply fake bottlings are far more common than the average consumer likely realizes. These fake bottles are showing up at bars, auction houses, and many of the online sales venues, both legal and illegal. Behind Bars offers discussion to give buyers pause and also discussion on some of the science implemented to verify the authenticity of these pricy bottles.
Mike Gerrard’s Behind Bars is an entertaining read that provides distant history and more much recent and relative history related to crime and spirits. The book provides 156 pages of actual reading material, allowing for it to be completed in a relatively short amount of time. Each story told is brief, but for readers who wish know more about specific story, plenty more information is available. Gerrard’s book does not go into extensive detail on any aspect, but provides a great starting point for each topic for those who want to dig deeper elsewhere.
B+ / $22 [BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON]
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