As a historical researcher, one of the time periods I seem to have the least knowledge of is the history of this latest whiskey boom. As luck would have it, today I get a chance to dive into that history with someone who lived it.

Meet Noah Rothbaum, the author of the upcoming book The Whiskey Bible: The Complete Guide to the World's Greatest Spirit. For 25 years, he's seen whiskey go from inconsequential in an era where whiskey trails were non-existent, to today's whiskey boom.

• Motivation that led to Noah getting into whiskey writing

• The landscape of whiskey at the turn of this century

• Mad Man myth or truth?

• Bourbon's domination of the American story, yet limited brands

• The rise of rye and craft

• The trip to St. Andrews and where Scotch whisky interest was at the time 

• The first distillery visit

• Canadian, Irish, Japanese, and the development of World whiskies.