Cowdery, Charles K. (1951–), known to all as Chuck, is a writer, filmmaker, and leading American whisky expert. In 1991, he began work on what he thought would be a coffee-table book about bourbon. This project became the documentary Made and Bottled in Kentucky, which Cowdery wrote, directed, and produced. The documentary aired on Kentucky Public Television in June of 1992 and is still in rotation. In 1994, he launched the Bourbon County Reader, a newsletter focused exclusively on American whisky, which is published to this day. He is the author of Bourbon, Strange: Surprising Stories of American Whiskey (2014), The Best Bourbon You’ll Never Taste: The True Story of A. H. Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Distilled in the Spring of 1974 (2012), and Bourbon, Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey (2004).
Cowdery is a frequent contributor to Whisky Advocate Magazine, among other publications. His work, in both books and magazines, is notable for the depth of his research and expertise and for his determination to maintain a critical distance even from a topic for which he clearly has a strong affection.
Cowdery’s work has earned him the title of Kentucky colonel and an induction to the Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2009. He also works as an attorney in private practice and as a marketing writer.
See also whisky, bourbon.
Cowdery, Chuck. Bourbon, Straight; The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey. Chicago: Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2004.
Cowdery, Chuck. Bourbon, Strange; Surprising Stories of American Whiskey. Chicago: Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2014.
By: Max Watman