A bit of everything in this. I enjoyed the history most.

You never really think about the process that anything goes through before it becomes it's final self. I've always loved bourbon and consider myself something of a whiskey connoisseur. Because of this film, i'm now considering having a hand picked custom batch and barrel made from start to finish.

Light, breezy, fun documentaries have their place. However, a film about bourbon--a spirit, per the film, that mirrors the history of America, which is a far cry from light, breezy fun--hardly belongs among them. What could've been an exploration of shifting cultural dynamics or rebellious entrepreneurialism is turned into a long-form advertisement for the bourbon industry. And advertisements don't make for good documentary films.

The characters are all industry stalwarts, except for the heroic hobbyist who turns his basement into a speakeasy. Their views on how Bourbon is made is valuable, but the film's treatment of those views--all adoring and unquestioning, often overlaid with stirring string arrangements and shots of glasses being filled in slow-mo while backlit by a sunset--is so saccharine that it ends up being a turnoff.

The most interesting cultural bits are left out. Where's the Whiskey Rebellion? The social impact of Prohibition? The role of immigrants in making Bourbon what it is today? These are omitted in favor of the personal stories of the characters that are so much less meaningful.

You might pick up some interesting tidbits on Bourbon, or have a hankering for a good cocktail. But the film will leave you wishing for something more substantive.