On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Noah Rothbaum, a author of “The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit,” among others.

In the book - and in the interview - Rothbaum shares everything you ever wanted to know about whiskey, and more, including the pivotal role of Jewish immigrants in bringing whiskey to America.

“In many ways, American Jews invented whiskey in this country or at least helped popularize it, around the turn of the century, the late 1800s to 1900s,” Rothbaum explains. Because of the laws of kashrut, Jews were accustomed to making their own alcohol in the old country; a skill they brought with them when they started emigrating to America and Canada.

“Fortunately the rules for making spirits are a lot simpler than the rules for making wine,” he explains. “Most whiskey by its very nature is kosher … because there's only really three ingredients: water, yeast and grain. … The fourth ingredient is the barrel, because all whiskey comes off the still clear; the color and so much of the flavor comes from the barrel.”

“The Whiskey Bible” contains more than 600 pages of knowledge, history, and stellar recipes from bartenders from around the world, including one from Sam Ross, called "penicillin."

When Rothbaum asked where the name came from, Ross said that when he was smelling the cocktail - the different kinds of notes from the whiskey and the honey ginger syrup and the citrus - it reminded him of chicken soup aka Jewish penicillin.

More than anything, Rothbaum wants to elevate people’s knowledge of and confidence in drinking whiskey.

“I wanted folks to feel empowered and savvy.” Rothbaum says. When someone hears something about whiskey, whether it's from their colleague, a know-it-all friend or they see a movie where somebody's drinking it, they can pull out “The Whiskey Bible, flip to that page or section and see what’s what.

Noah Rothbaum shares his journey into the world of whiskey, numerous whiskey facts and points of history, and Sam Ross’ penicillin recipe, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Get “The Whiskey Bible” at your favorite bookstore and follow @Noah_Rothbaum on Instagram. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.