{"product_id":"gentlemen-bootleggers-the-true-story-of-templeton-rye-prohibition-and-a-small-town-in-cahoots-9781613735220","title":"Gentlemen Bootleggers: The True Story of Templeton Rye, Prohibition, and a Small Town in Cahoots","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2014 Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award Winner\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e 2015 Spirited AwardsTop Ten Finalist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e During Prohibition, while Al Capone was rising to worldwide prominence as Public Enemy Number One, the townspeople of rural Templeton, Iowa--population just 428--were busy with a bootlegging empire of their own. Led by Joe Irlbeck, the whip-smart and gregarious son of a Bavarian immigrant, the outfit of farmers, small merchants, and even the church monsignor worked together to create a whiskey so excellent it was ordered by name: \"Templeton rye.\"\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJust as Al Capone had Eliot Ness, Templeton's bootleggers had as their own enemy a respected Prohibition agent from the adjacent county named Benjamin Franklin Wilson. Wilson was ardent in his fight against alcohol, and he chased Irlbeck for over a decade. But Irlbeck was not Capone, and Templeton would not be ruled by violence like Chicago.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGentlemen Bootleggers \u003c\/em\u003etells a never-before-told tale of ingenuity, bootstrapping, and perseverance in one small town, showcasing a group of immigrants and first-generation Americans who embraced the ideals of self-reliance, dynamism, and democratic justice. It relies on previously classified Prohibition Bureau investigation files, federal court case files, extensive newspaper archive research, and a recently disclosed interview with kingpin Joe Irlbeck. Unlike other Prohibition-era tales of big-city gangsters, it provides an important reminder that bootlegging wasn't only about glory and riches, but could be in the service of a higher goal: producing the best whiskey money could buy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryce T. Bauer\u003c\/b\u003e is a Hearst Award-winning journalist who has written for \u003ci\u003eSaveur\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eDaily Iowan\u003c\/i\u003e, the Cedar Rapids\u003ci\u003e Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications. He is coproducing and cowriting the documentary \u003ci\u003eWhiskey Cookers: The Amazing Story of the Bootleggers of Templeton, Iowa\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in New York City. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chicago Review Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493012902162,"sku":"9781613735220","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b9fd8807-096a-412a-9342-2a9317f2c48d.jpg?v=1730621688","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/gentlemen-bootleggers-the-true-story-of-templeton-rye-prohibition-and-a-small-town-in-cahoots-9781613735220","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}