George Remus was the hardworking son of immigrants, a child in Milwaukee’s German neighborhoods before his family moved to Chicago. Although (or because), as Bob Batchelor writes in his biography, Remus “heeded no rules or regulations” that didn’t suit him, he became one of America’s most notorious defense attorneys. And although his father’s death was attributed to alcoholism, the flamboyant lawyer reigned over a bootleg empire during Prohibition.
The Bourbon King is a splashy story about a character as colorful as any born in Hollywood. Batchelor puts down Remus’ adventurous life to an addiction to success and—not unlike his subject—makes a case for exonerating crime. According to the author, Remus’ illicit empire saved the bourbon industry and provided employment for bourbon-makers and runners, “enabling them to feed their families and spend money in the local economy.” Remus also insisted on quality. Unlike some competitors, he only sold the good stuff.
