The intriguing chemistry of whiskey aging,which Market encountered on a tour ofKentucky’s Jim Beam bourbon distillery, prompted him to write this novel.

“The tour guide told us the wonderfully thick aroma we noticed upon entering the rick house—hints of fruit, aged wood, vanilla, caramel, butterscotch and more–was called “the angels’ share.”

The guideexplained that when bourbon ages, the rise and fall of temperatures pullswhiskey in and out of the charred wood barrels in which it’s held, naturally flavoring the liquid. Some of that liquid evaporates and permeates the air. This is the distillery’s offering to the angels. In turn, the angels keep the distillery free of fire.

“I knew then and there I wanted to write a novel called ‘The Angels’ Share,’” said Markert

Markert, who holds a history degree from the University of Louisville, did his “homework” before writing the novel, visitingmore distilleries along Kentucky’s famed Bourbon Trail, including the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, and Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles. The nation’s spirited history also included the Whiskey Trail, which runs through Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia and ties into whiskey-related historic landmarks in Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania.

“Twist my arm, but I visited about ten distilleries, and imagined what they looked like and smelled like back in time. That research is ongoing,” said Markert.