While not specifically about cocktails or the spirits industry, Dethroning the King is a compelling read nonetheless. The acquisition of Anheuser-Busch represented one of the largest hostile takeovers in decades, and probably would have been on the front pages of the popular press for months had there not been another series of “minor financial incidents” in late 2008.

Julie Macintosh vividly recounts the family and high-level corporate players on the Anheuser-Busch side as they are caught effectively by surprise, shocked that an upstart Brazilian company is banging on the door of what they thought was the world’s most powerful brewer. The book reads more like a thriller than a boring business book, and it’s a page turner that I couldn’t put down despite knowing the ultimate outcome of the story.

If you have any interest in stories of corporate intrigue that read like true crime, this book is a worthwhile read. Interestingly, the trend that brought Anheuser-Busch from what seemed like a family company into the arms of a corporate marauder are also affecting the spirits industry, and perhaps InBev is the prototype for tomorrow’s spirits giant (if we’re not already there with the small cabal of huge players).

Highly recommended.