Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide

Thirty years ago many believed whiskey was a doomed drink. Like wines, whiskey, which originated in Scotland and Ireland--"whiskey" comes from a Celtic word--has become a world-wide phenomenon. Michael Jackson, as famous in the whiskey world as the other Jackson in pop, lays out whiskey's allure and history in "Whiskey: the Definitive World Guide," a Dorling-Kindersley book. Whiskey is the umbrella for Scotch (comes only out of Scotland), Bourbon, and Whiskey. The British Isles, Canada, the United States, and Japan are the biggest makers and producers of Whiskey. Jackson explains what creates the wide varieties of whiskeys: climate, geology, water, heather, sea breeze and seaweed, barley, peat, and the various phases of the brewing process. Paging through the Scotland section of the wonderful single malts was a tourist reminiscence of my very limited tour through Scotch country and visits to several distilleries. Sampling Scotch at ten in the morning is a walk on the wild side, trust me. When Jackson calls his book "definitive," he is spot on. A walk through the Scotland section lists and describes all single malts, as well as blended scotch, including labels, histories, color, nose, body, palate, finish. Here's an example: The Dalmore, 12-year-old Color: Ruby, amber Nose: Sweet. Black currant jam. Rum and raisin. Body: Sweet and rich. Palate: Smooth and long. Super-ripe, basil, menthol. Dried fruits. Finish: Malt, balanced, oak. I love this book and have poured through it over and over. There's a world of information for anyone interested in more than just passing knowledge of the whiskey world of scotch, bourbon, and whiskey.

Whiskey offers a good overview of whiskey around the world, which is just what I was looking for. Jackson's writing style is as someone telling a good friend what he knows. It is not about him but the whiskey. It is very well illustrated with excellent photographs. You can describe something all you want but show me a picture and I understand. This is a great book to start with. It covers how it is made, how climate and geology impact the result, and how to enjoy it. But, what I loved most was "touring" some of the great distilleries of the world. I'm planning my trip to Scotland and Ireland. Heading back to Kentucky where I grew up would not hurt either.

This book is filled with information about distilleries from around the world. After a brief introduction to whiskey, Jackson and his contributing authors explain the aromas flavors found in whiskey as well as their sources from the distilling process. For example, different strains of barley can add different flavors, floral notes often come from the heather that grew in the peat that was burned to heat the stills, the different oaks used for maturation can add different characteristics to the drink, and so on. The distillation process and equipment are also briefly explained. After that, the book moves to a trek around the world, spending about 100 pages on Scotland, about 10 pages on Ireland, about 10 pages on Canada, about 30 pages on the United States, about 15 pages on Japan, and a brief look at "everything else". This section of the book covers (I think) all of the active distilleries with a brief history, geography, and info about the production line. Each distinct geographic region includes a section of tasting notes about one or some of the typical/popular whiskeys from the region. The more popular brands, like Bushmills and Jack Daniels, seem to get a bit more coverage than the others. The book ends with a short section on cocktails and food pairing. The book is full of large, beautiful photographs of the distilleries- I would say most pages are 50% photographs. This is not an all-encompassing tome of whiskeys, nor a buying guide, nor a tasting guide; there are plenty of other books out there for that. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I think it would be better with a section on the relevant history of the region- for example, the Highland Clearances were mentioned many times, and eventually I had to go look it up. Also, the book would be better if they dropped the snob factor in the text- the condescension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. This is still a wonderful book, and if you are interested in whiskey at all it is definitely worth your time.

I just got this for Christmas and I've been enjoying it immensely! A little bit history, a little bit geography and little bit horticulture. It really does cover all whiskey production, although I think it favors Scotch a bit. I've been drinking Scotch for about a year now but I've only recently become fond of Irish Whiskey. The book covers it's production as well as the American, Canadian, and Japanese varieties (they make an outstanding whiskey in the Scottish tradition). Coffee table-quality in size and art-work, I see myself enjoying this for years to come.

really great book with a whole lot of information, and like any DK book there is a ton of photographs and illustrations that ad a visual aid in learning everything you need to know about Whiskey. The author is incredibly thorough and detailed and does a fantastic job of keeping you interested. This is a great book for every whiskey lover.

While this book is certainly an eye catcher it falls short of an exhaustive reference book. Perhaps it's a good introduction for the beginner, but I was hoping it would do for Whiskey what Clive Coates' The Wines of Bordeaux: Vintages and Tasting Notes 1952-2003 did for Bordeaux. Specific information with regard to process, grain choice, barrel selection and aging at each distillery was spotty. In some cases there was no discussion of various products from a producer. I am sure meaningful tasting notes for whiskey can be tricky, but I didn't find these particularly useful either. From time to time i noticed an insightful tasting comment and frequently obvious dominating characteristics were noted but many of the tasting notes seemed rather generic. While preference is particularly subjective I think more critical evaluation would be helpful in terms of conveying tasting information.

A fantastic book with endless information about how whisky is made as well as information about whisky distillery's all over the world with so much information and fantastic pictures as well. a must have book for any serious collector or lover of drinking whisky!!!

Excellent book on whiskey. It has some really great pictures and good information on the different types and history of whiskey

Good book with lots of info.

This is a comprehensive look on whisky. It consists of all the things to know about the history, making, and the joy of nosing and drinking. Nice photos and drawings and most importantly done by a very knowledgeable connoisseur-writer.

very good book

I bought this book for many son in law. It's really astethically beautiful. I know he'll get good use from it