Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland’s Whiskies - A Cocktail Book

I am just starting to try various Scotches, and this book is perfect for my purposes. You get an overview of the regions, production process, etc. Then it provides background about most of the major distillers with details of select products. It is really very useful, and small enough to put in my handbag to take to the liquor store.

Wonderful read! Useful to the novice drinker and the experienced one. Gives you a good representation on over 200 whiskys to help you find a good whisky.

A staple for every whiskey lover's coffee table. So much information! From novice to sage this is a treasure , and just happened to have the honor of a scotch tasting lead by the author recently! Cheers 🥃

A solid introduction to Scotch, with lots of historical and background detail on both the drink and Scotland that can't fail to inspire wanderlust in the reader (who wouldn't want to take a driving tour of the distilleries in such a beautiful country after reading this?). However, there are a couple of aspects that prevent me from rating it five stars: Firstly, the book is light on blends and grain whiskies; one would have expected to see entries for The Famous Grouse, Old Parr, Port Dundas amongst others that are a bit conspicuous by their absence. Secondly, while I've no doubt the author has a sophisticated palate, many of the descriptions are perhaps too flowery to succinctly summarize the "nose" and taste profiles for less advanced drinkers. Clearly, many Scotches (especially the very best malts) develop complex aromas and flavors, and the author may very well be able to determine six, seven, or more unique elements in a single mouthful - but sometimes it just sounds a touch pretentious. Here's an example: "...Lemon oil, peach blossom, lime zest, cracked malt, demerara sugar, cocoa, and white pepper...tapers to chocolate-dipped candied citrus zest, just-shy-of-scorched caramel, and more tingly white pepper, culminating in the ghost of fresh peaches and pears." One other point of note is that the author has chosen not to rate or rank the whiskies (no stars, marks out of 100, etc.) This is atypical of this kind of review, but I actually found it interesting as it removed any temptation I might have had to skim over lower-rated releases. Overall, a very worthwhile addition to one's Scotch library.

I got cheated. I wanted a bottle of whisky and I got a book.

Ich habe mir dieses Buch gekauft, um meine Kenntnisse über schottische Whiskys zu erweitern, und was soll ich sagen? Es hat meine Erwartungen übertroffen! Vorteile: • Umfangreiche Auswahl: Das Buch bietet eine beeindruckende Übersicht über zahlreiche schottische Whiskys – von bekannten Marken bis zu versteckten Schätzen. • Inspirierend: Jede Seite lädt dazu ein, Neues zu entdecken und gibt Anregungen für den nächsten Whiskykauf. Perfekt, um die eigene Sammlung zu erweitern oder einfach nur, um mehr über die Vielfalt Schottlands zu erfahren. • Schön gestaltet: Die Aufmachung des Buches ist hochwertig, mit ansprechenden Fotos und einer klaren Struktur, die das Lesen und Nachschlagen erleichtert. Fazit: “Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland’s Whiskies” ist nicht nur ein Informationsbuch, es ist eine Inspirationsquelle und ein echter Genuss für jeden Whisky-Enthusiasten. Ob als Geschenk oder für die eigene Bibliothek, dieses Buch ist eine Bereicherung für alle, die sich für die Kunst und die Kultur des schottischen Whiskys interessieren.