Whiskey
The Definitive World Guide to Scotch, Whiskey & Bourbon
DK Publishing
288 pages, $40.00Reviewed by Jack Curtin
CELEBRATOR BEER NEWS
Oct/Nov 2005Can you sue the author or a publisher if a book turns out to injurious to your health? It's just a rhetorical question, but were I wealthier man (i.e., in a position to go out and purchase what I wanted at the moment), there's a good possibility I, or my estate, might want to look into legal action against the esteemed and apparently ageless Michael Jackson or, more likely, DK Publishing (deeper pockets and all that, plus I enjoy having a beer with Michael now and then). Putting it simply, there were times while perusing this amazing volume when I would happily have leapt to my feet and dashed off to toss money at purveyors of fine spirits if they were able to immediately provide me with bottles or, hell, even a snifter or two, of, oh I dunno, MacCallan 18-Year Old Scotch or Van Winkle Special Bourbon Reserve or Old Potrero Single Malt Rye or Pure Pot Still Redbreast Irish…
Okay, I happen to have the last one of those on hand and am happily sipping a wee dram as I write this, but you get the idea. Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide is the delightful sort of book which incites the appetite as the pages turn. I assume readers here are familiar with Jackson's 1988 Ultimate Beer? Whiskey, from the same publisher, is very similar in look and style, albeit of slightly smaller dimensions, a learned compendium of authoritative information on distilleries from around the globe winding through page after page of world-class photography. There are maps, contact information, tasting notes-especially tasting notes, in the inimitable Jackson style-and just about everything anyone from the novice whiskey fancier to full-blown enthusiast could hope for.
This is not a book to be devoured whole, of course, but rather, like the nectars whose praises it sings, one best appreciated in smaller portions. Taken all at once, Whiskey would likely be overwhelming. Too much information, as they say. Better to devote time as the opportunity arises to reading about one or more great distilleries, or perhaps to exploring the historic peat bogs from which Scotch gains much of its mystery and complexity. Few readers, I suspect, will not be entranced as they encounter essays on o the recently rediscovered magic of the Irish Pot Still or the striking and currently trendy single malts of Japan, or merely learn of the existence of the relatively unknown Slyrs, a Bavarian malt whiskey first released in 2002. Jackson's essay, "How to Nose and Taste," which appears at the close of the invaluable opening sections (about which, more momentarily), is an easily comprehended, detailed description of how to enjoy fine whiskey in its every nuance with all five senses, including advice on how to set up a whiskey tasting for friends where, were you that sort of person, you might choose to showcase your newly found wisdom on the subject.
Aside from the cited author, there are nine additional contributors to Whiskey and their work primarily appears alongside Michael's in two opening sections entitled "Understand Whiskey" and "Aromas and Flavors," comprising roughly one-third of the entire volume. British freelancer Ian Wisniewski contributes essays on the influences of climate, weather, water, heather, barley and seaweed in whiskey-making, as well as lengthier pieces on malting; Whiskey Magazine's Richard Jones explains how the character and flavor of whiskey start in the ground in an essay on geology, and international spirits consultant Jurgen Deibel writes about mashing and cooking, yeast and fermentation and both pot stills and column stills, plus provides a detailed description of a traditional Scottish distillery. Wisniewski and Deibel also combine on a piece about blending and vatting whiskies. Combined with Jackson's own essays on the influence of wood, these essays offer an impressive and broad education in how fine whiskies come to be.
Further guest contributions throughout the book include German writer Jefferson Chase on whiskey in literature; Whiskey Magazine contributing editor David Bloom's "The Story of Scotch;" Scotland's Stuart Ramsey with introductions to sections on American and Canadian whiskies; New Zealand's Willie Simpson on the beers of Asia and Australia; well-known U.S. mixologist Dale DeGroff on whiskey cocktails and France's Martine Nouet on serving whiskey with meals and cooking with whiskey.
I tend to cringe when publishers label something the "definitive" book on a topic, but it's hard to argue with them in this instance. Whiskey is surely a must addition to the bookshelf of every serious devotee of fine spirits.
Copyright (c) 2005 Jack Curtin