Whisky Tales

by Charles MacLean

For centuries, whisky has tickled the palettes of the famous and the infamous alike, the good as well as the downright sinful. In this study, Charles MacLean pours a lifetime's passion and knowledge of Scotch whisky into an extraordinary array of anecdotes about this popular drink and those who have loved it—from Robbie Burns, Scotland's best-loved poet, to comedian Dave Allen. This is perfect weekend reading for all whisky lovers—from ghost stories, tales of illicit smuggling operations, and feuding between the Scottish whisky families to poems and literary celebrations of the world's finest spirit and Scotland's most generous gift to the world.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the goodreads data base.

Charles MacLean is a writer whose special subject is Scotch whisky, about which he has published ten books to date, including the standard work on whisky brands, Scotch Whisky and the leading book on its subject, Malt Whisky, both of which were short-listed for Glenfiddich Awards.

Whisky: A Liquid History, published by Cassell in 2003 was named Wine and Spirit Book of the Year (2005) by the James Beard Foundation of New York. MacLean’s Whisky Miscellany followed in 2004, expanded in 2006 as Whisky Tales; in 2008 he was Managing Editor of Dorling Kindersley’s Eyewitness Companion to Whisky, and in 2009 their World Whiskies.Whiskypedia was published in June 2009.

Reviews

[Michael Coats · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is actually a collection of short articles concerning the history and production of whisky/whiskey, with Scotch being a particular focus. Many of the anecdotes are charming, but do not expect truly ribald tales here. The greatest attraction is the three full-colo(u)r inserts of whisky advertisements, the oldest of which dates to 1875. There are also several lists for the connoisseur, explaining terms on the label, noting distilleries that still use worm-tubs, and presenting currently available 'finished' malts (to give just three examples). If you have questions about whisky, especially Scotch, this book is a must.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although a useful reference for whisky fans, this book doesn't seem to really have a clear purpose. It doesn't explain the absolute basics for it to be aimed at beginners, but it also doesn't go as much into details to be considered an expert source of information on the subject. It is merely a fairly (but not fully) detailed description of all aspects of whisky creation interspersed with random anecdotes, random illustrations and random colored inserts with vintage whisky ads. And while somewhat entertaining, it leaves you looking up references, definitions or supplemental information every page or two, and that could have been avoided.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect bathroom book for the Scotch whisky aficionado. A collection of (usually very) short pieces on Scotch, covering the gamut of flavors, styles, specific distilleries, advertising, personalities, and science. MacLean is justifiably one of the greats of modern whisky writing, combining a certain amount of academic rigor with a genuine passion and certain sparkle in his approach. My printing of the book has numerous color plates of vintage Scotch ads, all charmingly old-fashioned. Unfortunately my printing also includes several references to footnotes and other matter than seemed not to have made it actually into the book, but that's only an occasional annoyance.

While Whisky Tales is approachable and not technical at all, it is not a not a general overview or suitable introduction to Scotch Whisky. Rather it's an excellent stocking stuffer for the Scotch whisky enthusiast, whether long acquainted or new to the spirit.