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Everything You Need to Know About Whisky:
Demystify the world of whisky. Whisky experts Nick Morgan and The Whisky Exchange open the lid on the whisky industry, revealing what makes one of the world's simplest spirits just so popular.
Everything You Need to Know About Whisky will answer all of your burning questions; from what makes the perfect scotch and how to drink it like a pro to an exploration of distilleries around the world and their fascinating (often scandalous) histories. This indispensable guide is filled with insider tips on finding your new favorite bottle and brewing up the very best whisky based cocktails - essential reading for all whisky fans, novices and experts alike.
Everything You Need to Know About Whisky will answer all of your burning questions; from what makes the perfect scotch and how to drink it like a pro to an exploration of distilleries around the world and their fascinating (often scandalous) histories. This indispensable guide is filled with insider tips on finding your new favorite bottle and brewing up the very best whisky based cocktails - essential reading for all whisky fans, novices and experts alike.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published December 16, 2021
15 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 18, 2021
Touches on New Topics in Whisky: Whisky Experts, Collectors, Famous People, and its Treatment in Popular Culture
I found out about this book when I attended the London Whisky Show in 2021, as the author was signing copies and had also recently penned the history of Johnnie Walker. It's a very approachable and refreshingly honest look at whisky, including its origins, production methods, flavors, and how the business has developed over time. What's new for a whisky book is that it also discusses the role and importance of self-styled whisky experts, enthusiasts, YouTube bloggers, and the rapidly-growing numbers of collectors, investors, and serious enthusiasts, and the whisky culture that has grown around whisky clubs, industry shows, and so forth. The book also features quite honest portraits of some of the major personalities in the industry, both master distillers/blenders, along with brand ambassadors and famous shop owners etc. If you are a fan of whisky its community of enthusiasts, this is a good one to read.
I found out about this book when I attended the London Whisky Show in 2021, as the author was signing copies and had also recently penned the history of Johnnie Walker. It's a very approachable and refreshingly honest look at whisky, including its origins, production methods, flavors, and how the business has developed over time. What's new for a whisky book is that it also discusses the role and importance of self-styled whisky experts, enthusiasts, YouTube bloggers, and the rapidly-growing numbers of collectors, investors, and serious enthusiasts, and the whisky culture that has grown around whisky clubs, industry shows, and so forth. The book also features quite honest portraits of some of the major personalities in the industry, both master distillers/blenders, along with brand ambassadors and famous shop owners etc. If you are a fan of whisky its community of enthusiasts, this is a good one to read.
February 10, 2022
This is a beautiful book. Lavishly produced, with glossy paper, colourful illustrations, a cheerful, modern tone throughout. It's one of those books that just jump off the shelf. It's got the right size to hold in one's hand, and has one of those velvety covers that posh hardbacks have, the ones that are impossible to keep pristine, and which absorb dust, grit, and the grease of one's fingers indelibly, no matter how clean.
The purported goal of the book is to 'demistify' the whisky industry by dispelling myths and presenting things "as they truly are". However, the tone that is clearly intended as down-to-earth, comes across as quite full of itself. Areas of controversy in the field of whisky are hand-waved away with pedantic, self-appointed authority, complete with conclusions drawn and scorn discreetly piled on those who hold opposing views. Some "facts", particularly in the section on whisky-making, are written so carelessly so as to actually obfuscate the subject.
The author meanders, weaving back and forth in history to point out characters, tidbits about marketing and production, juicy anecdotes, and opinions about the industry, then segueing back to the "list of consultants", all of whom must be mentioned by name every time (and who presumably are all known intimately to the author). Unassuming, desultory flattery is painstakingly delivered with every reference. Mysteriously, the opinions of the person who sponsored the writing of the book (and whose brand appears prominently on the cover) are always present in these passages. This comes across as disingenuous, and quite frankly, off-putting. I would've preferred them to just spell out clearly whose opinions were being showcased in the book, instead of all this mucking around.
My biggest gripe with this book is that, whereas the tone certainly strikes a co-conspiratorial, let-me-tell-you-how-things-are note, the godawful, obvious lack of editing severely undermines it. The run-on sentence is this author's preferred milieu, with inconsistent and haphazard use of the only two punctuation marks they seem to know -- the semi-colon and the comma -- frequently in places that would have been better served by brackets or a paragraph break. This, and turns of phrase that seem like acrobatic pirouettes, make for confusing reading. At times this book reads like the author is quite literally falling over themselves trying to show how much they know about the subject under discussion. Sometimes the density of information crammed into one sentence was such that I had to re-read the preceding half a page to try to understand who or what the writer was talking about.
Overall, the book isn't terrible -- there are a lot of salvageable bits in here, including the list of other books on whisky quoted in the text -- and in its best sections really comes alive with the quirkiness of its descriptions, anecdotes, and "industry insider" morsels. However, the presentation is mediocre at best, and the constant see-sawing between the "third-person authority" and "chatty friend with inside knowledge" voices is jarring. It is 'unique' amongst books on the subject of whisky in that it casts a wide net, wider than I've ever seen. It aims to present a multi-dimensional picture of whisky spanning history, industry, marketing, collecting, drinking, and more, but it bites out too much and clearly has half-chewed, undigested bits in the final mix. The amount of detail about the breadth of subjects it touches on is breath-taking. It also leaves quite a bit unsaid that would make for a more balanced presentation. It's a bunch of opinions and personal conclusions, presented with authority as fact. Whether or not that accomplishes the "demystification" goal is a matter for each reader to decide. Personally, what this book did was make me want to read more books, to be able to grasp the contents of this book, and see how much I agree with its conclusions... or not.
In the last page, what I'm sure was intended as a tribute to the late and great whisky author Michael Jackson -- like the finish of an immature whisky -- ends abruptly and leaves the reader wondering if there should have been more. It's a quirky, idiosyncratic book, not without merit but certainly needing context, if one is to make the most of it.
The purported goal of the book is to 'demistify' the whisky industry by dispelling myths and presenting things "as they truly are". However, the tone that is clearly intended as down-to-earth, comes across as quite full of itself. Areas of controversy in the field of whisky are hand-waved away with pedantic, self-appointed authority, complete with conclusions drawn and scorn discreetly piled on those who hold opposing views. Some "facts", particularly in the section on whisky-making, are written so carelessly so as to actually obfuscate the subject.
The author meanders, weaving back and forth in history to point out characters, tidbits about marketing and production, juicy anecdotes, and opinions about the industry, then segueing back to the "list of consultants", all of whom must be mentioned by name every time (and who presumably are all known intimately to the author). Unassuming, desultory flattery is painstakingly delivered with every reference. Mysteriously, the opinions of the person who sponsored the writing of the book (and whose brand appears prominently on the cover) are always present in these passages. This comes across as disingenuous, and quite frankly, off-putting. I would've preferred them to just spell out clearly whose opinions were being showcased in the book, instead of all this mucking around.
My biggest gripe with this book is that, whereas the tone certainly strikes a co-conspiratorial, let-me-tell-you-how-things-are note, the godawful, obvious lack of editing severely undermines it. The run-on sentence is this author's preferred milieu, with inconsistent and haphazard use of the only two punctuation marks they seem to know -- the semi-colon and the comma -- frequently in places that would have been better served by brackets or a paragraph break. This, and turns of phrase that seem like acrobatic pirouettes, make for confusing reading. At times this book reads like the author is quite literally falling over themselves trying to show how much they know about the subject under discussion. Sometimes the density of information crammed into one sentence was such that I had to re-read the preceding half a page to try to understand who or what the writer was talking about.
Overall, the book isn't terrible -- there are a lot of salvageable bits in here, including the list of other books on whisky quoted in the text -- and in its best sections really comes alive with the quirkiness of its descriptions, anecdotes, and "industry insider" morsels. However, the presentation is mediocre at best, and the constant see-sawing between the "third-person authority" and "chatty friend with inside knowledge" voices is jarring. It is 'unique' amongst books on the subject of whisky in that it casts a wide net, wider than I've ever seen. It aims to present a multi-dimensional picture of whisky spanning history, industry, marketing, collecting, drinking, and more, but it bites out too much and clearly has half-chewed, undigested bits in the final mix. The amount of detail about the breadth of subjects it touches on is breath-taking. It also leaves quite a bit unsaid that would make for a more balanced presentation. It's a bunch of opinions and personal conclusions, presented with authority as fact. Whether or not that accomplishes the "demystification" goal is a matter for each reader to decide. Personally, what this book did was make me want to read more books, to be able to grasp the contents of this book, and see how much I agree with its conclusions... or not.
In the last page, what I'm sure was intended as a tribute to the late and great whisky author Michael Jackson -- like the finish of an immature whisky -- ends abruptly and leaves the reader wondering if there should have been more. It's a quirky, idiosyncratic book, not without merit but certainly needing context, if one is to make the most of it.
November 4, 2024
Oh boy. Okay, I had high hopes for this book. The design is awesome, and the hard cover just feels lovely to the touch. Unfortunately, the writing left a lot to be desired for me. The title SHOULD be "You'll know less about whiskey than when you started, and you'll be too afraid to ask."
I can see this book was a labor of love by some great whiskey experts. If I had been their editor, I'd have reminded them that their expertise will not translate for the people picking up this book, based on its title. It was like having a brilliant genius professor who just doesn't know how to explain things simply to the regular people in his class.
It felt like reading a textbook with my previously undiagnosed ADHD. There were so many run-on sentences that were very confusing. I was reading the words, but none of the comprehension was there. There were names and brands and terms that were said with an "and of course you know..." attitude. This book is chock full of good information, but I'm just not sure what it was or if it was the right information at all. I'm afraid to ask things like "wait what's the whiskey making process again, in kindergarten terms? I forget again." This was not the book for that. Perhaps a much smarter whiskey lover would like this book.
I can see this book was a labor of love by some great whiskey experts. If I had been their editor, I'd have reminded them that their expertise will not translate for the people picking up this book, based on its title. It was like having a brilliant genius professor who just doesn't know how to explain things simply to the regular people in his class.
It felt like reading a textbook with my previously undiagnosed ADHD. There were so many run-on sentences that were very confusing. I was reading the words, but none of the comprehension was there. There were names and brands and terms that were said with an "and of course you know..." attitude. This book is chock full of good information, but I'm just not sure what it was or if it was the right information at all. I'm afraid to ask things like "wait what's the whiskey making process again, in kindergarten terms? I forget again." This was not the book for that. Perhaps a much smarter whiskey lover would like this book.
December 13, 2022
This is my first whisky book and I think it is ok for that purpose. There is too many names and too many dates to remember for begginer. It gives you the overview of the whole proces. It mentions The Wkisky Exchange several time as important part of the industry, but they are responsible for that book.
December 3, 2022
Quite a bit of info, but lacking where I found it interesting and uninteresting where it went deeper. It's not really a beginner's whisky book, but neither is it one for the already initiated. It has redeeming parts.
September 25, 2022
Focused on Scotch primarily, a good overview of the current state of global whisky, with fun anecdotes.
September 18, 2023
Interesting but far from the promise in the title...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews