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Whiskey and Philosophy: A Small Batch of Spirited Ideas
Thoughtful essays on the history, significance, and pleasures of whiskey Everyone becomes a philosopher with a drink in hand, but Whiskey & Philosophy takes this natural pairing to a new level. It explores a range of philosophical topics related to whiskey through engaging reflections written by philosophers, whiskey writers, and others. You will learn things that are both practical (how do tasting notes vary across guides and whiskey brands?) and thought provoking (why is there the popular conception that drinking whiskey makes people mean, and is it true?). Whether your interest lies in the drink itself or in the philosophical issues surrounding it, you'll find something to interest you in this unusual book.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 16, 2020
Sloppy, lazy, and way too focused on what is the "best whisk(e)y". Also, a decade later it's WAY out of date.
Whiskey and Philosophy is a collection of essays written by various authors, all with the supposed premise of connecting the enjoyment of whiskey with various philosophical ways of thinking. The book is about 90% whiskey, 10% philosophy and most of the time the philosophy seems to be thrown in as an after thought. I don't think any of the essayist were chosen for their knowledge of philosophy and so the connections are often slap dash and a waste of ink. Sometimes there's no philosophy at all, and sometimes (like in the eye-rollingly unnecessary article on whether or not drinking whiskey makes you "mean" [all based around the Clint Eastwood movie "Unforgiven", a fictious tale]) it's psychological and not philosophical at all.
The book mainly focuses on single malt scotch, namely the peaty Isaly whiskies, and a little bit of bourbon too. We get a section on Japanese whisky toward the end of the book but a lot of that is how it has been shaped by Scottish practices. Some of the essays are just awful. The worst for me was the one about women and whiskey. I was actually looking forward to that section. Would it be about Bessie Williamson, one of the few modern female distillery managers? Or maybe whiskey sommelier Heather Greene who wrote a wonderful book for whiskey newbies called Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life? No, no I'll bet it's about the Penderyn Distillery in Wales which has an all-female distilling team? WRONG! It's a terrible essay that basically says for women to compete in a men's world of business they need to have more manly-attributes and a glass of whiskey in the hand becomes a symbolic dick in your pants. Are kidding me? Get the f@%* outta here! The reader also gets an essay about how a person who enjoyed a bottle of The Glenlivet mixed with a great portion of cola lacks whisky "virtue" (virtue by Aristotle's definition, not in the Judeo-Christian sense). Get the hell out of here, you self-righteous a-hole and let people enjoy themselves. Just because you (and I) wouldn't do that to a single malt, doesn't mean your superior, it just means your an elitist. Another boring essay is a tale of whether or not one chooses to over imbibe so as to enjoy the whisky now, though it may lead to a painful hang over in the morning. That essay gets draped in some half-assed Buddhist "middle path" and how the "self" of the now, is not the same "self" that will awake with a splitting headache in the morning. Why not drink it all and go for a drive then? After all it won't be "you" that wakes up the next morning in the hospital, jail, or some place even worse the next morning. What a waste of ink, waste of paper, and waste of my time.
The book is lazy because it can't even take the time to be current for it's date of publishing. In the book, though in different essays, we read that there are both 5 regions of scotch (Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown) and in a later essay 6 regions (add The Islands). The same is true with the number of distilleries on Islay as different essays are both pre- and post-Kilchoman.
The book was published in 2009, right about the time I was just beginning to get into single malt scotches after being raised on my grandfather's Wild Turkey. The essays were obviously compiled before that as there are (deservedly) many mentions of reknowned whisky writer Michael Jackson. Jackson died in 2007 and I don't really recall him mentioned as "the late" in the book. Doesn't stop one essayist from writing a section on comparing the tasting notes/whisky scores of Jackson and Jim Murray (of the annual "Whisky Bible"). These tasting notes are now a decade plus years old and are no longer current other than perhaps to get a glimpse of a distilleries style but comparing with any bottles currently on shelves? You're wasting your time. If you want tasting notes, get online as I do tend to agree more with Ian Buxton (who does contribute an essay to this book, without all the time wasted talking about his favorite pens thank God) that by the time a book is published the tasting notes are already out of date. Luckily, there's not a lot of tasting notes in this book, and the fact that they're out of date by a decade is not the fault of the authors.
Is this book a total waste? Thankfully, no. Again, the section of Japanese whisky was enjoyable. Another by a bourbon distiller talking about how the "best whiskey" is whatever you find on shelves currently, as all the poor stuff goes away due to lack of interest/sales. The most enjoyable essay is one of a man who has a nearly religious experience when he, his wife, and young daughter go for a tour of the Speyside region, and after meeting a very wlecoming father and son in a hotel bar, is given direction to another great whisky bar, which inturn leads him up to where the rivers Spey and Fiddich meet. That's the best essay in the book, that's got the kind of stuff I want to read about - a person passionate about whisky, the generousity and hospitality of strangers, and a sense of awe about how grain, water, wood, and time create a flavorful and memorable whisky.
Whiskey and Philosophy is a collection of essays written by various authors, all with the supposed premise of connecting the enjoyment of whiskey with various philosophical ways of thinking. The book is about 90% whiskey, 10% philosophy and most of the time the philosophy seems to be thrown in as an after thought. I don't think any of the essayist were chosen for their knowledge of philosophy and so the connections are often slap dash and a waste of ink. Sometimes there's no philosophy at all, and sometimes (like in the eye-rollingly unnecessary article on whether or not drinking whiskey makes you "mean" [all based around the Clint Eastwood movie "Unforgiven", a fictious tale]) it's psychological and not philosophical at all.
The book mainly focuses on single malt scotch, namely the peaty Isaly whiskies, and a little bit of bourbon too. We get a section on Japanese whisky toward the end of the book but a lot of that is how it has been shaped by Scottish practices. Some of the essays are just awful. The worst for me was the one about women and whiskey. I was actually looking forward to that section. Would it be about Bessie Williamson, one of the few modern female distillery managers? Or maybe whiskey sommelier Heather Greene who wrote a wonderful book for whiskey newbies called Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life? No, no I'll bet it's about the Penderyn Distillery in Wales which has an all-female distilling team? WRONG! It's a terrible essay that basically says for women to compete in a men's world of business they need to have more manly-attributes and a glass of whiskey in the hand becomes a symbolic dick in your pants. Are kidding me? Get the f@%* outta here! The reader also gets an essay about how a person who enjoyed a bottle of The Glenlivet mixed with a great portion of cola lacks whisky "virtue" (virtue by Aristotle's definition, not in the Judeo-Christian sense). Get the hell out of here, you self-righteous a-hole and let people enjoy themselves. Just because you (and I) wouldn't do that to a single malt, doesn't mean your superior, it just means your an elitist. Another boring essay is a tale of whether or not one chooses to over imbibe so as to enjoy the whisky now, though it may lead to a painful hang over in the morning. That essay gets draped in some half-assed Buddhist "middle path" and how the "self" of the now, is not the same "self" that will awake with a splitting headache in the morning. Why not drink it all and go for a drive then? After all it won't be "you" that wakes up the next morning in the hospital, jail, or some place even worse the next morning. What a waste of ink, waste of paper, and waste of my time.
The book is lazy because it can't even take the time to be current for it's date of publishing. In the book, though in different essays, we read that there are both 5 regions of scotch (Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown) and in a later essay 6 regions (add The Islands). The same is true with the number of distilleries on Islay as different essays are both pre- and post-Kilchoman.
The book was published in 2009, right about the time I was just beginning to get into single malt scotches after being raised on my grandfather's Wild Turkey. The essays were obviously compiled before that as there are (deservedly) many mentions of reknowned whisky writer Michael Jackson. Jackson died in 2007 and I don't really recall him mentioned as "the late" in the book. Doesn't stop one essayist from writing a section on comparing the tasting notes/whisky scores of Jackson and Jim Murray (of the annual "Whisky Bible"). These tasting notes are now a decade plus years old and are no longer current other than perhaps to get a glimpse of a distilleries style but comparing with any bottles currently on shelves? You're wasting your time. If you want tasting notes, get online as I do tend to agree more with Ian Buxton (who does contribute an essay to this book, without all the time wasted talking about his favorite pens thank God) that by the time a book is published the tasting notes are already out of date. Luckily, there's not a lot of tasting notes in this book, and the fact that they're out of date by a decade is not the fault of the authors.
Is this book a total waste? Thankfully, no. Again, the section of Japanese whisky was enjoyable. Another by a bourbon distiller talking about how the "best whiskey" is whatever you find on shelves currently, as all the poor stuff goes away due to lack of interest/sales. The most enjoyable essay is one of a man who has a nearly religious experience when he, his wife, and young daughter go for a tour of the Speyside region, and after meeting a very wlecoming father and son in a hotel bar, is given direction to another great whisky bar, which inturn leads him up to where the rivers Spey and Fiddich meet. That's the best essay in the book, that's got the kind of stuff I want to read about - a person passionate about whisky, the generousity and hospitality of strangers, and a sense of awe about how grain, water, wood, and time create a flavorful and memorable whisky.
March 17, 2022
A page turner in small sips. An assembly of essays. Like the topic (whiskey), I enjoyed most of them; others were a little harder to swallow.
December 20, 2009
At the outset, this book captures one's interest. In the opening pages, we learn that even the spelling of the subject matter of this book is an issue (At one point, the editors note that they had tho0ught of calling the book "Whisk(e)y & Philosophy" to account for that; they were talked out of doing this, though). First, let me confess. I am not much of a whisky drinker. I once wrote a review in a DK volume on the subject, and--out of curiosity--ended up investing in a bottle of Glenfiddich. To my surprise, I really enjoyed a sip here and there (however, the one small bottle lasted several months). Thus, I was curious about this volume when I saw it advertised.
This book is, in short, a lot of fun! It takes the subject seriously but also has fun with it. In the Foreword, the editors note what is at stake in this book (Page ix): "[Whiskey:] is far more than liquor in a bottle: it embodies tradition and high craft, social history and topography, poetry and song. In other words, it comes with a pedigree. . . ." This book focuses on the various aspects of whiskey. Part I explores the history and culture of whiskey; Part II considers the beauty and experience of whiskey; Part III examines, believe it or not, the metaphysics and epistemology of whiskey; Part IV looks at ethics and whiskey. The final part reverts to the other spelling, "Whisky: A Sense of Place."
The book is an edited volume with a score or so of authors of individual chapters. Let's take a look at some of these to get a sense of the contents and approach. The very first chapter in Part I is a nice history of Scotch Whisky. It asks whether Scotch whisky is an agricultural or industrial product, leading to an interesting analysis. It speaks of the role of casks, how to achieve consistency, and the role of the conglomerate in production and marketing. The very next chapter examines what to me seemed like an exotic issue--the terms provenance and authenticity with Scotch. However, the discussion is engaging and adds to one's understanding of the culture of whisky. The second part of the book concludes with another engaging piece, entitled "Where the Fiddich Meets the Spey: My Religious Experience." The metaphysics and epistemology of Whiskey? Dalton’s chapter, "Heisenberg’s Spirits: Tasting Is More Uncertain Than It Seems" digs into the question (Page 196): "Are some whiskeys better than others?" His answer turns on the next phrase, in which he invokes Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle (from physics) (Page 196): "I will show in the following sections that the question encompasses not just the whiskey but also the person tasting it. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and how it relates to the taster/tasted system will be discussed." Again, much fun!
In the final section, there is a chapter on Japanese whiskey. What delights me about this is the use of postmodern theorist Jean Baudrillard, to consider the evolution of Japanese whiskey. The simple fact that Baudrillard is used fascinates; the application of his concept of simulacra/simulations is enchanting!
All in all, a fun book. If interested in the many perspectives on whiskey, this is worth a read.
This book is, in short, a lot of fun! It takes the subject seriously but also has fun with it. In the Foreword, the editors note what is at stake in this book (Page ix): "[Whiskey:] is far more than liquor in a bottle: it embodies tradition and high craft, social history and topography, poetry and song. In other words, it comes with a pedigree. . . ." This book focuses on the various aspects of whiskey. Part I explores the history and culture of whiskey; Part II considers the beauty and experience of whiskey; Part III examines, believe it or not, the metaphysics and epistemology of whiskey; Part IV looks at ethics and whiskey. The final part reverts to the other spelling, "Whisky: A Sense of Place."
The book is an edited volume with a score or so of authors of individual chapters. Let's take a look at some of these to get a sense of the contents and approach. The very first chapter in Part I is a nice history of Scotch Whisky. It asks whether Scotch whisky is an agricultural or industrial product, leading to an interesting analysis. It speaks of the role of casks, how to achieve consistency, and the role of the conglomerate in production and marketing. The very next chapter examines what to me seemed like an exotic issue--the terms provenance and authenticity with Scotch. However, the discussion is engaging and adds to one's understanding of the culture of whisky. The second part of the book concludes with another engaging piece, entitled "Where the Fiddich Meets the Spey: My Religious Experience." The metaphysics and epistemology of Whiskey? Dalton’s chapter, "Heisenberg’s Spirits: Tasting Is More Uncertain Than It Seems" digs into the question (Page 196): "Are some whiskeys better than others?" His answer turns on the next phrase, in which he invokes Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle (from physics) (Page 196): "I will show in the following sections that the question encompasses not just the whiskey but also the person tasting it. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and how it relates to the taster/tasted system will be discussed." Again, much fun!
In the final section, there is a chapter on Japanese whiskey. What delights me about this is the use of postmodern theorist Jean Baudrillard, to consider the evolution of Japanese whiskey. The simple fact that Baudrillard is used fascinates; the application of his concept of simulacra/simulations is enchanting!
All in all, a fun book. If interested in the many perspectives on whiskey, this is worth a read.
October 4, 2014
I took my time reading this as it is a collection of mostly fabulous stories. It is hard to provide a single rating, so my 4 star is really an average. There were definite 5 star stories and a few 3 star, but overall I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to those with an interest to expand their knowledge of scotch history, culture, business and how to appreciate it more.
February 16, 2013
Essay collection about whiskey. At times interesting, dry, whimsical or pedantic. More than just what makes good whiskey. A set of different of perspectives for sure.
Read
January 22, 2018Interesting musings on the world of whiskey (with an E) but some chapters felt a little too high brow and that it was a sin to add mixers of any kind to whiskey.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews