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Great Whiskeys
The ideal drinking companion for any whiskey lover-generous, knowledgeable, and willing to go anywhere, Great Whiskeys covers every whiskey style, from single malt, blended, and grain, to bourbon, rye, and more. Covering 22 countries of heritage and innovative brands, enthusiasts and converts alike will not find a more comprehensive, accessible, and travel-friendly resource.
- GenresCookbooksNonfiction
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Charles MacLean
41 books14 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 18, 2021
This is a perfect handbook when it comes to whiskies. Now the book does a great job in covering most of the countries. The whiskies range from USA to Scotland to India to Japan. There isnt much about the taste and other aspects of liquor. The more focus is on the historical data and also about the sales and other aspects. It does a great job in being a reference book.
August 29, 2014
This is a nice, small reference book with a focus on showcasing the breadth of international whiskey, including bottles from around the world: India, Japan, Canada, America, France, Denmark and elsewhere.
The Scottish selection does highlight the major manufacturers of single malts, including a number of releases from the Flora and Fauna series, but there is a significant focus on blended Scotch.
As you'd expect from a Dorling-Kindersley production, the photography is prominent and excellent - nice full clear shots of the bottles, in full colour, taking up half the page of detail. My edition was printed in 2011, so some photos are a bit behind the times (e.g. Kilchoman), but not too out of date yet.
The librarian in me appreciated the orderly A to Z organization of the book, and also it's marvelous rear indexes that list the whiskeys A-Z by Type (blends, bourbons, corn, rye, single malt, pot still), and A-Z by Country (as mentioned, the global focus includes some lesser-known locales like Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, and New Zealand). I also really liked the small regional maps suggesting "Whiskey Tours" for Islay, Speyside, Ireland, Japan, and Kentucky. For a travel junkie like myself, these 3-4 day getaways had me looking longingly at my vacation calendar.
Descriptions are focused on the history of the company's founding, sales, closings and acquisitions; what blends the malts are part of and vice versa; notes on productions, water source, casking and distribution. This is followed by a brief paragraph of 20-50 words offering tasting notes for the brand.
If you are looking for strong opinions about what is "good" or "bad", you won't find them here. These are textbook tasting notes, not unlike what you'd find on the bottles themselves, telling tame stories of smoke, vanilla, fruit, and peat. The bolder, more forthright opinions you'd find in review magazines, or the '1001 To Taste Before You Die' series (like "tastes like Chinese food cartons") are notably absent.
If you want the subjective likes and dislikes of a professional taster, move on. This book is more history and geography lesson than olfactory or gustatory education.
The Scottish selection does highlight the major manufacturers of single malts, including a number of releases from the Flora and Fauna series, but there is a significant focus on blended Scotch.
As you'd expect from a Dorling-Kindersley production, the photography is prominent and excellent - nice full clear shots of the bottles, in full colour, taking up half the page of detail. My edition was printed in 2011, so some photos are a bit behind the times (e.g. Kilchoman), but not too out of date yet.
The librarian in me appreciated the orderly A to Z organization of the book, and also it's marvelous rear indexes that list the whiskeys A-Z by Type (blends, bourbons, corn, rye, single malt, pot still), and A-Z by Country (as mentioned, the global focus includes some lesser-known locales like Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, and New Zealand). I also really liked the small regional maps suggesting "Whiskey Tours" for Islay, Speyside, Ireland, Japan, and Kentucky. For a travel junkie like myself, these 3-4 day getaways had me looking longingly at my vacation calendar.
Descriptions are focused on the history of the company's founding, sales, closings and acquisitions; what blends the malts are part of and vice versa; notes on productions, water source, casking and distribution. This is followed by a brief paragraph of 20-50 words offering tasting notes for the brand.
If you are looking for strong opinions about what is "good" or "bad", you won't find them here. These are textbook tasting notes, not unlike what you'd find on the bottles themselves, telling tame stories of smoke, vanilla, fruit, and peat. The bolder, more forthright opinions you'd find in review magazines, or the '1001 To Taste Before You Die' series (like "tastes like Chinese food cartons") are notably absent.
If you want the subjective likes and dislikes of a professional taster, move on. This book is more history and geography lesson than olfactory or gustatory education.
September 9, 2019
Nav jau tā, ka es šo izlasīju no vāka līdz vākam. Apskatīju visu un izlasīju tikai atsevišķas sevi vairāk interesējošas lapas. Redzētais un izlasītais mani apmierināja.
Kopumā - nedomājiet, ka šie ir "izcilākie" viskiji, ar ko būtu domātas to īpašās garšas kvalitātes. Te, laikam jau nolūkā sasniegt lielāku auditoriju, apkopoti ne tikai populārākie (ko būs dzēris vai katrs viskija cienītājs vai kaut tikai rets degustētājs), bet arī vienkārši interesantākie, pie kuriem tā arī godīgi pierakstīts, ka nekādu garšas baudījumu šeit variet negaidīt. Līdz ar to ar "izcilākie" ir jāsaprot: populārākie, īpatnējākie un savdabīgākie retumis garšas, bet visbiežāk vizuālā noformējuma dēļ.
Viskiji izkārtoti alfabēta secībā, bet aizmugurē ir patīkams šķirklis izmantošanai gan pēc ražotājvalstīm, gan viskiju tipiem. Sniegtas arī pāris ekskursiju pa viskiju ražotnēm idejas.
Nu jādodas izmēģināt kaut ko no Japānas! :)
Kopumā - nedomājiet, ka šie ir "izcilākie" viskiji, ar ko būtu domātas to īpašās garšas kvalitātes. Te, laikam jau nolūkā sasniegt lielāku auditoriju, apkopoti ne tikai populārākie (ko būs dzēris vai katrs viskija cienītājs vai kaut tikai rets degustētājs), bet arī vienkārši interesantākie, pie kuriem tā arī godīgi pierakstīts, ka nekādu garšas baudījumu šeit variet negaidīt. Līdz ar to ar "izcilākie" ir jāsaprot: populārākie, īpatnējākie un savdabīgākie retumis garšas, bet visbiežāk vizuālā noformējuma dēļ.
Viskiji izkārtoti alfabēta secībā, bet aizmugurē ir patīkams šķirklis izmantošanai gan pēc ražotājvalstīm, gan viskiju tipiem. Sniegtas arī pāris ekskursiju pa viskiju ražotnēm idejas.
Nu jādodas izmēģināt kaut ko no Japānas! :)
March 25, 2014
Crisp photographs of the bottles, simple yet thorough discussions, and a great variety make this a wonderful handbook.
September 25, 2025
관심있던 분야라 재미있게 읽었다.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews