Malt Whisky File

Rating:
Summary: the definitive guide to single malts
Review: I actually purchased this book in a sweater shop in Fort William. It was the one book that the distillery blenders and everday whisky fans continuously recommended. I started to take notes in the margins each time I tried a new single malt. The descriptions are brief, but the coverage is rather comprehensive. The rankings for sweetness and peatiness, though I often disgaree with them, are helpful in selecting new things to try--if I like one that is a 7/3, I can look for other 7/3 rankings in the book. I always take this along with me when I head to the whisky shop. Highly recommended for anyone who is serious about single malt scotch.

Rating:
Summary: Another Enjoyable Book on Scotch Malt Whisky
Review: This is a comprehensive tasting guide to Scotch Malt Whiskies. It is well organized and reasonably detailed. I enjoy reading the authors description of the attributes of a malt whisky and then try to identify the same scents and flavors in the whisky. For this, the tasting notes are helpful. Nice photographs of many labels are included.

One approach in the book is unique. The authors attempt to draw a corralation between one whisky and another by assigning values to the peatiness and sweetness (1-10). The authors suggestion is that if you find a whisky you like, you can look up it's rating for peatiness and sweetness, find another with the same rating, say a 5 & 8, and you'll have located another whisky you'll like.

This approach failed to work for me. I found whiskies I liked didn't necessarily match in peatiness or sweetness, or even come close. And, some that matched, I didn't necessarily like. Oh, well, it was a interesting idea.

I believe that the various attributes of a whisky are difficult to capture in these two numbers. But, this shortcoming does not mean you should pass up this book. The more detailed tasting notes are enjoyable and insightful.

As for books with Scotch tasting notes, my personal favorite was written by Michael Jackson. Another great book on the subject is from Charles McLean. (Both available from Amazon.) For the serious Single Malt Whisky fan, more than one book on the subject is worth having.