Fresh from our recent trip to Roseisle and Europe (more of this over the coming weeks) we have a couple of interesting new tomes that have come to our attention and clearly deserve some of yours too!
First up is another gem from our friend and whisky writer extraordinaire, Ian Buxton, author of several beautiful books, which we reviewed on caskstrength recently.
Ian's latest endeavours have been to practically catalogue the un-catalogue-able; the 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die. An ominous prospect at best and a nightmare at worst. How on earth does one decide what would make the shortlist and what to leave out?? On one slightly drunken evening, we started to compile our list of Desert Island Drams, but ended up arguing over which Glenrothes should replace a certain Laphroaig... and so on..and so on...
What Ian has done is to take the simple approach and cut through the layers of marketing hype and flannel, which surround so many whiskies today. He includes bottlings from all over the world, including Scotland, Japan, America, as well as crackers from Sweden, India and Ireland. It is a detailed, yet superbly laid out, easy to understand guidebook to the huge range of flavour and aromas in whisky, which can be a turn off for those not really knowing where to start.
We found ourselves making a little check list of everything we'd tried, but were left positively salivating at the prospect of trying all the others we'd yet to discover.
In short, this book would make an excellent stocking filler for any whisky lover, especially those who are beginning their perilous (yet boozy) journey on the lengthy path to whisky Valhalla. May the drams be with you....always.
Ian has kindly given Caskstrength readers an opportunity to buy copies of '101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die' at the exclusive price of £10.99 (RRP £12.99), which includes free postage and packing (UK Only) Contact:
mailorder@bookpoint.co.uk and quote CASKSTRENGTH... it's as simple as that.
mailorder@bookpoint.co.uk and quote CASKSTRENGTH... it's as simple as that.
Next up and another of big, thick slice of world whisky information, from a man who needs little introduction; Mr Dave Broom, owner of fine tweeds, facial hair and, more importantly, a spectacular wealth of knowledge on the finest whiskies known to humanity...and beyond.
Dave has already penned many classics in the world of dark spirits, including tomes on Rum, as well as numerous guides on whisky, including his latest- The World Atlas Of WHISKY...and it's an absolute monster!!
This beautifully put together book is a complete guide to whisky distillation across the globe and includes fascinating insights into over 200 distilleries, as well as 300 different expressions of whisky. Quite how he has found the time to pack as much research into this book is beyond us, but he succeeds and triumphantly moves whisky writing forward to another level, with a wealth of information coming across like a conversation with an old friend. It is worth the RRP of £30, just for his insightful views on Japanese and American whiskies.
To sum up then...absolutely essential reading for those who know their whiskies, but want to become immersed in the spirit even further.
COMPETITION TIME!!
We have ONE copy of Dave Broom's amazing 'World Atlas of WHISKY' to give away to our readers. To enter, please answer the following (simple) question!
How many distilleries are currently in operation on the island of Islay?:
A: 5
B: 7
C: 8
No cheating by using wikipedia either... ;-)
email us at: info@caskstrength.net with your name, age and correct answer and we'll randomly draw one lucky winner from the pot. Competition closes at midnight on the 1st November 2010. Good Luck!
**Dave will also be doing an insightful talk and whisky tasting to promote the release of the book at the Hotel Du Vin in Brighton on the 3rd November. For tickets (£6) contact City Books in Hove on: 01273 725306**
