Collection

Tasting guides & books

In this collection you will find whisky books and tasting guides, from compact pocket guides to extensive reference works on distilleries around the world. There are books to help you taste better, such as Whisky: A Tasting Course, books that classify whisky by flavour, such as Whisky Classified, and titles on specific subjects such as peat, Campbeltown and independent bottlers. So you can find a book that matches your level of knowledge, or a gift for the whisky lover who already knows a lot.

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For a first introduction, The Little Book of Whisky, Whisky In Your Pocket and Everything You Need to Know About Whisky are accessible choices. If you want breadth, Whisky Opus, The World of Whisky and Great Whiskies offer an overview of distilleries and bottles from around the world. Travelling to Scotland? Take Whisky Walks Scotland or Spirit of Place with you, and keen cooks will find dishes with whisky in The Whisky Kitchen. Cocktail books are listed separately in cocktail books.

Which whisky book is suitable for beginners?

Start with a book that explains the basics without jargon. Everything You Need to Know About Whisky and Whisky The Manual describe how whisky is made and how to enjoy it, while The Little Book of Whisky and Whisky In Your Pocket are compact enough to take with you. If you want to learn to taste actively, Whisky: A Tasting Course with 20 step-by-step tastings is a logical next step.

How can you learn to taste whisky with a book?

Choose a book with practical exercises rather than just background. Whisky: A Tasting Course by Eddie Ludlow contains 20 tastings you work through step by step at home, so you discover which styles you enjoy. Taste from a tulip-shaped glass, add a few drops of water if you like and write down your impressions; a booklet from tasting notes & notebooks helps with that.

Which book helps you choose whisky by flavour?

Whisky Classified by David Wishart groups single malts by twelve flavour characteristics, such as fruity, smoky and spicy, rather than by region. That way you can find whiskies similar to a bottle you already enjoy. The same idea lies behind the M4W Flavour Compass, which we use to group our whiskies into four styles, from Smooth & Fruity to Smoky & Powerful.

Are these whisky books in Dutch?

The books in this collection are English-language editions. Many standard works on whisky are published in English, and the technical terms you read in them, such as cask, peat and finish, also appear on labels. If you are unsure about a term, The Whisky Dictionary can help, as can the M4W Whisky Glossary on our site.

Which whisky book makes a good gift?

Match the book to the recipient. Whisky Walks Scotland suits the traveller, Whisky Opus or The World of Whisky suits someone who wants to explore the world, and Peat & Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond suits the lover of smoky whisky. Readers who already know a lot will appreciate an in-depth book such as Independent Scotch on independent bottlers or Whiskyopolis on the rise and fall of the whisky industry in Campbeltown.