As with fine wines, there is a social cachet in being able to "appreciate" a good Scotch. But how exactly do you learn this skill? This illustrated book offers the reader detailed, structured tuition on how to develop his or her palate for whisky. Readers are taken on a detailed tour of how whisky is produced, what each of its constituents and each of the stages of its manufacture bring to the final product. With this grounding, they are then introduced to the various chemical processes at work during distillation and maturation that give each whisky its distinct characteristics. Using specific popular whiskies which readers are encouraged to have to hand as they work through the book, they are taught how to recognise what it is they are tasting and smelling, and how to describe this in the language of the experts. Armed with this knowledge, readers should ultimately be able to develop their own informed impressions of the whisky they drink, rather than receive them second-hand from books.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Appreciating Whisky covers ground never before addressed by the literature of whisky ... and does so lucidly, thoroughly, idiosyncratically and with good humour. This book will join that small shelf of 'key sources' in my whisky library. It is essential reading for anyone who, in Phillip Hills' words, wishes to "climb by your own efforts from the slough of incomprehension into the dim light of understanding". Charlie Maclean, Whisky Magazine Independent-minded, witty, erudite, and on occasion, iconoclastic and downright bawdy, Hills is clearly obsessed by whisky and this makes him the ideal guide to this complex and fascinating drink. This excellent book is likely to remain the most authoritative in its field for a long time. Robin Davidson, Amazon.co.uk This book is wonderfully written ... it educates in a very thorough and pleasing manner. Everything you need to know about appreciating whisky, technically and culturally, is here. Read it and you won't need another whisky book in your life. Gordon Haggarty, The List magazine In this swashbuckling book, Pip Hills lays bare all the secrets of whisky from its chemistry to its culture. He goes straight to the heart of the matter with admirable dispatch, revealing how the communion of barley, water, peat and oak creates a spirit of unique complexity. If there was ever a Master of Whisky course, this would be the primer to have at your elbow. Derek Cooper, Food writer and broadcaster
From the Publisher
As with fine wines, there is a skill to being able to “appreciate” a good Scotch. But how does one attain the skill? Appreciating Whisky offers a complete course in developing a palate for whisky. Using specific popular whiskies that you are encouraged to have at hand as you work through the book, you will learn how to recognize what it is you are tasting and smelling and how to describe it in the language of the experts. How whisky is produced, and what each of its constituents and stages of manufacture brings to the final product are discussed in detail. You will then be introduced to the various chemical processes at work during distillation and maturation that give each whisky its distinct characteristics. Finally, you will be shown how to organize a formal tasting session. A definitive guide for the aspiring whisky buff.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Appreciating "Appreciating Whisky",
By A Customer
This review is from: Appreciating Whiskey: The Connoisseur's Guide to Nosing, Tasting and Enjoying Scotch (Hardcover)
My only complaint about most scotch whisky books is the boring and often impenetrable discussions on distilling and the chemistry of scotch. Hills makes these subjects not just accessible, but fascinating. Phillip Hills' "Appreciating Whisky" proved not only to be the most informative book on scotch I've read, but also the most fun. I've long distrusted the view that single malts don't alter chemically after exposed to air. In demystifying whisky chemistry Hills confirms that once opened, spirits should be drunk rather than left to languish in the bottle. Bravo Mr. Hills!
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Appreciating Whisky", to Know Scotch is to Love Scotch,
By Eric Sondeen (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Appreciating Whiskey: The Connoisseur's Guide to Nosing, Tasting and Enjoying Scotch (Hardcover)
Vastly increase your enjoyment of Scotlands' spirits with Pip Hills new book, Appreciating Whisky. The founder of the Single Malt Whisky Society takes the reader's knowledge well beyond the propaganda of marketeers and into the known sciences of Scotch history and production. An educational and amusing read, Mr. Hills inclusions on human taste and the chemistry of flavor take this book to a catagory of it's own--"knowing Scotch". I recommend this book prior to purchase of single malt scotch guides.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable Guide to the How and Why of Tasting Whisky.,
By
This review is from: Appreciating Whisky: The Connoisseur's Guide to Nosing, Tasting, and Enjoying Scotch (Paperback)
"Appreciating Whisky" is an excellent guide to doing just that, written for people who would like to understand how whisky is made, why it tastes as it does, and how to recognize and describe those flavors. Author Phillip Hills was a founding member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and writes extensively on Scotch, so the examples and tasting recommendations in this book are for Scotch whisky, although the principles of taste and production apply to all whiskies. "Appreciating Whisky" has two parts: The first 8 chapters provide knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about whiskies, specifically what it tastes like and why. The last 2 chapters explain how to taste whisky and describe some distilleries and their products for your consideration. Phillip Hills' prose is precise and witty throughout.
The book starts out with a lesson in the physiology of taste and goes on to describe the 15 flavors that you should be able to recognize in whisky and where they come from. Then we get a lesson in organic chemistry, as Hills explains the chemistry of whisky production, maturation, and the flavors discussed in the previous chapter. The properties, history, and origins of whisky's five materials -barley, water, yeast, peat, and wood- are described. The details of the five processes involved in whisky production -malting, mashing, brewing, distilling, maturing- are explained. Hills addresses the histories and characteristics of grain and blended whiskies as well as malts. And, finally, he explores how the social context -Scottish culture, corporate culture, and the drinker's culture- has influenced the taste, quality, and our perceptions of Scotch whisky, from its 15th century origins to the present. Advice relevant to choosing and drinking whiskies is found in those chapters that address the question of why whisky tastes as it does. But the chapter on "Tasting Whisky" is a practical guide to whisky tasting that gets into the nitty gritty of what items you will need and what to do with them. The book's last chapter, "Appreciations", talks about 6 Scotch malt distilleries and their whiskies, as well as a grain whisky distillery, a blender, and some private bottlers. I think anyone who loves whisky but is not an expert on the subject will find "Appreciating Whisky" invaluable.
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