Customer Reviews

Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Echoing the other reviews posted here, I'd just like to add that this book is one of the best of its kind. Unlike a lot of books about scotch whisky which tell you loads about the distilliries yet nothing about the relative worth of the drams, this book calls 'em--the good, the mediocore, and the not so good. Mr. Jackson is an outstanding writer, by turns witty and intelligent, and his passion for scotch is evident and infectious. The beautiful layout work complements the writing.

If you have even a passing interest in single malts, you need this book. Buy it now. And don't let your friends swipe your copy, even though they'll want to.

Mr. Jackson has arranged a concise and easy to use encyclopedia for scotch whisky. The inclusion of over 300 malts has made it difficult for me to find a bottle that he has not listed, tasted, and graded. However; I derive the most pleasure from his descriptions of the hamlets, towns and hollows that surround the distilleries. A brief description of the malting process, and some history of scotch whisky, make this a good starting point for a novice taster. I am dismayed to see that it is out of print as I have found it to be a fine gift that has been appreciated by friends.

If you love single malt whisky, you'll love this book. As a single malt lover, I use this book as a guide to explore the world of single malt whisky. Since I am stiil young and poor, it's not possible to taist too much whisky. You have to make a purchasing list for yourself. I am very happy to find out that this books can help me make the decision. I am not saying the point is everything. If you beleve your own taist, you do not have to agree with the author's comment. However, it's a way to build your own guide step by step. Until now, I have tried about 10 brands with about 30 different ages scotch. It's really an interesting world.

Jackson's book is the best of the lot. He brings a love of fine whisky to bear with no pre-established perceptions. Kyle Wallace

Although some have said that the practice of assigning a numerical rating scale to single malts is overgeneralizing and therefore inaccurate, I find it to be a useful guide and at least a valuable insight into the mind of someone who is known to be one of the world's foremost experts on single malts. True, rating single malts from 0-100 is sometimes akin to comparing diverse items such as a sunset, a Picaso, a good cup of coffee. Nonetheless, for the novice, this book offers tremendous insight. It describes the majority of house styles of all the distilleries, and provides a good brief history and explanation of the malting, brewing, distillation and aging processes necessary to create fluid works of art. A MUST for the novice single malt taster and the discriminating imbiber . My copy is worn, torn, dog-eared and used daily.

If you only buy one book on single malts, buy this one. All are rated (out of 100). There is a listing of all the distilleries, and their addresses and phone numbers, if you want to visit. There is an excellent introduction about whiskey production, history and a map that shows the locations of all the distilleries. I've had this book for 2 years now, and it is my personal reference to single malts. I find that my tastes agree pretty much with Michael's, and have shared my favorite (Talisker), with a couple of friends, who have also made it their favorite

I spent two weeks in Scotland last year, and this was my tour guide. The information on distilleries is accurate, and the ratings have become a standard. This is THE Malt Whiskey book. I have an extensive collection of single malts, and I compare and make notes in the margins

For lovers of Scotch, single malts are the pick of the litter when complared to blended Scotches. And to have a book like this in your library before going shopping, or even carrying it with one to the store, is the best way to make new selections. Where else can you see all single malt Scotches ranked on a scale of 0-100 where any label under 70 should be ignored, labels betweeen 70-80 should become a blend because the maker wasn't really serious, over 80 and the label deserves a taste, and brands with rankings over 90 are the truly great Scotches. Jackson's earlier book, written by him while actually alive, discussed 300 labels, ranking them on the basis of flavor, aroma, bite, and time to enjoy. And although deceased, the authors of this latest 2010 edition painstakingly made sure they used the same techiques and style as they add 700 additional labels to the earlier title as well as update names from the earlier edition. All this said, I highly recommend this title to all lovers of single malt Scotches even as I point out that I was directed to it by other aficiandos. Enjoy your read.

This is the most recently published compendium from Michael Jackson on the single malts available in the marketplace. Though the author died before the work was finished, a team of friends, all experts in the field, finished the book, so that it could be published. It's a good resource to place alongside other compendiums that you may have in your library.

This is a great introduction to single malts, with all of the major distilleries listed. It's impossible for a printed guide to keep up with all of the new single malt expressions, but this is good place to find out about any distillery and it's "foundation" whiskeys. I have yet to find a distillery that is not listed in this book.