Customer Reviews

The Whiskey Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Finest Whiskies

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

 

 

I've been learning about Scotch Whisky and picked up this book as a counter-reference to some other books on the subject, and as a "second opinion" I thought it did well. However, while there is a lot of useful info in here, the focus was a bit narrow; There are overviews of the major whisky distilleries, and tasting notes of one (sometimes two) bottlings, but this book is by no means exhaustive.

I should also point out that everyone's palate is different, and having Ms. Arthur's tasting notes was very valuable because her notes occasionally run different from my other sources, giving me a broader spectrum to compare against when deciding whether to buy a bottle of scotch untried. For example, I dislike too much peat in my scotch, and having a second or third source makes it more likely I'd get some good pointers from at least one of them. This book is very useful in that regard.

I was disappointed in this book. I was hoping it would give a guide as to what was good and what wasn't - even with the caveat that it was the author's views. Unfortunately the book is more or less a descriptive list with the content for each whisky what you would find on the label anyway. You realise why when you get to the end - the author worked in PR and advertising for the industry. She's probably a very decent person and just doesn't want to upset all her old mates that work for the various companies by telling us what is good and what's not. Makes her a good person, but her book a bit dull.

Wonderful book full of information. A must have for anyone trying to start a collection or looking to begin their adventure into great whiskey.

It's not a whiskey bible but is certainly a nice light read on whiskeys. A nice coffee table addition near your whiskey selection to flick through periodically.