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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Invaluable Guide to the How and Why of Tasting Whisky., April 14, 2005
"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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