Michael Jackson's Complete Guide To Single Malt Scotch 4th Ed (Hardcover)

by Michael Jackson (Author) "MY FIRST MALT WHISKY was a 12-year-old, and single..." (more)
Key Phrases: distillery character, same bottler, malty dryness, Body Medium, Body Light, Colour Full (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
He's written shamelessly for more than a decade and a half about his passion for 12- and 15-year-olds. He's described his dalliances with loves named Heather and Peat and some three dozen named Glen. His name is Michael Jackson. Relax. We're talking here about the Britain-based, award-winning drinks and spirits writer and author of, among other classic reference works, Michael Jackson's Beer Companion.

In Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, devotees of the dram can peruse the latest revised edition of the 1989 work. In 336 pages brimming with maps, photos, and informed overview of factors such as geography and flavor components--even proximity to the sea--Jackson sketches the evolution of Scotch whisky, from the prebottling days, when shopkeepers like Johnnie Walker and the Chivas Brothers would create their own blends for sale, to the late-1960s and 1970s' surge of individual distilleries marketing their own bottlings. Lamentably labeling the former as a time when "orchestrations drowned out the soloists," Jackson provides some sweet sheet music of his own: 294 pages are devoted to an A-to-Z review (including full-color labels and tasting notes) of more than 800 singles from "every Scottish malt distillery that has ever witnessed its product in a bottle." It's the perfect book to take to your local liquor store next time you're trying to navigate the high shelf of Scotland's highlands, lowlands, and islands. You may laugh at Jackson's description of Auchentoshan Select's "oily" nose with "hints of citrus zest" or Aberlour 10-year-old's "mint-toffee" bouquet. But you'll be laughing out of the other side of your haggis when you actually smell them. All the notes are well researched and designed to appeal to Cardhu-carrying connoisseurs, as well as those who'd just like to know more about Bowmore. In his introduction, the author describes a whisky's finish as "a crescendo, followed by a series of echoes. When I leave the bottle, I like to be whistling the tune." Scotch drinkers will find plenty to wet that whistle in Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch. --Tony Mason

Product Description

Now a classic reference, the fully revised and updated fourth edition of Michael Jackson's critically acclaimed connoisseur's guide provides tasting notes and scores for more than 800 single malt whiskies (500 of them new bottlings since the last edition). Anyone serious about his or her malts will find a storehouse of useful information in Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch. In addition to providing a succinct introduction to the world of single malts, Jackson, always passionate about his subject, gives detailed information on the malt whiskies produced by more than 100 distilleries. Color reproductions of the labels are accompanied with tasting notes and numerical ratings. For those headed to Scotland, he lists distilleries (with addresses and telephone numbers) that welcome visitors. -Food and Wine

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Product Details Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Running Press; 4th edition (November 30, 1999) Language: English ISBN-10: 076240731X ISBN-13: 978-0762407316 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5 x 1 inches Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #259,186 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #21 in  Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > English, Scottish & Welsh

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
"MY FIRST MALT WHISKY was a 12-year-old, and single." Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
distillery character, same bottler, malty dryness, faint peat, bright full gold, dry maltiness, flowery dryness, lightly peaty, fragrant smokiness, balancing dryness, nutty maltiness, combined flavours, lightly oily, smoky dryness, independent bottlings, sherry sweetness, body very firm, official bottling, salty finish, peaty smokiness, sherry aroma, malty sweetness, sherry character, cask strength, lively flavours

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Body Medium, Body Light, Colour Full, Colour Bright, Rare Malts, Nose Very, Connoisseurs Choice, Body Firm, Palate Very, Colour Amber, Colour Deep, Colour Gold, Colour Very, Finish Dry, Finish Long, Finish Very, Body Big, Body Full, Nose Fresh, Palate Sweet, Body Smooth, Palate Light, Palate Malty, Nose Light, Port Ellen

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 11 books:

• Malt Whisky (German Edition) by Michael Jackson in Front Matter, and page 6
• The Mouth of the South: The Jimmy Hart Story by Jimmy Hart on page 140
• Malt Whisky Companion by Michael Jackson on page 6
• World War II (History Through Poetry) by R. G. Grant on page 148
• The Whiskies of Scotland by R. McDowall in Back Matter

See all 11 books this book cites

 

7 books cite this book:

• How to Buy and Sell (Just About) Everything: More Than 550 Step-by-Step Instructions for Everything From Buying Life Insurance to Selling Your Screenplay to Choosing a Thoroughbred Racehorse by Jeff Wuorio on page 429
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• Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery by Sam Calagione in Front Matter
• The Book of Tequila: A Complete Guide by Bob Emmons in Back Matter
• Professional Beverage Management (Culinary Arts) by Robert A. Lipinski in Back Matter

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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews 5 star:  (28) 4 star:  (7) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 73 of 74 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars THE guide to Single Malts, May 10, 2002 By  Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)          I consider myself an above-average (although by no means an expert) fan of Scottish single malts, and I own several books on the subject. I find "Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" to be the most comprehensive, intelligible and above-all useful book in my whisky library. While no book can take the place of sitting down and doing some tastings, buying whisky by the glass for tasting can be prohibitively expensive. If you are buying by the bottle, it becomes an even greater investment, and figuring out your individual tastes will be a considerable investment. Michael Jackson's guide goes a long way in the selection process, leading you to the whiskys most likely to meet your pallet. Each whisky is outlined, explained and graded. It will at least give you an idea of what to expect when approaching an unfamiliar label. This book definitely falls into the "If you only own one book about single malt..." category. 73 of 78 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars So Many Scotches, So Little Time, October 10, 2001 By  Mark Hills "Nobody gets me, I'm the wind, baby!" (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    As a novice Scotch drinker, I often found myself in the local liquor store standing in front of the whisky displays feeling a little like Sir Edmund Hillary before Everest- wondering just where to start. Scotch, like wine or music, is an incredibly personal thing, and there are numerous brands to appeal to a wide array of palates. By my ignorance hasn't cost me, because I tend to buy what I already know I like rather than risk forty of fifty dollars on a malt that I won't like. So, rather than risk money on a malt that will just sit on the shelf, I tend to only buy various Glenmorragie, Glenfiddich, etc. In restaurants I always seem to be stuck with the 12 year old Glenlivet, since liquor barons Seagrams seems to have control of every restaurant's alcohol supply. And while on a day trip to Stillwater, Minnesota we ate a restaurant that had an impressive list of Scotches, (I consider any more than 3 or 4 types impressive), and I tried a 15 year old Glenkeith that amazed me. It finally dawned on me that after nearly a year of conservative tasting, i.e. not going beyond what I have listed above, that perhaps I need an expert opinion. Michael Jackson's "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches" seems to fit the bill nicely. Inside are personal reviews of over 800 Scotches from Scotland and Ireland, plus a brief history of Scotch is discussed. To my chagrin, Jackson seems to have taste for peatier Islay malts like Laphroaig and Talisker, malts that I have yet to mature enough to enjoy. He does give high marks to what I already drink, with the Glenmorangies scoring in the 80's on a scale of 100. The Scotches he seems to most enjoy are those bottled by the MaCallan in the Speyside region. And again the MaCallan's seem to have an abundance of peat. Overall, though, the book is marvelous. Well illustrated with clear photographs of lables to give a reader some idea of what they can look for in a store when making a purchase. His descriptions of Nose, Body, Palate and Finish are clear and concise enough that even a novice drinker like me can understand the meanings, especially when it came to what I already drink. Scotch seems to have become trendy again, and I'd like to think that I am not following that trend, because as so many people have told me, drink what I like rather than what everyone else tells you to. So I plan to start experimenting, with the "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches", I have a better direction. And maybe in time I will come to like Islay malts. Time will tell. 48 of 50 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Classic work, November 28, 2002 By  magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    The discovery by Americans of single-malt whisky back in the 80's and 90's was one of the most interesting stories in the food and beverage market ever. This event by itself probably prevented a number of distilleries from closing, and several, such as the great Ardbeg, which had been moth-balled, were perhaps reopened as a result. Some great but lesser known malts, like Edradour, found new appreciation for their tiny output abroad. Edradour, for example, produces less in a year than some distilleries do in a week, like Tomatin (the Edradour distillery only has 3 employees and only makes 2 barrels a week). Others, such as the Islays like Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Bowmore, and even the oddly dual-natured Caol Isla, with its both sweetish and phenolic character, were already known in Scotland but garnered new fans here in America. As in Scotland, the Islays are not to everybody's taste, but I know people here who will hardly touch a drop of anything else--an amazing testament to the enthusiasm that has developed in America even for the stronger and more exotic malts. And probably no book did more to make that happen than Jackson's great little books on single-malt scotch. On a personal note, sometimes even the Scots themselves failed to appreciate how far American sensibilities had come with respect to single malts. I had the experience 20 years ago, when still a young man, of sitting in a bar at the south end of Loch Lommond, and having a well-meaning bartender refuse to serve me some Laphroaig. He insisted on giving me Royal Brackla from an old bottle, itself a great malt. But he thought this young American didn't know what he was asking for, and I think he was worried he might do in a perfectly good, paying customer with a draught of the pungent, phenolic, peaty, and iodine-tasking Laphroaig. These books taught me a lot and I have all 3 editions. They're great for learning to appreciate the particular aspects and flavors of a malt, and as I've been tasting single-malts for 20 years, I've found Mr. Jackson's descriptions to be very accurate and informative. In many cases, after learning from his description, I was able to go on and detect things that weren't even in the book--a great testament to his skill as a teacher and writer. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have been able to educate my sense of taste nearly as expertly. There is no better way to learn about single malts than to take samples of several malts and then taste and compare them using this book. After you're tasted a couple of dozen malts you should be able to get a good sense of what's going on and be able to go on from there. A good way to do this is to pick a couple of classic malts from each category, say a couple of lowlands, a couple of highlands or Speysides, and a couple of Islays, and taste them alongside each other with this book. Some of the malts are just so unique or special that they deserve tasting by themselves--as in the case of Clynelish and Highland Park, or Caol Isla and Talisker, or the often overlooked but wonderful lowland malt, Littlemill, with its sweet cocoanut, English toffee, and creme de caramel flavors. Well, I could go on for a while about interesting things to do for tastings, but I will leave the rest of that to you, hopefully by way of this book, except for one last recommendation. The great Victorian connoisseur and single-malt scotch authority Professor Shaftsbury considered mixing together some Clynelish and Longmorn to be possibly the greatest drink in the world. So you might give it a try sometime and see what you think. Good luck and happy tasting!		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Scotch Guide and learning tool I think this book is good for a seasoned drinker of scotch or someone who just started to appreciate the liquid of the gods. Read more Published 4 days ago by Matthew Bishop 5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Jackson's complete guide to single malt scotch This is an outstanding read. It is the book to which all refer when one wants to know about a given scotch. The book was in excellent condition and arrived in a timely manner. Published 1 month ago by Paula L. Dryden 5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Jackson Knows Single Malt The story of Scotch whiskey as presented by Jackson is fascinating. The readings go best near a warm fire and a glass of Aberfeldy single malt. Published 5 months ago by Careful Reader 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book! Everything you need to know about Single Malt Scotch! I just desagree with some of his evaluations, but each felling taste is very unique and singular. Read more Published 5 months ago by Celso Eugenio M. Vidal 5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Guide To Single Malt Scotch by Michael Jackson The book is well worth the price, for all the information you can learn about Single Malt Scotch. Michael Jackson covers the whole gambit on the Scotch manufacturers, places,... Read more Published 6 months ago by Mr. Frog 5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Resource I've been researching Scotch Whisky as I've been exploring the flavors and profiles of my new favorite libation, and this book (and a previous edition) has been invaluable in... Read more Published 6 months ago by William Grasso 3.0 out of 5 stars great book, but becoming obsolete I can't say many positive things about this book that haven't already been covered by other reviewers. This book proved to be a great introduction to whisky for me. Read more Published 7 months ago by S. Flask 5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and useful; ratings are of course subjective This book is a great read and contains a huge amount of useful information. I have really enjoyed reading all the history of Scotch whisky, the details of how it's been made and... Read more Published 7 months ago by Rus Healy 5.0 out of 5 stars Single Malt Treker Each of Jackson's Guides to Single Malt have been extremely informative and useful as well as a good read. Published 13 months ago by Single Malt Treker 5.0 out of 5 stars A Gift Hard to Part With! Jackson approaches his subject with equal measures of knowledgeability and love--and both are abundantly reflected in this latest edition of a now standard guide. Read more Published 13 months ago by C. C. Black Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 4th edition (November 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076240731X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762407316
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #259,186 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

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  Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > English, Scottish & Welsh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE guide to Single Malts, May 10, 2002

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I consider myself an above-average (although by no means an expert) fan of Scottish single malts, and I own several books on the subject. I find "Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" to be the most comprehensive, intelligible and above-all useful book in my whisky library.

While no book can take the place of sitting down and doing some tastings, buying whisky by the glass for tasting can be prohibitively expensive. If you are buying by the bottle, it becomes an even greater investment, and figuring out your individual tastes will be a considerable investment. Michael Jackson's guide goes a long way in the selection process, leading you to the whiskys most likely to meet your pallet. Each whisky is outlined, explained and graded. It will at least give you an idea of what to expect when approaching an unfamiliar label.

This book definitely falls into the "If you only own one book about single malt..." category.

73 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Many Scotches, So Little Time, October 10, 2001

By	Mark Hills "Nobody gets me, I'm the wind, baby!" (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a novice Scotch drinker, I often found myself in the local liquor store standing in front of the whisky displays feeling a little like Sir Edmund Hillary before Everest- wondering just where to start. Scotch, like wine or music, is an incredibly personal thing, and there are numerous brands to appeal to a wide array of palates. By my ignorance hasn't cost me, because I tend to buy what I already know I like rather than risk forty of fifty dollars on a malt that I won't like. So, rather than risk money on a malt that will just sit on the shelf, I tend to only buy various Glenmorragie, Glenfiddich, etc. In restaurants I always seem to be stuck with the 12 year old Glenlivet, since liquor barons Seagrams seems to have control of every restaurant's alcohol supply. And while on a day trip to Stillwater, Minnesota we ate a restaurant that had an impressive list of Scotches, (I consider any more than 3 or 4 types impressive), and I tried a 15 year old Glenkeith that amazed me.

It finally dawned on me that after nearly a year of conservative tasting, i.e. not going beyond what I have listed above, that perhaps I need an expert opinion. Michael Jackson's "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches" seems to fit the bill nicely. Inside are personal reviews of over 800 Scotches from Scotland and Ireland, plus a brief history of Scotch is discussed. To my chagrin, Jackson seems to have taste for peatier Islay malts like Laphroaig and Talisker, malts that I have yet to mature enough to enjoy. He does give high marks to what I already drink, with the Glenmorangies scoring in the 80's on a scale of 100. The Scotches he seems to most enjoy are those bottled by the MaCallan in the Speyside region. And again the MaCallan's seem to have an abundance of peat.

Overall, though, the book is marvelous. Well illustrated with clear photographs of lables to give a reader some idea of what they can look for in a store when making a purchase. His descriptions of Nose, Body, Palate and Finish are clear and concise enough that even a novice drinker like me can understand the meanings, especially when it came to what I already drink. Scotch seems to have become trendy again, and I'd like to think that I am not following that trend, because as so many people have told me, drink what I like rather than what everyone else tells you to. So I plan to start experimenting, with the "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches", I have a better direction. And maybe in time I will come to like Islay malts. Time will tell.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic work, November 28, 2002

By	magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

The discovery by Americans of single-malt whisky back in the 80's and 90's was one of the most interesting stories in the food and beverage market ever. This event by itself probably prevented a number of distilleries from closing, and several, such as the great Ardbeg, which had been moth-balled, were perhaps reopened as a result.

Some great but lesser known malts, like Edradour, found new appreciation for their tiny output abroad. Edradour, for example, produces less in a year than some distilleries do in a week, like Tomatin (the Edradour distillery only has 3 employees and only makes 2 barrels a week). Others, such as the Islays like Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Bowmore, and even the oddly dual-natured Caol Isla, with its both sweetish and phenolic character, were already known in Scotland but garnered new fans here in America. As in Scotland, the Islays are not to everybody's taste, but I know people here who will hardly touch a drop of anything else--an amazing testament to the enthusiasm that has developed in America even for the stronger and more exotic malts. And probably no book did more to make that happen than Jackson's great little books on single-malt scotch.

On a personal note, sometimes even the Scots themselves failed to appreciate how far American sensibilities had come with respect to single malts. I had the experience 20 years ago, when still a young man, of sitting in a bar at the south end of Loch Lommond, and having a well-meaning bartender refuse to serve me some Laphroaig. He insisted on giving me Royal Brackla from an old bottle, itself a great malt. But he thought this young American didn't know what he was asking for, and I think he was worried he might do in a perfectly good, paying customer with a draught of the pungent, phenolic, peaty, and iodine-tasking Laphroaig.

These books taught me a lot and I have all 3 editions. They're great for learning to appreciate the particular aspects and flavors of a malt, and as I've been tasting single-malts for 20 years, I've found Mr. Jackson's descriptions to be very accurate and informative. In many cases, after learning from his description, I was able to go on and detect things that weren't even in the book--a great testament to his skill as a teacher and writer. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have been able to educate my sense of taste nearly as expertly.

There is no better way to learn about single malts than to take samples of several malts and then taste and compare them using this book. After you're tasted a couple of dozen malts you should be able to get a good sense of what's going on and be able to go on from there.

A good way to do this is to pick a couple of classic malts from each category, say a couple of lowlands, a couple of highlands or Speysides, and a couple of Islays, and taste them alongside each other with this book. Some of the malts are just so unique or special that they deserve tasting by themselves--as in the case of Clynelish and Highland Park, or Caol Isla and Talisker, or the often overlooked but wonderful lowland malt, Littlemill, with its sweet cocoanut, English toffee, and creme de caramel flavors.

Well, I could go on for a while about interesting things to do for tastings, but I will leave the rest of that to you, hopefully by way of this book, except for one last recommendation. The great Victorian connoisseur and single-malt scotch authority Professor Shaftsbury considered mixing together some Clynelish and Longmorn to be possibly the greatest drink in the world. So you might give it a try sometime and see what you think. Good luck and happy tasting!