The best - and most enjoyable - way to find out about whiskies is by drinking them. This truly hands-on handbook takes you on a tasting journey to discover your own personal whisky style, and helps you to expand your horizons so you can find a world of new whiskies to enjoy. Through a series of guided at-home tastings, you'll get familiar with the full spectrum of whisky aromas and flavours on offer - from the smoky tang of Islay peat to the aromatic scent of Japanese oak. Find out how to engage all your senses to navigate the range of malts, grains and blended whiskies and get to grips with different whisky styles. Take a tasting tour of the world's finest makers, including iconic Scottish distilleries and small-scale artisan producers all over the globe. And as you become more whisky-confident, you can break out of your whisky comfort zone. Do you love the honeyed sweetness of a Kentucky Bourbon? If so, why not try a smooth malt that's been aged in ex-Bourbon barrels? Or a creamy, oat-infused Irish craft whiskey? Guides to whisky prices and ages will help you to make smart buys. Discover how to pour, store and serve whiskies and match them with foods. Learn to mix cocktails, from a classic whiskey sour to your own signature creation. With 20 step-by-step whisky tastings, clear infographics and jargon-busting advice - taste your way to whisky wisdom.

A must-read for aspiring connoisseurs, and a thorough refresher for seasoned whisky lovers.”—Whiskey Advocate Winner of the Gourmand Award in the Drink Education category (US). The definitive book on understanding and appreciating the exploding world of whiskey. Renowned whiskey educator Robin Robinson demystifies the “water of life” in a definitive, heavily illustrated tome designed to take readers on a global tour of the ever-expanding world of whiskey. Across ten robust “classes,” Robinson explains whiskey history, how it defined the way whiskey is made in different countries and regions, the myriad styles, how aging and finishing works, and the basics of “nosing” and tasting whiskey. In chapters dedicated to American whiskey (including bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, and rye), American Craft whiskey, Scotch, Irish, Canadian, Japanese, and world whiskies, Robinson presents the best offerings from new and historic producers, how to choose among them, and how to build a collection of your own. Each “class” is a journey into a country’s whiskies and makers, including recommended bottles and styles, as well as insider information on how distilleries make their unique offerings. Each chapter includes themed tastings organized by bargain, value, special occasion, and splurge price categories. This thoroughly up-to-date and wide-ranging guide also offers helpful recommendations on how to lead your own tasting, a glossary of terms, food pairings, and tips on everything from glassware to whiskey festivals and how to read a label.

The ultimate course for wine lovers! Learn your sauvignon blanc from your chardonnay and your merlot from your grenache. Smell, swirl and taste your way to transforming from wine novice to expert. The pages of this wine book make a comprehensive, no-nonsense wine tasting course that covers every aspect of wine from grape to glass. Explore the nuances of your favorite red and white and discover new cultivars. Inside, you’ll find: • A dynamic course in understanding wine — through tasting and appreciation — with every subject given a high-impact visual treatment. • A structure that reflects how people approach wine — talking, tasting, and buying wine comes before exploring grape varieties and wine regions. • All key wine subjects are covered, shown and explained in an easy-to-understand way. • Themed tasting exercises are located throughout the book, encouraging readers to learn at their own pace. Follow expert wine advice in the latest edition of Wine: A Tasting Course. The updated text and refreshed design bring concepts to life like food and wine pairing, identifying the style spectrum, and distinguishing taste and smell. It explores fun wine facts and explodes myths, giving you everything you need to talk, taste and enjoy your favorite vintage. Can't smell honeysuckle in that glass of sauvignon blanc, or wondering which end of a bottle of chianti is the "nose?" With this immersive guide to all things wine, you'll soon become an expert. Pour over vibrant infographics and learn through “Did you know?” boxes as you try out a selection of taste tests, and get a handle on grape varieties and regions. This wine guide is a beautiful gift for the wine lover in your life, or the book for beginners you’ve been searching for to enjoy, understand and appreciate wine.

Go beyond the glass and discover the secrets behind your favorite style of whiskey. Over the past three decades, Lew Bryson has been one of the most influential voices in whiskey—a longtime editor of Whisky Advocate and author of the definitive guide Tasting Whiskey. In this book, Lew shares everything he's learned on his journey through the worlds of bourbon, Scotch, rye, Japanese whiskey, and more (yes, there are tasty Canadian and Irish whiskeys as well!). In this book, you'll find it all: An overview of the different types of whiskeys, including the rules and identities of each. He also includes information on craft whiskeys, which tend to be more creative and freewheeling than the styles made by traditional producers. Exploration of the key whiskey ingredients, with a close look at the flavor contributions of malt, peat, corn, rye, wheat—even water matters. Distillation for non-distillers and the beauty of barrels: Whiskey is both an art and a science, and what's in the glass is affected by things like pot stills vs. column stills, barrel char, and of course, time. Numerous interviews with master distillers, still makers, and other artisans at the top of their field. Tasting notes throughout so you can identify the whiskeys you might want to try next. Every chapter contains a variety of unique, often behind-the-scenes photography. And with whiskey as the subject, this is a class where you'll want to do the homework!

Pour a stiff drink and crack open this comprehensive guide to everything there is to know about the world’s greatest whiskeys. Exploring the traditions behind bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and even Japanese whiskey, you’ll discover how unique flavors are created through variations of ingredients and different distilling techniques. With advice on how to collect, age, and serve whiskey, as well as suggestions for proven food pairings, you’ll be inspired to share your knowledge and invite your friends over for a delicious whiskey tasting party.

Revised and updated in 2013, 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die is a whisky guide with a difference. It is not an awards list. It is not a list of the 101 'best' whiskies in the world in the opinion of a self-appointed whisky guru. It is simply a guide to the 101 whiskies that enthusiasts must seek out and try in order to complete their whisky education. Avoiding the deliberately obscure, the ridiculously limited and the absurdly expensive, whisky expert Ian Buxton recommends an eclectic selection of old favourites, stellar newcomers and mystifyingly unknown drams that simply have to be drunk. The book decodes the marketing hype and gets straight to the point; whether from India, America, Sweden, Ireland, Japan or the hills, glens and islands of Scotland, here are the 101 whiskies that you really want. Try them before you die - Slainte!

A Field Guide to Whisky is a one-stop guide for all the information a whisky enthusiast needs. With the whisky market booming all over the world, now is a perfect time for a comprehensive guide to this popular brown spirit. What are the basic ingredients in all whiskies? How does it get its flavor? Which big-name brands truly deserve their reputation? What are the current whisky trends around the world? And who was Jack Daniel, anyway? This abundance of information is distilled(!) into 324 short entries covering basic whisky literacy, production methods, consumption tips, trends, trivia, geographical maps and lists of distilleries, whisky trails, bars, hotels, and festivals by an industry insider. Boasting 230 color photographs and a beautiful package to boot, A Field Guide to Whisky will make a whisky expert out of anyone.

Learn how to appreciate whisky like a connoisseur. Learn how distillation, chemistry and aging contribute to the final product. With science as the grounding, educating the palate via taste and smell provides further enjoyment. A Master Whisky course primer.

"Rigorously researched and richly illustrated...Meticulous in detail and gleeful in its discoveries, this trip is a joyride for any whiskey lover." Publishers Weekly Buckle up and join bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur Tristan Stephenson on a Stateside tour and learn all there is to know about the finest whiskey and bourbon America has to offer. Whiskey in America is a regional product that has evolved in different ways and at a differing pace depending on where you go. Tristan Stephenson's road trip enabled him to visit more than 40 unique distilleries, from long-established makers in the states that are the spiritual home of the industry – Kentucky and Tennessee – to newer craft-distillers in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and even California and Texas. In his own unique style, which is both fiercely entertaining and meticulously well-researched, Tristan weaves together the full and fascinating story of American whiskey, from its history and production methods to the origins of iconic cocktails still enjoyed in bars around the world today.

Great Whiskeys is the ideal drinking companion for any whiskey lover: it is generous, knowledgeable, and willing to go anywhere. No other spirit matches the romance of whiskey; its carefully nurtured, long gestation, the curious flavors of its birthplace, its infinite subtleties and varieties all have a magic that captivates seasoned connoisseurs and new fans alike. Great Whiskeys reveals the secrets that give each whiskey its character and cherry picks the best expressions to try. As the whiskey world becomes more global, heritage brands are exported ever more widely, and innovative whiskeys from new producing countries are winning accolades. Great Whiskeys reflects this diversity by bringing you whiskeys from 22 countries. This is a guide that covers every whiskey style: single malt, blended, grain, bourbon, rye, and more. Enthusiasts and converts alike could not find a more comprehensive and accessible resource.