The publisher Michell Beazley has fashioned a wonderful portfolio of drinks books. The Whiskey Dictionary follows The Gin Directory and The Tequila Directory.
You will find whiskey books dedicated to the best in whiskey brands, something to take with you as you shop. The Whisky Dictionary is a wonderful complementary volume. All things whiskey and all topics whisky are described in 250 pages. Read all these pages and you’ll be well on the way to being a whiskey expert. Topics here include:
Whiskey making by country [historic and current]
Ingredients [barley, enzymes, …]
Production equipment [barrels old and new, charring, …]
Serving considerations [crushed versus blocks of ice]
Classic beverages [Manhattans, Mint Juleps, …]
Presented in alphabetical order, the topics will have your head alert and spinning just a tad with the incredible complexity of the whisky world. For hundreds of years, mankind has invested energy and imagination in crafting whiskeys. Now, in our very scientific age, the availability of high tech gear and spread of knowledge around the world contribute to the accelerated expansion of the whiskey world.
Understanding that world, and finding to your way the best flavors for you, is best accomplished with a little time devoted to personal education. The Whisky Dictionary is just the tool you need to expand your understanding and guide you to whisky nirvana.
And, you have insight into what is coming in the future. The article on Cask Innovation is a perfect example. There is now a “science of wood” where whisky producers need to consider their cask selection and their practices of wood management. What range and intensity of flavors will a particular cask add to whisky base? What is the right timeframe for that barrel to store whisky? What happens to a cask as it is used over and over for subsequent generations of product? The science, and the art here, is something to be sipped, considered, and enjoyed.
This book will be published on October 1 but you can preorder now!