Product Description

Now updated to include the latest offerings from all the Scottish distilleries, and using a unique profiling system based on whisky’s 12 dimensions of aroma and taste, this rigorously researched volume is a superb and impartial guide to single malt whiskies. Featuring 267 color photos and illustrations.

In Whisky Classified, expert David Wishart eschews the confusing jargon often used to describe malts and replaces it with an objective, easily applied guide to taste. He presents the reader with a new flavor classification system—the result of many distillery visits, whisky tastings, and discussions with industry experts. The profile identifies 12 dimensions to the aroma and taste of malt whisky: body, sweetness, smoky, medicinal, tobacco, honey, spicy, winey, nutty, malty, fruity, and floral. These dimensions incorporate, in an easy manner, over 400 commonly used terms to describe malt whisky. This handy, fully illustrated guide also provides a comprehensive survey of Scottish distilleries, with a history and description of each, as well as tasting notes, visitor information, regional maps, and a profile of the whisky according to his unique classification by flavor.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56198 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781862057166
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Fascination with the world of single-malt Scotch whiskies continues to burgeon. In Whisky Classified, David Wishart proposes a limited vocabulary of some 12 terms to describe the unique characteristics of single malts. These terms show up in each whisky's profile to provide consistent classifications for each of them. This tabulated data provide the connoisseur with guidance in selecting a whisky by comparing a favorite's profile with the profile of an unknown. Each distillery's product also gets an entry covering its history and a longer, more vivid prose description of the whisky's flavor merits. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
An objective classification of single malt whiskies by flavour to appeal to a thrivig worldwide market, rigorously researched with the co-operation of over 40 distilleries.

From the Publisher
In Whisky Classified, expert David Wishart excludes the confusing jargon often used to describe malts and replaces it with an objective, easily applied guide to taste. He presents the reader with a new flavor classification system—the result of many distillery visits, whisky tastings, and discussions with industry experts. The profile identifies 12 dimensions to the taste of a single malt whisky: body, sweetness, smoky, medicinal, tobacco, honey, spicy, winey, nutty, malty, fruity, floral. These dimensions incorporate, in an easy manner, over 400 commonly used terms to describe malt whisky. This handy, fully illustrated guide also provides a comprehensive survey of 85 Scottish distilleries, with a history and description of each distillery, as well as tasting notes, visitor information, regional maps, and a profile of the whisky according to the new classification. David Wishart has a PhD in classification methodology and is a Research Fellow at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Customer Reviews

This is a single malt lovers dream!
Dr. Wishart, in Whiskey Classified, takes a research-based approach to the issue of single malt whisky grouping by flavor - rather than by Regions of Scotland. He accomplishes this by using a wide variety of expert whisky tasting notes and applying a scientific data classification model to those expert observations.

Single Malt Regional appellations are based more on ancient British excise tax laws than similarities in flavor and therefore do not properly characterize whisky. Dr. Wishart's approach groups whiskies by their body (light to full), sweetness (dry to sweet), peat, fruit and spice flavors.

This book will be very useful for the malt lover looking for particular style and flavor malt. I know it will help me, and perhaps others, avoid mistakes such as buying a Bunnahabhain because it says Islay on the label only to find it is more like a Southern Highland or Lowland style. Or conversely help one chose a perhaps not so well recognized Speyside Tomintoul as an apertif because it falls into a similar Wishart category as Southern Highland Glengoyne or Lowland Glenkinchie.

For me this work moves whisky tasting to the next level of informed knowledge. A must read for the single malt lover and a great addition to books by Michael Jackson, Helen Arthur, Charles MacLean, John Lamond & Robin Tucek, Phillip Hills and others already in their library.

how to find (and appreciate) your favorite whisky ...
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys single malts and is interested in learning about their history, production and wide range of flavors. The history of whisky is quite fascinating (ever wonder about the origins of the phrase 'the real McCoy'?) and the wonderful range of single malts which the Scots have managed to create using just four simple ingredients - barley, peat, water and yeast - helps to explain why whisky is often referred to as aqua vitae or "the water of life".

The main focus of the book is on the flavors of malt whiskies and a classification of all of the principal malts of Scotland according to their taste. This is priceless information to anyone who is either searching for a single malt to call their own or who has a favorite and is interested in discovering malts of similar flavor. There is an entry for each distillery
producing a single malt; these entries contain, among other information, a unique "flavor profile" for the distillery's principal malt and what facilities are available at the distillery for visitors.

This book serves as a useful and entertaining guide to those who wish to go exploring in the world of single malts.

Novice's and aficionado's alike will...
appreciate this book like they appreciate single malt whisky. Unlike other whisky guides where most of the bottlings reviewed are difficult to find this book focuses on taste profile of the distillery giving the taster a little more room for interpretation. A great approach. I was a little surprised by a few of the flavour classifications given to some whiskies, but then of course when it comes to this type of thing everyones palate is different. The only disappointment was that defunct distilleries such as Port Ellen and Rosebank, distilleries where new bottlings are still quite frequent were omitted.