Tasting Whiskey is a guidebook to whiskey whose name popped up several times in the footnotes for Bourbon Empire. Bryson writes in an accessible style with an encouraging tone, the illustrations are well-designed and clear, and the book covers everything from the art of distilling to the regional styles of whiskey (or whisky).
I was most interested to learn about all of the various factors that influence the taste and smell of the spirit. The source grains, obviously, the barrels, the age, and the blend, but also the amount of reflux during distillation, the location of the barrel in the warehouse, the strain of yeast. I'd never thought about the fact that distilleries need to make decisions about taste and amounts several years in advance of actually delivering the whiskey, a process made tricky by the fickle tastes of the public.
The chapters describing the major whiskey-producing countries (Scotland, Ireland, United States, Canada, Japan) gave a sense of what made each distinctive, but were spotty in their coverage. For example, the Scotch chapter identifies the different regions but only includes sidebars about Islay and Speyside. I would have liked more detail about Japanese whisky in particular.
Now to put Bryson's advice into practice. Sláinte!
I was most interested to learn about all of the various factors that influence the taste and smell of the spirit. The source grains, obviously, the barrels, the age, and the blend, but also the amount of reflux during distillation, the location of the barrel in the warehouse, the strain of yeast. I'd never thought about the fact that distilleries need to make decisions about taste and amounts several years in advance of actually delivering the whiskey, a process made tricky by the fickle tastes of the public.
The chapters describing the major whiskey-producing countries (Scotland, Ireland, United States, Canada, Japan) gave a sense of what made each distinctive, but were spotty in their coverage. For example, the Scotch chapter identifies the different regions but only includes sidebars about Islay and Speyside. I would have liked more detail about Japanese whisky in particular.
Now to put Bryson's advice into practice. Sláinte!
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