Staff Pick
This is a beautiful book. It has all the earmarks of a coffee table book, except for its relatively small size. It’s lovely before you even get inside the book: copper foil on the cover and, gasp, a jet-black fore edge (and top and bottom edges as well). I don’t even drink much whisky and yet I found this trivia-oriented book fascinating. What is potcheen? What does single malt mean? What is a butt, a puncheon, a hogshead? There’s a chapter on whisky literature. Oh yeah, and prohibition.
Now I’m not saying the ladies will not like this book (‘cause I’m a lady and I like it), but A Field Guide to Whisky would make a great dad gift. Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
“Deserves a place in the home of every whisky fan.” Ewan Gunn, global whisky master at Diageo
Review
“This book is a must for all lovers of whisky.” Charles MacLean, author and founding editor of Whisky Magazine
Review
“Hans Offringa is one of the best whisky writers.” Ingvar Ronde, publisher and editor of Malt Whisky Yearbook
About the Author
Hans Offringa is an author and an internationally renowned whisky expert. He holds many esteemed titles in the whisky world: Patron of the Whisky Festival Northern Netherlands, Honorary Scotsman, Honorary Member of the Caledonian Society of Charleston (SC), Keeper of the Quaich, and Kentucky Colonel. He is also the contributing editor for Europe for Whisky Magazine, and one of the lecturers at the International Whisky School in Groningen, Netherlands. Offringa and his wife, Becky Lovett Offringa, are known as the Whisky Couple, and have been judges at the Dutch Whisky Awards since its inception.