- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Collins; New edition edition (5 Jun 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0004724496
- ISBN-13: 978-0004724492
- Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 19.3 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 838,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
According to Phillip Hills, it is only in the last couple of decades that distillers have woken up to the fact that some people drink whisky because they actually like it. This is a startling claim, but one that is supported by even a cursory survey of past whisky marketing practices. The stuff was flogged as a signifier of, variously, Scottishness (the wee dram) or social class (upper-class male tipple, usually with soda), but rarely if ever on the grounds of its taste. Those were the days when the only whisky available was blended. Even now that malts have made such a spectacular comeback, the old marketing habits persist in a new guise: whiskies of all types come accompanied by so-called tasting notes of the most dubious provenance and usefulness. Phillip Hills, one of the leading lights of the modern malt revival, will have none of this nonsense. The only way to tell good whisky from less good is to taste as many as possible, taste again and keep tasting until one has confidence in one's powers of discrimination. It will also help to have as deep a knowledge as possible of the chemistry, materials (five of these), manufacturing processes (five of these, too) and cultural history of whisky. All of these he has provided in Appreciating Whisky, an exhaustive--but far from exhausting--primer for the aspiring whisky connoisseur. Independent-minded, witty, erudite and on occasion iconoclastic or downright bawdy, Hills is clearly obsessed by whisky, which makes him the ideal guide to this complex and fascinating drink. This excellent book is likely to remain the most authoritative in its field for a long time. --Robin Davidson
Review
Appreciating Whisky covers ground never before addressed by the literature of whisky ... and does so lucidly, thoroughly, idiosyncratically and with good humour. This book will join that small shelf of 'key sources' in my whisky library. It is essential reading for anyone who, in Phillip Hills' words, wishes to "climb by your own efforts from the slough of incomprehension into the dim light of understanding". Charlie Maclean, Whisky Magazine Independent-minded, witty, erudite, and on occasion, iconoclastic and downright bawdy, Hills is clearly obsessed by whisky and this makes him the ideal guide to this complex and fascinating drink. This excellent book is likely to remain the most authoritative in its field for a long time. Robin Davidson, Amazon.co.uk This book is wonderfully written ... it educates in a very thorough and pleasing manner. Everything you need to know about appreciating whisky, technically and culturally, is here. Read it and you won't need another whisky book in your life. Gordon Haggarty, The List magazine In this swashbuckling book, Pip Hills lays bare all the secrets of whisky from its chemistry to its culture. He goes straight to the heart of the matter with admirable dispatch, revealing how the communion of barley, water, peat and oak creates a spirit of unique complexity. If there was ever a Master of Whisky course, this would be the primer to have at your elbow. Derek Cooper, Food writer and broadcaster
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really loved this book. Most of the whisky books content themselves by describing the productions processes, some history and brief descritpition of the distilleries and tasting notes of their malts. P.Hills is one of the best whisky expert and don't hesitate to mention the nasty and unpleasant practices of this industry. Whisky is not only a very fine drink, but also a huge business with Companies trying to generate more sales using some techniques described in this book!
This book covers all aspects of the whisky, from production to maturation and to tasting.
Fascinating, written in a very personal style, it was a very good suprise for me!
This book covers all aspects of the whisky, from production to maturation and to tasting.
Fascinating, written in a very personal style, it was a very good suprise for me!
Format:Hardcover
Excell ent book for people wishing to expand their knowledge of whisky,this is an advanced educational technical book .
its sometimes hard going,not an easy read,but,theres no gain without pain.
its sometimes hard going,not an easy read,but,theres no gain without pain.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Appreciating "Appreciating Whisky"
3 July 2001
Format:Hardcover
My only complaint about most scotch whisky books is the boring and often impenetrable discussions on distilling and the chemistry of scotch. Hills makes these subjects not just accessible, but fascinating. Phillip Hills' "Appreciating Whisky" proved not only to be the most informative book on scotch I've read, but also the most fun. I've long distrusted the view that single malts don't alter chemically after exposed to air. In demystifying whisky chemistry Hills confirms that once opened, spirits should be drunk rather than left to languish in the bottle. Bravo Mr. Hills!
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
"Appreciating Whisky", to Know Scotch is to Love Scotch
31 Dec 2000
Format:Hardcover
Vastly increase your enjoyment of Scotlands' spirits with Pip Hills new book, Appreciating Whisky. The founder of the Single Malt Whisky Society takes the reader's knowledge well beyond the propaganda of marketeers and into the known sciences of Scotch history and production. An educational and amusing read, Mr. Hills inclusions on human taste and the chemistry of flavor take this book to a catagory of it's own--"knowing Scotch". I recommend this book prior to purchase of single malt scotch guides.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Invaluable Guide to the How and Why of Tasting Whisky.
14 April 2005
Format:Paperback
"Appreciating Whisky" is an excellent guide to doing just that, written for people who would like to understand how whisky is made, why it tastes as it does, and how to recognize and describe those flavors. Author Phillip Hills was a founding member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and writes extensively on Scotch, so the examples and tasting recommendations in this book are for Scotch whisky, although the principles of taste and production apply to all whiskies. "Appreciating Whisky" has two parts: The first 8 chapters provide knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about whiskies, specifically what it tastes like and why. The last 2 chapters explain how to taste whisky and describe some distilleries and their products for your consideration. Phillip Hills' prose is precise and witty throughout.
The book starts out with a lesson in the physiology of taste and goes on to describe the 15 flavors that you should be able to recognize in whisky and where they come from. Then we get a lesson in organic chemistry, as Hills explains the chemistry of whisky production, maturation, and the flavors discussed in the previous chapter. The properties, history, and origins of whisky's five materials -barley, water, yeast, peat, and wood- are described. The details of the five processes involved in whisky production -malting, mashing, brewing, distilling, maturing- are explained. Hills addresses the histories and characteristics of grain and blended whiskies as well as malts. And, finally, he explores how the social context -Scottish culture, corporate culture, and the drinker's culture- has influenced the taste, quality, and our perceptions of Scotch whisky, from its 15th century origins to the present.
Advice relevant to choosing and drinking whiskies is found in those chapters that address the question of why whisky tastes as it does. But the chapter on "Tasting Whisky" is a practical guide to whisky tasting that gets into the nitty gritty of what items you will need and what to do with them. The book's last chapter, "Appreciations", talks about 6 Scotch malt distilleries and their whiskies, as well as a grain whisky distillery, a blender, and some private bottlers. I think anyone who loves whisky but is not an expert on the subject will find "Appreciating Whisky" invaluable.
The book starts out with a lesson in the physiology of taste and goes on to describe the 15 flavors that you should be able to recognize in whisky and where they come from. Then we get a lesson in organic chemistry, as Hills explains the chemistry of whisky production, maturation, and the flavors discussed in the previous chapter. The properties, history, and origins of whisky's five materials -barley, water, yeast, peat, and wood- are described. The details of the five processes involved in whisky production -malting, mashing, brewing, distilling, maturing- are explained. Hills addresses the histories and characteristics of grain and blended whiskies as well as malts. And, finally, he explores how the social context -Scottish culture, corporate culture, and the drinker's culture- has influenced the taste, quality, and our perceptions of Scotch whisky, from its 15th century origins to the present.
Advice relevant to choosing and drinking whiskies is found in those chapters that address the question of why whisky tastes as it does. But the chapter on "Tasting Whisky" is a practical guide to whisky tasting that gets into the nitty gritty of what items you will need and what to do with them. The book's last chapter, "Appreciations", talks about 6 Scotch malt distilleries and their whiskies, as well as a grain whisky distillery, a blender, and some private bottlers. I think anyone who loves whisky but is not an expert on the subject will find "Appreciating Whisky" invaluable.
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