Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch

If you have even a passing interest in single malts, you need this book. Buy it now. And don't let your friends swipe your copy, even though they'll want to.


I love this book!   June 28, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

If you love single malt whisky, you'll love this book. As a single malt lover, I use this book as a guide to explore the world of single malt whisky. Since I am stiil young and poor, it's not possible to taist too much whisky. You have to make a purchasing list for yourself. I am very happy to find out that this books can help me make the decision. I am not saying the point is everything. If you beleve your own taist, you do not have to agree with the author's comment. However, it's a way to build your own guide step by step. Until now, I have tried about 10 brands with about 30 different ages scotch. It's really an interesting world.


Authoritative   January 19, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Jackson's book is the best of the lot. He brings a love of fine whisky to bear with no pre-established perceptions. Kyle Wallace


A compact, yet suprisingly complete guide to scotch whisky   September 5, 1998
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Mr. Jackson has arranged a concise and easy to use encyclopedia for scotch whisky. The inclusion of over 300 malts has made it difficult for me to find a bottle that he has not listed, tasted, and graded. However; I derive the most pleasure from his descriptions of the hamlets, towns and hollows that surround the distilleries. A brief description of the malting process, and some history of scotch whisky, make this a good starting point for a novice taster. I am dismayed to see that it is out of print as I have found it to be a fine gift that has been appreciated by friends.


If I could only buy one book about Single Malts, this would be the one.   April 3, 1998
james_zagrzebski@marforres.usmc.mil (Twin Cities, MN)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Although some have said that the practice of assigning a numerical rating scale to single malts is overgeneralizing and therefore inaccurate, I find it to be a useful guide and at least a valuable insight into the mind of someone who is known to be one of the world's foremost experts on single malts. True, rating single malts from 0-100 is sometimes akin to comparing diverse items such as a sunset, a Picaso, a good cup of coffee. Nonetheless, for the novice, this book offers tremendous insight. It describes the majority of house styles of all the distilleries, and provides a good brief history and explanation of the malting, brewing, distillation and aging processes necessary to create fluid works of art. A MUST for the novice single malt taster and the discriminating imbiber . My copy is worn, torn, dog-eared and used daily.