| The
Bluffer's Guide to Whisky |
| By
David Milsted |
| |
| Extracts
from the book | |
| |
| Jargon |
| Like
all the best things, whisky is a fairly simple business that can easily be made
to sound exclusive and impressive by a judicious application of the arcane and
by a liberal sprinkling of jargon. If you keep in mind that no two whisky's are
alike, while bearing in mind that 99% of whisky drinkers cannot tell the difference,
you cannot go wrong. |
| |
| Blends |
| You
would be better advised to try cracking the formula of Coca-Cola, than attempt
to discover what has gone into a bottle of your usual brand of blended whisky. |
| |
| Distilleries |
| There
are dozens of Speyside distilleries, mostly clustered about the line from Elgin
to Dufftown. Be sure to quote the old Speyside jingle: 'Rome was built on seven
hills, Dufftown on seven stills'. |
| |
| Irish |
| Irish
Whiskey tastes sweeter because no peat is used to kiln the malt; this is odd for
a country that has virtually more bog per hectare than anywhere else on the planet. |
| |
| Highland
qualities |
| As
one of the principal variables of whisky, water should enable you to anatomise
the contents of your glass in terms that leave the average wine enthusiast eating
your dust. Enthuse about its unique 'Highland qualities', that is to say ready-infused
with mystic trace elements of peat, granite, heather, midge, tweed, damp and Roman
Ninth legion. |
| |
| Reviews |
|
| |
| The
Bluffer's Guides are ideal reading if you want to spout off knowledgeably
without actually knowing very much. |
|
Aberdeen
Evening Press |
| |
| The
Bluffer's Guides take a light-hearted look at the subject, yet there is a
good deal of useful information. |
|
The
Sunday Independent |
| |
| Table
of Contents | |
| |
|
The Basics
Varieties Blended
Whisky
What's in It?
De Luxe or Premium Blends
Super De Luxe Blends
Supermarket Blends
Single Grain Whisky
Miniatures Name
Your Bluff
Common Names
Silly Names
Phoney Names Characteristics
Malt
Whisky
The Bluffing Elements
Water
Barley
Peat
Yeast
Pot-stills
Cask
Colour The
Pay-off Types
of Malt
Vatted Malt
Single Malt
Single-Cask Malt
The Ultimate
Bluff Regions
Eastern
Northern
Perthshire
Lowland
Island
Islay
Campbeltown
Speyside
Glenlivet Whisky
Notes
Labels
Mixers
Glasses
'Scotch': A Warning Glossary
The Process
The Product
Appearance
Nose
Taste
Character
|
| |
Fortune
Telling
