Just arrived in our mailbox: the new Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016, still smelling like… well… other new books. The concept hasn’t changed, it’s still as fresh and up-to-date as ever.
The big reference part of the 290 pages are an overview of Scotch malt whisky distilleries, one page for each, including their latest releases, facts & figures, contact details and now also the pronunciation of their name. There’s also a chapter with 14 new distilleries like Wolfburn, Kingsbarns, Annandale, Roseisle… Closed distilleries and Japan have similar chapters, while the increasing list of ‘world’ whiskies have more concise descriptions.
The article part includes in-depth writings from familiar whisky writers like Charles Maclean, Ian Buxton, Gavin D Smith, Martine Nouet and Neil Ridley.
Let’s look at the themes that are discussed this year:
- Turf’s up, a look at how peated whiskies are made around the globe at Kavalan, Mackmyra and Lark distillery. Also a nice article to learn the word ‘to acquiesce’…
- Reign of Terroir, a look at terroir in whisky, varieties of barley, maturation location, etc… while talking about Bruichladdich, Karuizawa, Amrut and others.
- Whisky & food – Strike the good match, a rather practical guide to pairing whisky and fish, meat, vegetables, cheese, chocolate…
- Only connect malt and malt consumers, about the current-day market that consists of highly informed consumers and collectors, and how producers respond to this situation.
- The cask is king, a bit of history of casks, coopering and wood management.
- Craft and innovation, about craftsmanship, artisan, hand-crafted character and how sometimes these words are used in a questionable way.
The Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016 will be available in specialized book stores and whisky shops over the next few weeks. This yearly overview of the whisky industry is an essential read for dedicated whisky lovers as well as beginners. It’s a big treasure of information, nice to keep at hand while discovering new drams, or simply to have on your bedside table. Around € 20.
Update: the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2017 is here!
