A tour of Scottish distilleries explores the history, personality and mystery of the water of life.
As a native of Scotland, bestselling aut... read full description
As a native of Scotland, bestselling aut... read full description
reviews
Aug 12, 2011
Maria
rated it: 
We are heading to Scotland soon and this is one of the few modern travelogues on Scotland I could fine although the theme is very much a tour of the distilleries. It is written by a native of Scotland, now living in Fife who is an author. As such the writing is spirited and entertaining and you get a real sense for the author's personality & friendships. His passion for whiskey is rather infectious. His other great love is cars and driving, and the book contains numerous musings on the cars he o
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Sep 05, 2010
Cams
rated it: 
I used to enjoy whisky. I also enjoy Iain Banks's novels. So it made sense to read a book about whisky by Iain Banks. Ironically, I picked this book up from the boxes of books stored in the church hall where we have our Wednesday AA meetings. I put 50p in the honesty box.
The book is very readable. Iain travels around Scotland visiting distilleries and buying up hunners of bottles. One might say that it's a self-indulgent book by a writer with too much money and who likes nothing more t More...
The book is very readable. Iain travels around Scotland visiting distilleries and buying up hunners of bottles. One might say that it's a self-indulgent book by a writer with too much money and who likes nothing more t More...
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Jan 17, 2010
Glen
rated it:
I would have picked this book up in any case, as I'm a big fan of Banks and could probably enjoy reading him write about the intracacies of inventory management, but since we are headed to Scotland next September, I found this book--about Scotch whiskey and the Scotland distilleries that make it--quite fortuitious. This is Banks's first book of non-fiction, having made his career on both the literary fiction that appears under his own name and the science fiction that appears under his obvious n
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Jul 19, 2009
Thermalsatsuma
rated it:
Banksie! I hear you're writing a book about whisky - you'll be wanting a hand with that then ...
Offering the noted author Iain Banks the opportunity to write a book about whisky is a little bit like giving a five year old child the keys to a sweet shop and the toy shop next door as well. This is an enormously self indulgent book, but Banks writes in an engaging and humorous way about his various wanderings around the Scottish highlands and islands in a variety of interesting cars and More...
Offering the noted author Iain Banks the opportunity to write a book about whisky is a little bit like giving a five year old child the keys to a sweet shop and the toy shop next door as well. This is an enormously self indulgent book, but Banks writes in an engaging and humorous way about his various wanderings around the Scottish highlands and islands in a variety of interesting cars and More...
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Nov 01, 2009
Jeremy
rated it:
I had never really warmed to Iain Banks’ writing (or Iain M Banks for that matter) despite taking on Crow Road and one or two others, but this did offer promise of something different. And different it certainly was.
I do like a good dram of good whisky and I was looking forward to be reminded of some of the great ones I have tasted over the years. I didn’t really expect the book to drift so far away from the subject matter or so frequently. Yes, we are interested in the fabulous Scottish l More...
I do like a good dram of good whisky and I was looking forward to be reminded of some of the great ones I have tasted over the years. I didn’t really expect the book to drift so far away from the subject matter or so frequently. Yes, we are interested in the fabulous Scottish l More...
Dec 14, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it:
This book chronicles Ian's publisher-funded search for the perfect dram of Scotch. In the course of visiting many of Scotland's distilleries, he writes about all the roads he travels, the cars he drives, the friends he visits, the stories that reminds him of, the war he despises--with great wit and verve. I don't think I could keep up with him on a weekend road trip, unless I could convince him to try tequila, but after reading this book, I think I'd like to try.
Dec 27, 2009
Chris
rated it: 
This is a terrible book. A book that peaked my interest by being about Whisky and visiting whisky distilleries. However, the author spends all his time telling you which car he is taking that day and about what he has done in protest about the Iraq war.
Personally, I wanted to read about what the book was about and not any political nonsense or how many cars he has and which one is best depending on weather or type of roads.
Personally, I wanted to read about what the book was about and not any political nonsense or how many cars he has and which one is best depending on weather or type of roads.
Aug 11, 2011
Bookhuw
rated it:
God. The smug, trite tone of this book grated on my nerves beyond belief, and the mendacity of the witty anecdotes just embarrassed me. If I ever try and regale someone with a list of my favourite roads to drive along, I hope they have the sense of self worth to poke me in the eye. Page 155: “If a book hasn’t grabbed me in the first hundred pages or so, I just let it go”. Advice worth heeding.
Dec 29, 2010
Donna
rated it:
humorously written-a baseline for beginners to form their own opinions regarding whiskey but I enjoyed this book just as much as a travelogue and a guide to places to visit when in Scotland
Dec 13, 2011
Colleen
rated it:
This guy is a well known sci-fi writer. I think he saw this book as his opportunity to tell all about his life and his cars and roads in Scotland he's driven his cars since he doesn't get to do such things in his books. Oh and about the Iraq war.
I was really looking forward to a book about whisky and his adventure going to the different breweries. Instead I got a book about his uninteresting life and opinions on things completely unrelated to whisky. I don't care dude. I don't think I More...
I was really looking forward to a book about whisky and his adventure going to the different breweries. Instead I got a book about his uninteresting life and opinions on things completely unrelated to whisky. I don't care dude. I don't think I More...
Aug 03, 2011
Steve
rated it:
one day i'm going to get to Scotland and stand on my square foot of land at the Laphroiag distillery and raise a glass to Iain Banks....cheers
Nov 20, 2007
Jen
rated it:
I picked this up during a vacation in Scotland, and loved the political commentary throughout the book -- probably because he was bashing Bush, and what's not to love there. I also enjoyed some of the digressions and the reminiscing, but wasn't as thrilled by the Great Wee Roads stories as I was by the descriptions of distillery visits. I also wonder if I'd have enjoyed this book as much if I didn't have the exact same taste in whisky as the author does... All in all, an enjoyable read. One thin
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May 05, 2011
Ken
rated it:
Any book cetred around Single Malt wiskey and Scotland has to worth reading.
May 10, 2010
Jess
rated it:
An excellent insight into malt whisky...loved the style and the humour too
Jul 18, 2008
Clarke
rated it:
similar to Judgement of Paris..., this book had me out buying new whiskey's immediately. To some degree I felt as if I was reading a book about myself, fast cars, wandering about with no set destination, and enjoying being with friends and tasting whiskey. this book is about just that, traveling aound enjoying life. It discusses whiskeys, but not heavily detailed....thus if you're looking for definitive guide to whiskey this isn't it. But if you're looking for story about the love of travel, and
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Feb 15, 2011
Jim
rated it:
I enjoy an occasional dram of single malt. I also love Iain Banks' stories. So it was a no-brainer to pick this one up. I learned that he loves to drive on GWRs (great wee roads) and loves to swill whisky. I'm surprised he didn't end up carrying his liver in front of him in a wheelbarrow. But the commentary (a lot of it) between the visits to various distilleries was fun, albeit quite self-indulgent. The descriptions of the various spirits encountered were colorful. A fun read for the most part.
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May 14, 2008
Martin
rated it:
Generally I like Banks, I like whisky, I like Scotland and I like road trips. Thought this was going to be a good book that combined a little of each - with some added history and knowledge of this special drink combined with what Scotland, steeped in heritage, has too offer. Started off well, but slowly descended into sanctimonious nonsense about his fast cars. Poor stuff from the author who wrote such vibrant novels as Wasp Factory, Complicity and Crow Road.
Oct 25, 2009
Stephen
rated it: 
I really did want to enjoy this book and did in part, but it's mainly filled more with anecdotes from the writer about driving around the Scottish countryside and less with stories about the distilleries or the dram. I stalled after about 200 pages when I realized I just didn't have enough of a rapport with the narrator to be interested in continuing further.
Jan 24, 2008
Susie
rated it:
A wonderful book. The writing was very funny. The point of view -pure Scottish. Maybe I liked it so much because I have been to many of the same places and the writer has the same sense of humor as me. Also, the same attitude towards whisky - if you like it you like it -if you don't you don't. I liked this book so much I tried another one of Iain Banks' books. He is mainly a science fiction writer. Couldn't get into it.
Sep 29, 2008
Katie
rated it:
This book took me ages to read as I dipped in and out of it whilst reading other things. It didn't really captivate me hugely, particularly the long sections on his cars/motorbikes/ideal driving routes. The whisky sections were interesting but I felt like he lost the purpose of the book after the 10th description of a distillery tour. Still, interesting in places and glad I read it.
Aug 09, 2007
I am still in the process of reading this. I received this book from an LJ friend after a conversation about scotch whiskey. I was excited to start this book, but so far the bits about scotch have been few and they have not been all that interesting either. I am not that far into it, and I do intend to get back and finish it at some point, but for now it sits on my to read pile.
Mar 28, 2008
Jazza1971
rated it:
A good read, especially for someone like me who loves whisky. Just a shame that Iain (and presumably his editor) don't know the name of the village that the Fettercairn distilliary is in. He seems to think it is in Fochabers...it's in Fettercairn (the clue was in the distillery name really). Fochabers is some 90 miles away from Fettercairn!
Dec 17, 2009
Mark
rated it: 
Iain Banks, prolific author of sci fi and psychological gothic, was asked by his publisher (and given lots of cash) to tour Scotland, visit as many distilleries as possible (in his collection of varied "motors" and with his collection of varied friends and co-partyers), and sample the finest single malts in the world. Need I say more?
Aug 06, 2008
Leslie
rated it:
If you don't like whiskey or the Scots (or Iain Banks, for that matter), you'll likely not enjoy this. I, however, like all three.
Now all I want to do is travel to Scotland and sit around reading and sipping my own wee dram.
Now all I want to do is travel to Scotland and sit around reading and sipping my own wee dram.
