Whisky: The Manual: A no-nonsense guide to enjoying whisky in all its forms

by Dave Broom

This highly accessible and enjoyable guide is full of practical and fascinating information about how to enjoy whisky. All whisky styles are covered, including (just whisper it) blends. Along the way a good few myths are exploded, including the idea that whisky has to be taken neat. In 'What to Drink', world-renowned expert Dave Broom explores flavour camps - how to understand a style of whisky - and moves on to provide extensive tasting notes of the major brands, demonstrating whisky's extraordinary diversity. In 'How to Drink', he sets out how to enjoy whisky in myriad ways - using water and mixers, from soda to green tea; and in cocktails, from the Manhattan to the Rusty Nail. He even looks at pairing whisky and The Manual is a spirited, entertaining and no-nonsense guide, dispelling the mysteries of whisky and unlocking a whole host of exciting possibilities for this magical drink.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Booze, Alcohol, Food, Cooking, Cookbooks

471 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Rebecka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good - but not great - book. It helps that the edition is gorgeous, but it didn't make me forget altogether that this is a somewhat confusingly written book. I get the impression it targets people who already know a bit about whisky, who've already read about all of these things, and who now get a quick recap. First of all, a proper introduction is missing (it just goes through silly whisky myths). Since the first long chapter is that dealing with the history of drinking whisky, it uses lots of terms and talks about things that haven't been previously explained (what's a malt? What's a blend? Do they make whisky from corn??).

You get some explanations, and a rundown of the process of whisky making, in the following chapter. Not great.

And all technical details are thrown at you as if you're very familiar with distilleries in general. There are some pictures and all that, but mostly, I felt this chapter was just put in there because it was necessary, and the author hurried his way through it, not really caring much.

The author definitely has a particular way of writing, but not one that is well suited for non-fiction. You realize that when you get to his catalog of whiskey brands in the second half of the book, which is written perhaps a little bit too... lovingly.

But that part is actually the strength of the book - the different whiskeys, the drinks, the cocktail materials. Like most people who like whisky I think the guy who wrote this is just that, a guy who really likes whisky. A good idea then would perhaps have been to hire a second author to write the technical and historical chapters.

Still, this is an inspiring book! I'm very thrilled about trying some different blending alternatives now, since I always drink my whisky neat and haven't really tried any of the options presented by the author before (putting ice in it is still pretty much out of the question though). Also, since he is less than thrilled by Coca Cola as a mixer, I feel I can perhaps trust him. I find nothing as nauseating as a Whisky and Coke...

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read tome that covers the history of whisky, reviews of different malts and blends and a short guide to making cocktails. While not that comprehensive in the reviews there is enough here to make me want to find out more about them (and some interesting Japanese whiskys). Broom has also paired them with various mixers including green tea, coconut milk and ginger beer, which I wouldn't have thought about pairing them with. A solid guide but it does assume that you have some knowledge of whisky.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5…Nothing earth-shattering, but a decent primer on history, distillation, grains, standard bottles, mixers (spoiler alert…Ginger Ale is the supreme mixer for American Whiskey…and he ain’t wrong), and cocktails. I think I liked Dave’s similar book on Gin, cause when I read it, I just knew less about Gin.

[Nick Stumo-Langer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind of in love with this book, great history of whiskey, excellent rating of almost 100 different brands and kinds, and contextual recipes of classic and new whiskey-forward cocktails. I tabbed a lot in this book, and I look forward to bringing this book out numerous times throughout my life.

[J. Scott Frampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been referring to this book for years. Finally decided to log it. Good sections on the Scottish distilleries… which is huge. So many. But, proves an even billing to the other countries…. Namely, the good ole USA Bourbon. Enjoy the knowledge.

[Tom Simpkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs to mention more whiskies in book

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at whisky, focusing on which mixer goes best.

[Veselin Nikolov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewing it is a bit like reviewing a dictionary. The book contains a brief history of whiskey, explains the main flavor camps, and gives advice on how to drink them. Most of it is photos of bottles + wine-style reviews and recommendations about mixers. Can't really imagine the process of writing the book. Today I try Johnie Walker with these 5 mixers and write my notes until I pass out :)

I tried my first cocktail with a smoky whiskey. It was interesting ;)

[Søren S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book seems to insist on how, say green tea, mix with whisky and it doesn’t care much about having your whisky neat. In the end it’s more a cocktail/long drink exercise, with focus on whisky, than a classic whisky book. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Broom is foremost a cocktail lover, much more than a whisky expert, which is great for the evolution of spirits and entertaining descriptions of cocktails.

[Mark Heywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this 5 stars, but I should provide some context to this rating. It gets this rating for delivering exactly what it set out to achieve 1) Beginners guide to what whisky is and how to drink it. 2) Suggesting mixers related to readily available whiskies. I thought it delivered these objectives very well. If you were expecting more from this book you may be tempted to rate it lower, but that would be expecting more than the author intended. Great book for beginners and for veterans that only drink their whisky neat (or with a splash) and want a little guidance on how and what to mix with. This will be on my reference shelf. I'm very interested in the green tea mix.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bel ouvrage de référence sur les whisky. Le plus grand points forts est certainement la liste des différents whisky classé selon leur pays, la liste des cocktails est également intéressante, la partie plus historique/théorique est également bien fait. Seul petite déception, l'auteur semble vouloir nous convaincre qu'un whisky doit être bu de manière mélangée (cocktails, avec de l'eau, avec du thé vert, etc.), personnellement, je n'ai rien contre l'idée de le faire, mais ce n'est pas obligatoire et j'aurais aimé plus de détails et d'information pour ceux qui le préféère sec. Sinon, très bon livre, pour ceux qui désire en savoir plus sur cette délicieuse boisson.

[Stef Brogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has some good information regarding history and occasional interesting
thoughts about mixers etc, but seemed a bit of an apologist for ‘big whisky’ Life is too short for poor whisky, and the arguments for them sounded economic.

[Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un indispensable tant par sa liste de whiskys référencés que par les différents thèmes abordés.

[Jimbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Covers the history of whiskys throughout the world, and includes an in depth analysis of a multitude of brands, each tried with water, coconut water, ginger, green tea.

[Jennifer Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know that bourbon is technically whisky but I am a purist and consider it a stand apart alcohol. It was just a meh read for me.

[Bruce Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I learn a lot about whiskey from this book? It covers everything from makers to processes, to the different brands and tastes. It makes you want to get on a plane and go to Scotland.

[Joe Baur · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might assume there's a bit of pretension in the whisky world, same as there is in wine or craft beer. But Broom pulls away that layer and presents the world of whisky in an approachable, universal way. Best of all, you walk away understanding the fundamentals of whisky, namely that it's 'just a drink' to be enjoyed.