Whisky Essentials: A Whisky Bible

One of the easiest ways to enjoy whisky like a pro is to learn about the drink first! There are many "Whisky Bibles" out there but I have found Jim Murray's to be the best. They are filled with every dram under the sun, and a huge number of distilleries. It really helps when you want to get the most out of your drinks. Seeing what the "experts" say first, is a good place to start.

 It shouldn't affect your own personal tastes, but should be used as a guide to see what there can be. I like to read up what Jim thinks a whisky tastes like then dive in myself and see how my tasting compares. Generally he is spot on and it is very interesting to see how he names the tastes and smells you are experiencing. There are occasions where I think the artist in him gets away, and he starts getting a little too fancy with the descriptions.  There are tastes that are just too simple to be fully extrapolated like he does.All in all, he does a great job and at the beginning of every chapter he talks about the regions and trends in the whisky business and it is very interesting to read about it. I would recommend a book like this to novices and pros alike, it just makes sense to listen to a man that has tried 'em all!