Thanks for the timely delivery of both books (one to my home, one I sent to a friend). The books were in the condition you described them to be. Thank you.

I have read quite a few books on Scotch Whisky over the years. Still I wanted to renew my knowledge on some of the other distilled beverages so I ordered this book for my Kindle. First, much of the Dummies series formating is lost in the Kindle version, but that didn't bother me too much. However, I quickly grew tired of all of the repetition as well as the glib nature of the book (if you are not funny, don't try to be).

I agree with other reviewers that there are more errors here than one would expect in a Dummies book. The one about Sake caught my eye right away. Yes, in some parts of Japan the word "sake" is used to refer to all alcohol beverages, including "shochu", which is a distillate of any number of materials, including sweet potato, rice and soba (buckwheat). However, it most often refers to the wine-like rice brew so tightly associated with that word in the rest of the world. The author listed sake as a distilled beverage. Although he was not technically wrong, he should have explained more about sake and it's related spirits if he was going to mention them at all.

Secondly, the Scottish island of Islay is pronounced "Eye-lah", not "Eye-lay" as the author wrote. It may seem like a small issue but just try pronouncing it his way to a Scotsman.

Overall, not a bad book to start with, but I think that an update is called for. Try "Kindred Spirits" or Michael Jackson's "Whiskey" instead.

Kindred Spirits: The Spirit Journal Guide to the World's Distilled Spirits and Fortified Wines
Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide

I have read several books on Scotch about 10 years ago. I wanted to renew my knowledge on some of the other distilled beverages so I ordered this book for my Kindle. First, much of the Dummies series formating is lost in the Kindle version, but that didn't bother me too much. However, I quickly grew tired of all of the repetition as well as the glib nature of the book (if you are not funny, don't try to be).

I agree with other reviewers that there are more errors here than one would expect in a Dummies book. The one about Sake caught my eye right away. Yes, in some parts of Japan the word "sake" is used to refer to all alcohol beverages, including "shochu", which is a distillate of any number of materials, including sweet potato, rice and soba (buckwheat). However, it most often refers to the wine-like rice brew so tightly associated with that word in the rest of the world. The author should have explained that distinction.

Secondly, the Scottish island of Islay is pronounced "Eye-lah", not "Eye-lay" as the author wrote. It may seem like a small issue but just try pronouncing it his way to a Scotsman.

Overall, not a bad book to start with, but I think that an update is called for. Try "Kindred Spirits" or Michael Jackson's "Whiskey" instead.

Kindred Spirits: The Spirit Journal Guide to the World's Distilled Spirits and Fortified Wines
Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide

I have read several books on Scotch about 10 years ago. I wanted to renew my knowledge on some of the other distilled beverages so I ordered this book for my Kindle. First, much of the Dummies series formating is lost in the Kindle version, but that didn't bother me too much. However, I quickly grew tired of all of the repetition as well as the glib nature of the book (if you are not funny, don't try to be).

I agree with other reviewers that there are more errors here than one would expect in a Dummies book. The one about Sake caught my eye right away. Yes, in some parts of Japan the word "sake" is used to refer to all alcohol beverages, including "shochu", which is a distillate of any number of materials, including sweet potato, rice and soba (buckwheat). However, it most often refers to the wine-like rice brew so tightly associated with that word in the rest of the world. The author should have explained that distinction.

Secondly, the Scottish island of Islay is pronounced "Eye-lah", not "Eye-lay" as the author wrote. It may seem like a small issue but just try pronouncing it his way to a Scotsman.

Overall, not a bad book to start with, but I think that an update is called for. Try "Kindred Spirits" instead.Kindred Spirits: The Spirit Journal Guide to the World's Distilled Spirits and Fortified Wines

Whiskey/whisky is experiencing a surge in interest and popularity, so it's not surprising to see a book like this. What is surprising is to see such a sub-standard volume in the "for Dummies" series. This book is freighted with unfortunate bits of misinformation -- Scotch whisky is distilled from oats? Sake is a spirit? 25% alcohol is "just about right" for most wines? -- that a "dummy" would have no way of identifying as wrong. The tone of the book suffers from an overdone cuteness that made me wish the author had spent more time fact-checking than phrase-turning.

The author, Perry Luntz, has been in the booze business for years...in marketing. And it shows, in the amount of attention this text showers on packaging and advertising. Most of us would rather drink a good spirit than buy a pretty package. While there is some worthwhile information here, there is too much that is wrong or superfluous to make that worthwhile information...worth buying this book.

The brand reviews are plentiful and useful, and so is the information about how spirits products were developed, but the special bonus are the travel sections that present contact information making it a cinch to incorporate a distillery visit into virtually any trip, virtually anywhere spirits are enjoyed.