Scotland and Its Whiskies: The Great Whiskies and Their Landscapes
Rugged Scotland's climate is too chilly to grow wine grapes, but it does support fields of barley and rushing streams of crystal waters. These combine to make Scotch whisky, whose well-aged, single-malt varieties connoisseurs prize above all other distilled spirits save France's cognacs and Armagnacs.  Michael Jackson combines his broad knowledge of these whiskies with superb color photographs of Highland vistas in Scotland and its Whiskies. If it's true, as the French contend, that the land itself dictates the kind of wine its vines produce, it follows that Scotland's whiskies will vary from one distillery to another depending on the qualities of grain and water composing the final outcome. Growing taste for artisanal Scotch whisky makes this an especially useful purchase, and its exquisite Highland panoramas make it a worthwhile travel guide as well.Mark KnoblauchCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved