Favourite Whisky Writers

Oops! Noticed a glaring spelling mistake in the title. You know you've had enough drams when...

Aye lyke whiskie writters! How about Charles Bukowski? His main (auto bio) character, Henri Chinaski, fights over a bottle of Cutty Sark with his girlfriend in one seminal scene. Or Nick Flynn?

I've heard tell that whisky bars in London were Stevenson's inspiration for The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. He must have frequented them if he knew so much about their goingson.

Graham Greene wrote some whisky soaked stuff. The Power and the Glory features a "whisky priest."

As for Hemingway, ugh. Me no like-a him-a, as a writer of Gertrude Stein rip-off styled fiction, or as a person with too much to prove at a time in America that conveniently jazzed the public up for fighting in international scams, aka "wars" (his swashbuckling mono syllabic swill known as "diction fiction" certainly helped to get the ball rolling for WWII, to be exact, a much overly romanticized war that was custom-designed by the uber rich to screw over the rest of us, especially those of us that still don't pay enough mind to how it started and was artificially prolonged by sociopathic puppets like Churchill, Mussolini, Roosevelt, and Hitler).

Here's a link to an article that features Irvine Welsh drinking scotch and blathering on about himself. It's rather good, actually. blackbookmag.com/nightlife/…

BTW: Welsh, at the time of the interview, said he was partial to Highland Park 18.

Hear hear. I second that motion.

Barkeep . . . make it a double!

@rigmorole, you may already be familiar with it but I would strongly recommend anyone to watch Howard Zinn's lecture titled 'Holy Wars'. It was just another incredible contribution from an incredible individual.

Oh yeah, favorite writers... I really enjoy Serge's reviews. It's always pleasant to relax with a dram and give his website a good read.

@CanadianNinja - Much agreed -- Serge is probably my favorite, online or in print. There are many great whisky writers and bloggers out there, but Serge has a way with words and a sly humor that puts him in a class by himself.

Of course, I'll never get to sample 99% of the whiskies he's tasted. With the possible exception of Murray, I don't know of any "booze pundit" with more tasting experience.

Charlie McLean, John Hansell, Oliver Klimek, Dave Broom, and Chuck Cowdery, are also right up there. Plus at least a dozen Connosr members who I won't mention because I'll probably forget someone.

@MarkSafari I don't like reading a good book drinking a dram... I like listening music (classic music or folk); but I think Michael Jackson the best whisky writer.

My fav whisky writer must be Dominic Roskrow, for he has a nice way with words, but also does not shy away from some of the inconvenient truths about the whisky industry. Dave Broom and Charles McClean, as well as Dr Wishart read easily. Gavin D Smith has a knack for good texts as well. One that I am not very fond of is Mr Murray. Serge is indeed a class apart.

I have not been exposed to too many books written about whisky, although I do have The Whisky Yearbook 2013 which features fantastic articles written by many different whisky writers. Otherwise, I have read Dave Broom's Whisky Atlas, Michael Jackson's Whisky Companion, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, flipped through a few at the local book store and read a couple of magazines. Then there is all the online content which is mostly amateur work, but quite respectable.I can easily say that my favortie whisky read would be Dave Broom's Whisky Atlas. It's the closests thing you can get to actually visiting the amazing distilleries around the world! The pictures, the poetry (his descriptions of whisky are beyond just words) and the atmosphere that it sets (reading it amplifies my enjoyment of the whisky I might be drinking). If I were to choose one from the BOTTOM of the pile, it would have to be Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. His ratings are way to generous and bias. The format of the book would be better off if published by Webster's at worst, and the content is the sign of mass production without the individual care that each whisky deserves. I respect Jim Murray for his experience, and somewhat envy him as I'm sure most whisky drinkers do, but I can't give The Whiskey Bible credit for anything more than the dust it has attracted on my book shelf.

Now to focus on what dram to drink tonight?

Cheers!

Most enjoyable whisky book I've read is Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies to try before you die. You learn without getting bored, or bogged down in details.

Plenty of enjoyable writers online - Serge as has been mentioned if you want to read tasting notes, Klimek for commentary, and David Driscoll on K&L Spirits Journal is always a great read - my personal favorite blog.

Ian Buxton has a nice way with words and doesn't take it all too seriously. In his "101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die" he talks about whisky with humour and realistic expectation. Michael Jackson for a more scholarly approach to the subject. Online, Serge rules.

If we are talking about fiction, I read a fair bit of Brit. crime stuff. Ian Rankin's Inspector John Rebus hangs out in the Oxford Bar and chases shots of bar blend with pints of heavy. Reginald Hills Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel consumes a fair bit of Highland Park and Peter Robinson's DCI Alan Banks is very fond of Laphroaig. I am currently reading a very early John Le Carre novel called the Naive and Sentimental Lover which is unlike any of his other novels (no spies in this one). A 1953 Talisker is mentioned and consumed quite frequently in this offbeat, slightly surreal novel.

I have always found Michael Jackson's writing top notch. HIs reviews are solid and dependable. Dave Broom's reviews are strong and approachable as well. Always enjoy a paragraph from Charles MacLean.