It’s convention to thank one’s family last. I’ll thank them first: Joanna, Talia, and Elliot, you were a font of humor, wisdom, and above all patience through the course of writing this book, whenever I needed it, and even when I didn’t.
George Scott of Scott & Nix, Inc. was, as always, my drinking buddy and brain trust.
The many publicists, distillers, merchants, marketers, retailers, bartenders, and bar owners who helped out along the way are too numerous to thank individually, but you know who you are. I hope you know that without your help, this book would not exist.
No one did more to make this book a reality, though, than the people who made up the tasting panel. The book may have my name on it, but it is built on your ideas, arguments, and friendship.
Many thanks go to the publishing group at Quercus, including Nathaniel Marunas, Amelia Iuvino, Amanda Harkness, Elyse Gregov, and Michelle Morgan.
We thank Susannah Skiver Barton for a careful read of the manuscript.
We thank Abby Parker and David Rech of Scribenet.
We thank Erin Greb Cartography for the handsome distillery map.
We thank Nathan Sayers for his beautiful photographs.
We thank Spencer Charles and Kelly Thorn for the cover and endpaper designs.
We thank the local and far-flung merchants who helped us acquire bottles, including Lakshmi Massand of Manor House Cellar and Michael Dolega of BQE Wine & Liquors in Brooklyn.
Many thanks to the distilleries and their representatives who sent sample bottles to our offices for review.
We thank the many people from novice to expert who shared good cheer with us and whose impressions contributed to the whisky accounts of the book. The following pages profile the core group of our tasting panel that met in our offices every week to sample and combine our collective brains to try and tease out the nuance that makes malt whisky from Scotland such a beautiful thing.
Most of all we thank Clay Risen for his wit, words, and extraordinary work ethic.
We welcome comments, questions, and suggestions for other whiskies to include in future editions of this guide. Feel free to email us at whisky@scottandnix.com.
Susannah Skiver Barton began her whisky journey at the University of Edinburgh, where she was a member of the Water of Life Society. She’s currently senior whisky specialist and digital editor at Whisky Advocate magazine, where she writes frequently about the subject and regularly tastes whiskies from around the world.
Elizabeth Emmons fell in love with whisky upon her first sip of Laphroaig fourteen years ago and has since had an avid interest in the history and craft of the spirit. Elizabeth is a contributing writer to the online whisky magazine “The Whiskey Reviewer,” and is an active member of various whisky and spirit tasting groups and judging panels in New York City.
Josh Feldman is a well-regarded whisky blogger known for detailed historical essays at “The Coopered Tot” (www.cooperedtot.com). A fixture in the New York whisky scene, Josh leads tasting events and presents about whisky history. He works and has also led events at The Morgan Library, where he is network administrator.
Kurt Maitland started his whisky journey with drams of Jameson in college and has been exploring the wider world of whisky/whiskey ever since. He currently is the deputy editor of the popular “Whiskey Reviewer” website and the curator of the Manhattan Whiskey Club.
Reid Mitenbuler is the author of Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey. He has written about spirits for The Atlantic, Whisky Advocate, The Daily Beast, and Slate, among other publications.
Pradeep Massand is the owner of Valley Stream Wine & Liquor. After a full career in information technology, Pradeep shifted gears to devote all his efforts to become an expert in wine and fine distilled spirits.
Pitchaya Sudbanthad lives and writes in Brooklyn and Bangkok. His debut novel is forthcoming from Riverhead Books.
Liza Weisstuch is the senior editor at Lonely Planet’s “Budget Travel” and an American contributing editor to Whisky Magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and msn.com. She has developed her well-rounded spirits education by visiting more than seventy-five distilleries in thirteen countries.