Whisky, Wit & Wisdom: A Verbal Distillation - Couverture souple

The book deals with the lighter and quirkier sides of whisky-making, whisky consumption, whisky over-consumption, whisky in literature, whisky and the law, and even whisky and death. A selection of leading whisky industry personalities have contributed their favourite humorous stories concerning 'the cratur', and the text is augmented by a series of historic Punch cartoons and modern cartoons in a wide variety of styles. Some sample entries concerning foreign countries and whisky include: Many nations have tried to copy Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y, and none more determinedly than the Japanese. One English-born former Tokyo resident recalled being asked in the 1920s by a local whisky distiller to come up with a label which would lull drinkers into believing that they were getting genuine Scotch. He suggested 'Guaranteed bottled in Buckingham Palace under the personal supervision of His Majesty the King.' The labels were duly printed and the whisky went on sale. and Stories are told of early Japanese whiskies with names such as 'King Anne', but a personal favourite concerns a whisky produced in Ecuador. One can only conjecture about the origins of the name, and speculate that perhaps a disgruntled expatriate Scotsman was asked to help choose something suitable. The whisky is marketed as 'Auld Piss.'

Gavin D. Smith is a freelance journalist and author specialising in horseracing and whisky. He is the author of the A-Z of Whisky and co-author of Wort, Worms and Washbacks.