Book Review: The Whisky World Tour
Like an alumnus from an Ivy League institution, if there is one thing whisky has always done well, it’s telling a story about itself. The Whisky World Tour takes this instinct and stretches it across continents, offering a polished itinerary through the usual pantheon — Scotland, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Japan — and then a few destinations that feel like bonus tracks on a deluxe edition of your favorite album: India, Taiwan, Australia, and Sweden.
That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable. It is very easy to get lost in these well-designed pages with beautiful photography, dram in hand, happily nodding knowing affirmations as author Joel Harrison describes how the cool Scottish climate is perfect for slow maturation, or how Japanese distillers borrowed Scotland’s homework and then, in usual Japanese fashion, turned it in neater.
The structure is predictable, which isn’t a flaw so much at this point as it is a genre requirement. Scotland gets pride of place, naturally, with misty glens, island peat, and the obligatory reminder that whisky around those parts is spelled without the “e.” Ireland follows, draped in history and pot stills, rehabilitating its reputation after decades of challenges. The United States chapter leans on bourbon and rye, with just enough charm to keep clichés in healthy circulation. Canada makes an appearance, keeping true to form with the country’s reputation for being polite and understated (unless provoked). Japan receives the respectful awe usually reserved for a Michelin three-star restaurant: precision, elegance, balance, harmony. You can almost hear the piano music of Ryuichi Sakamoto in the background.
Harrison’s writing excels when it shines a spotlight on new territories. Taiwan is presented as an improbable success story: hot climate, rapid maturation, Kavalan elbowing its way into award shows and rattling the establishment. India receives dual treatment: mass-market blends outselling everyone, and a handful of distilleries chasing top-tier respectability. Australia and Sweden are cast as quirky upstarts, their whiskies less about centuries-old tradition and more about proving that whisky can be made in places that do not resemble a postcard from Islay.
The delivery is polished and, at times, almost a little too careful. Many countries are described as “unique,” bottles “complex,” distillery narratives “fascinating.” There’s little edge, and almost no skepticism. No mention, for instance, that some of these producers lean heavily on marketing budgets the size of small nations. The book loves whisky too much to risk offending it.
But maybe that’s the point. The Whisky World Tour isn’t meant to pick fights or unsettle the faithful. It’s designed for reassurance: wherever you go, whisky is thriving. The cynic might call it a liquid United Nations or one of those Benetton advertisements, every dram a vote for harmony. The romantic might say it shows how one spirit can express itself so many different ways depending on climate, culture, and ego. Both things are true.
As a reading experience, the book works best as an armchair passport. You can taste along, lining up bottles from Speyside to Suntory, though your bank account may take exception to this idea. It’s the kind of book that allows readers to imagine themselves in a windswept Scottish warehouse one moment and a gleaming Taiwanese stillhouse the next.
Yes, whisky is global. Yes, every nation thinks its version is the best. And yes, the romance of water, grain, oak, and time still sells and most likely always will. The book doesn’t challenge that mythology, but it packages it beautifully and summarizes it in a way that is very approachable for newcomers. Whether you sip it straight or with a dash of skepticism, it goes down easy.
252 pages.
B+ / $27 [BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON]
The post Book Review: The Whisky World Tour appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.