This is the forth edition, revised and enlarged, of R.J.S. McDowall's classic book, which has been an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide to the whiskies of Scotland for two decades. An international recession that closed many long-established distilleries, and a shift in drinking habits towards wines, and, paradoxically, toward the single malts, brought about many changes in the whiskey industry. Professor McDowall felt that few were as well qualified to assess those changes as his son-in-law, William Waugh, who owns perhaps even more to his father-in-law's tutelage than to his fine cellar. The Whiskies of Scotland is also a reliable guide to those distilleries that encourage visitors. Indeed, it is the book for all who are interested in whisky–from the novice, who innocently imagines that all Scotch is created equal, to the better informed, who appreciate the traditional skills that go into producing a distinctive whisky, unique and inimitable.

"Every library on food and drink should have one good book about Scotch. This is one." - Booklist

"Several books on Scotch have been published since Professor McDonwall's, but none better, particularly for its emphasis on the single malts." - Financial Times