Product Description

As a native of Scotland, bestselling author Iain Banks has decided to undertake a tour of the distilleries of his homeland in a bid to uncover the unique spirit of the single malt. Visiting some of the world's most famous distilleries and also some of its smallest and most obscure ones, Banks embarks on a journey of discovery which educates him about the places, people and products surrounding the centuries-old tradition of whisky production. Using various modes of transport - ferries to the islands, cars across the highlands, even bicycles between bus-stops - Banks' tour of Scotland combines history, literature and landscape in an entertaining and informative account of an exploration in which the arrival is by no means the most important part of the journey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103581 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Literary Review
"…fiery, variegated, and full of delicious moments"

Lea Valley Star, 22 October 2003
'...the detail is fascinating...very readable...'

Time Out
"It’s a very readable and hugely informative book, and Bank’s gentle humour permeates the pages."

Customer Reviews

No spirit
Waste of money. Self-indulgent, parochial, political. Rather buy something on whisky by Jim Murray or the late Michael Jackson. Any book on Scotland by anybody on earth, even if he is from Tierra del Fuego,would be better. And as for the author's friends, his youth, cars and his naive and fashionable politics- who cares and why does he think anybody else would?

Self indulgent and boring!
How can Iain Banks have assembled such a tedious book? I'm almost of an age with him; I too used to fool about with cannabis, I'm a Scot like him and I hate the Iraq war and the politicians that got us into it. And over the years, I've grown to love malts. And I even Like Iain Banks' books.
I'm going to love this, right? Nooooo!
It reeks of a book written in a hurry for a cheque. Did he ever re-read it once written? There's maybe a good 50 page pamphlet in there; please please don't make me re-read all those tedious sections with his so-entertaining pals and his so-fantastic cars. Iain, sober up!

Warm and hilarious
I occasionally drink whisky and know a little about what is a good whisky. I'm not especially interested in cars or driving. I've read a couple of Ian Bank's other books, but found them rather grim or obscure for my taste.
That said, I greatly enjoyed reading this book - despite not being a whisky, Ian Banks or car buff. The book, as made clear in the introduction, is a ramble around Scotland in every sense of the word ramble. Ian Banks travels around Scotland describing the roads he travels, the car he drives, the people he meets, the scenery, a little history, the friends he stays with, his opinions on the Iraq war, a bit on the publishing process, the distilleries he tours and the whisky he drinks. He has a really great time and I had a great time reading it. He also comes out with some absolutely brilliant one line cracks and punchlines that made me laugh out loud.
This one is now the front running book for buying as presents this year.