Although I am not a whisky drinker (I have been known to refer to myself as crap Scot for this reason 😉 ), being the daughter of a connoisseur and collector of Scottish malt whiskies, over the years I have developed a real interest in the stories and histories of Scottish whiskies and distilleries. Frequently my Dad and I chat about whisky; the difference between Scottish mainland and island whiskies, the impact of regional water on the taste, the impact of the different casks and so on.
So you can imagine my excitement when I was invited to read and review The Whisky World Tour: A curated guide to unforgettable distilleries and their whiskies. I am happy to report that this fascinating and beautiful book has developed my interest even further, including geographically as it spans the world. It even had me retrieving my whisky tasting glasses from the back of a kitchen cupboard and sampling a dram or two!
I admit that as soon as I received the guide by award-winning drinks writer Joel Harrison, I immediately leapt to the part of the book dedicated to Scotland and its whiskies. Lets face it, being Scottish, that’s where my heart lies. Because of my Dad I knew of many of the whiskies and distilleries included, but I wasn’t aware of some of the history. This I found so fascinating.
The Whisky World Tour starts with a forward written by Charles MacLean, M.B.E., Master of the Quaich, and a succinct but really interesting introduction, followed by a guide to how the book works, facts about whisky and how to enhance your experience when visiting a distillery. Following that the tour begins, first taking you to North America to explore ‘bourbon whiskey’ through the heartland of the US including Texas, Kentucky, Colorado and Tennessee. Also included is the Forty Creek distillery in Canada.
The next stop on the tour is Ireland, featuring a fair few whiskies from the Republic of Ireland, including the famous Jameson Distillery Bow Street in Dublin. However when I have thought of Irish whiskey, I have never considered whiskey being produced in Northern Ireland before. This guide rectified that for me.
The penultimate section of the book focuses on whiskies and distilleries from the rest of the world, which is truly fascinating. Prior to reading The Whisky World Tour I knew that whisky was now being produced in England, and this guide features a whisky from the Cotswolds. Also featured are whiskies from France, Germany, Denmark, China, New Zealand and other countries. In fact this book informed me that whisky is produced in 87 countries! However I am sure you won’t be disappointed to read that The Whisky World Tour doesn’t feature all 87 countries.
It does dedicate a whole section to the Japanese production of whisky which started as early as the 1920s! This is another fact that I have been astounded by, especially as I assumed the production of Japanese whisky was a 21st century development.
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to the blog tour of The Whisky
World Tour, a beautiful and educational guide that I love. Thank you also to Mitchell Beazley / Octopus Books for sending me an advance, gifted copy. And thank you to Joel Harrison for expanding my whisky knowledge.
If you are looking for a lovely new book to don your coffee table, The Whisky World Tour is ideal. It will also make a great present for any whisky lover.
The Whisky World Tour was published by Mitchell Beazley / Octopus Books on 4 September 2025, so is available now to buy. To follow the blog tour, please see below.
