A Sense of Place: A journey around Scotland’s whisky

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I do take a degree of pride that the artists I’m interested in are not easily traceable. Maybe I am programmed to like the obscure. So, what is the “ weird shit” that you are interested in? I am talking strictly whisky here.

A book so beautifully tweedy I actually want to wear it as a hat. I am very glad it includes a map as Dave's authoritative guide has given me many great whisky-holiday ideas.' Damian Barr I do, to some extent, collect music. But the nature of my collecting music is that I just want to find interesting things, rather than wanting to be a completist. Starting in Orkney he travels south via the north east coast and Spey Valley to the westerly peninsulas and Hebridean islands, before his journey finishes, via the blenders of the central belt, on the island of Islay. A personal journey exploring Scotch whiskey through its terroir, including the land, weather, history, craft and culture that feeds and enhances the whisky itself.

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This distillery, for all its beauty, isn’t there for cosmetic reasons. It is a business, but one which is rooted at the centre of island life. As the afternoon melted into night and then the wee hours, the chat was of how whisky making gave a new focal point for the island. I am always interested in distilleries which are pushing things forward. I’m interested in what’s happening in New Zealand. I’m interested in what’s happening the Nordics. And, what is happening there?

Ask any of these new distillers what they are making and they immediately say “not Scotch, but something that comes from where we are from.” What’s fascinating is that new distilleries in Scotland are now working from a similar ethos – their distillers are asking, “What is Scotch whisky? What can Scotch whisky be?” That now includes different strains of barley and different yeasts etcetera. I find that hugely exciting.

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Four books written by Dave Broom “A different way of writing about whisky” Which of your books are you proudest of? Poem & a Pint: Pop-up poetry readings with Shane Stachan and Mae Diansangu and live music by Chef in the Fife Arms, Flying Stag Bar

I used to. But I am now undertaking a rewrite of The World Atlas Of Whisky and have realised that there is no way to do it. The boom in distilling around the world astonishes me. Did you know there are 250 whisky distilleries in Australia?! There are forty-five, maybe 50 in England! When I started writing there were two distilleries in Ireland, and they were owned by the same company. Now there are 50! Now that pyramid has been inverted, and the thinking driving whisky is being dictated by these unobtainable things from what should be the apex which only a very small number of people want, or can afford. Hebridean welcome: Isle of Raasay distillery opened to the sound of theSkye pipe band (Photo: Scott Mooney) Don’t be misled by the subtitle, “A Journey Around Scotland’s Whisky.” The book’s eight chapters only cover a handful of the 140 or more currently active distilleries in Scotland. In fact, of the five or six whisky regions, it only mentions a few. So, it can’t be about ALL of Scotland’s whisky places or styles.Dave Broom's whisky odyssey is in many ways a story of Scotland and the questions we face....Like a good dram, it's complex, and Dave makes an excellent guide... Christina Kernohan's beautiful photographs of the places and people featured in the book add texture and vibrancy to the stories: a window into the distilleries and lives of the craftspeople.” Best of Scotland

This dedication to the 'water of life' comes through the eyes of Charles MacLean, giving the book a personal and insightful perspective on this spirit. This is an engaging, humane and important book. I cannot recommend it too strongly.' Charlie MacLean Keeper Magazine Mr. Broom, who was born in Glasgow and has been writing about spirits for decades, is the perfect author for this beautiful, evocative book. He knows the whisky territory intimately and the people well, and he has the senses of wonder, empathy and history to tie them altogether, as well as the skill to conjure up the smell of the salt air, the sound of barley shimmering in the wind, the vibrations of hammers shaping copper into stills and the singe of the oak staves as a cooper bends them over fire...With beautiful photography by Christina Kernohan, this is the book to give any lover of single malt, along with a bottle of their favorite whisky.' The Year's Best Books on Wine (and Whisky), The New York TimesThe flavour profile of each whisky is analysed, with differences noted, plus you'll learn of the notable men and women who each played a part in their creation.