Now is the most exciting time for craft spirits. Craft distilling is riding a perfect wave, as consumers look for provenance and heritage, drink less but better, and seek bespoke and original drinks rather than homogenous global brands. Gin distilling has become particularly popular in London, tequila is back in fashion, Cuban rum is making a resurgence, and great whiskies are being created everywhere, from France to Japan, Taiwan to Denmark. 

 

Gone are the days of brand loyalty. Instead, drinkers are choosing from a portfolio of drinks to match where they are and what they are doing, from a relaxing gunpowder tea-based gin to a festive spiced rum, and from a contemplative single malt to a fiery absinthe.

 

Brought together in one accessible guide, here are 350 of the world’s most interesting and innovative spirits – whiskies, gins, vodkas, rums, brandies, liqueurs, poteens, tequilas, piscas, schnapps, and brandies/cognacs. Researched and written by leading whisky writer, Dominic Roskrow, each entry includes a specially commissioned drawing, tasting description, strength, distillery information, and spirit type.

 

Each chapter is devoted to seven different moods (Social, Adventurous, Poetic, Bucolic, Contemplative, Gastronomic, Imaginative), and alongside the entries there are numerous useful features on related subjects, including gin and whisky distilleries, spirit bars, whisky festivals, craft distillers, and mixing spirits and food.

 

The second in the “Seven Moods” series, this little guide is destined to become the pocket bible to craft spirits for years to come.

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Author 

Dominic Roskrow is an internationally acclaimed spirits writer specialising in whisky. He has written about the drinks industry for more than 25 years, and has edited magazines including Whisky Magazine, The Spirits Business, Whiskeria and Pub Business. He has written 10 books on spirits, for publishers including Harper Collins, Dorling Kindersley and Quarto. In 2015 he won Drinks Writer of the Year in the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards and this year his book Whisky: Japan was given ‘Best in The World’ status at the Gourmand Culinary Awards in Beijing.

 

His books include The World’s Best Whiskies (Jacqui Small), The Whisky Opus (Dorling Kindersley), Harper Collins Little Book of Whisky,  Harper Collins Little Book of Gin and a full update of Michael Jackson’s Whisky The Definitive Guide (Dorling Kindersley).