Anne Wilson’s formidable work takes us back to basics and gives us a very thorough insight into the ancient science of distilling and the backdrop it has provided to the modern whisky industry and to spirits producers in general. The sub-title of her book is “A History of Wine-distilling and Spirits, 500BC to AD 2000”, which it certainly is. It is full of historical facts and anecdotes tracing the development of the water of life across the ages and through the Ancient World to what is now Western Europe. A good half of the book, however, is devoted to distilling practices in the British Isles from Tudor times to the present day, which makes it of particular interest to the whisky student. Although somewhat scholarly in approach, the style of the writing is comfortable to the reader, which is just as well as there is a wealth of information to absorb, much of it not previously available in such a comprehensive format. Published in 2006 by Prospect Books. A free download of the chapter on Clydesdale Distillery is available when buying this book.
