The Whisky Book

Fernand Dacquin has travelled the world as a journalist, specialising in tourism and distillates. He’s visited Scotland, the birthplace of whisky, hundreds of times and drew inspiration from all these trips for articles on whisky in newspapers and magazines in Flanders and the Netherlands. In 2011, he became Keeper of the Quaich, which is usually reserved for people from the whisky industry itself. He is co-organiser of the International Malt Whisky Festival in Ghent and also took part in the festival in The Hague. In 2017, he was inducted into the Royal Celtic Society, founded by Sir Walter Scott in 1820, for his contribution to publicising and spreading Scottish culture.

1 Whisky or whiskey? – What a mess
2 Lindores Abbey – Thanks to dear old brother John Cor
3 Muckle Flugga – The whisky nabody knows
4 Du Kang – The god of whisky (and the rest)
5 Thou demon drink – Poetry vs alcohol
6 Drambuie – Bonnie Prince Charlies’ whisky
7 ‘If by whiskey…’ – The famous whiskey speech
8 Borvo – Gallic god of whiskey
9 Martin Martin – The father of the first ‘tasting notes’
10 Charles Doig – And ‘the coronet of the distillery’
11 Coburg 1830 – The ‘first’ Belgian whisky
12 W.C. Fields – Drinking for joke
13 Biawa Makalunga – The ‘spirit’ of Rothes
14 Jessie Cowan – The Scottish mother of Japanese whisky
15 David Lloyd George – The man who changed whisky forever
16 Warehouse 6 – The smallest in the world?
17 Baudoinia Compniacensis – The whisky world full of mould
18 SS Politician – A gift from the gods
19 Agoston Haraszthy – Beneficiary of the Scottish whisky industry
20 Winston Churchill – Alcohol or not?
21 Archibald Haddock – No more alcohol for him
22 “Weel done Cutty Sark” – Whisky and witches
23 Alfred Barnard – The very first whisky tourist
24 The quaich – Cup of friendship
25 The Pattison Brothers – Whisky and parrots
26 Father Mathew – Whiskey hater, whiskey killer
27 Robert Bentley Todd – ‘Father’ of the Hot Toddy
28 Ralph Steadman – Still Life with Bottle
29 Charles II of Navarre – Aqua vitae as a last remedy
30 Lagganmore Distillery – Romantic, fake whisky
31 Whisky and records – The more the better
32 Carry Amelia Moore – “All nations welcome, but Carry!”
33 The Monarch of the Glen – Whisky saves art
34 The Keepers of the Quaich – ‘Water of life forever’
35 The Atlantic Challenge – Talisker Whisky rules the waves
36 Whisky? – For men only!
37 France’s treasured whisky – Liberté, égalité, Tullamore DEW
38 Thanks to Cassis de Dijon – Europe sets the record straight
39 The shooglebox – Essential tool
40 The Highland Line – Not always very clear
41 Light whiskey? – OMG!
42 Bakery Hill Distillery – Australia’s ‘last’ and ‘first’ distillery
43 The man with the red socks – and Australian whisky
44 Taiwan – Strong riser
45 63.4 = 111 – The mysterious number
46 Japanese nude – Japanese standards
47 Sherry butts – A Spanish fairy tale?
48 Devil’s share – The angels miss out
49 Aircraft tasting – Stay on the ground
50 Single malt, pure malt – Vatted malt, blended malt, blended whisky
51 1494 – Was James IV an alcoholic?
52 The 9.09% rule – Canadian whisky
53 Teapot whisky – … for a rainy day
54 Elijah Craig – Father of the charred casks
55 Jameson Whiskey – Irish whiskey?
56 Von Liebig versus Pasteur – The secret of fermenting
57 Excisemen – The man with the second key
58 Maillard reaction – Delicious but mysterious
59 The Maker’s Mark case – You spoke. We listened!
60 Ah, those Scots! – Never satisfied
61 Towser and Shortie – Hardworking four-legged friends
62 Shaken or stirred? – Ask James
63 Tongue twisters – Gaelic for beginners
64 Campbeltown – Whisky capital of the world
65 Zero point zero zero zero zero… – Caramel and whisky
66 Holy water – Three drops is enough
67 Hide a case – Playing hide and seek
68 Tennessee whiskey – The Lincoln County process
69 Bottle decomposition – Nice little fragment
70 The battle of the crows – Not every crow is an old crow
71 Gan bei – And see what happens
72 Ernest Shackleton – Whisky and ice
73 The Queen and her units – 14 or 21 or 56?
74 Royal whisky – The Purveyors to the Royal Household
75 The royal crash – Good news for Laphroaig
76 The water of life – Aqua vitae is good for you
77 The seven-drops principle – What we all throw away!
78 Keep walking … – Left? Or right?
79 Glencairn glass – Not all glasses are created equal
80 Loch Ewe Distillery – Scotland’s smallest distillery
81 Mekhong Whisky – The pride of every Thai
82 Glenmorangie helps – Forget the emergency number
83 Macallan’s secret room – The sound of bottles
84 Fake whiskies – No one is safe
85 Copper beauty – Scratches and dents included
86 11.11.11 – First drop of Japanese whisky
87 Paul the Apostle – ‘Stop drinking water…’
88 Dufftown – Whisky capital of the world
89 Whisky, a man’s world? – The lady of the house speaking
90 Diet whisky – Don’t worry about Weight Watchers! Drink!
91 Whisky mathematics – To lose count
92 Cricket and whisky – And a South African girl
93 Faraday Still – All-in-one
94 Dr. Jim Swan – The Einstein of whisky
95 My property on Islay – Wonderful investment
96 Dornoch Castle – Whisky castle hotel
97 Lomondian confusion – Still x and still y
98 Ode to the nose – But don’t exaggerate
99 Per mil – To spit or not to spit
100 Tommermænd – No, nay, never no more
101 Bluff your way – Practice makes perfect
Epilogue