March 16, 2000 -- The only other edition of Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion (in the U.S., Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch) that sits upon the bookshelf to the left of my desk is the first, which means that I have left it far too long between books. Consider the following:

-- Edition One holds 240 pages, index and acknowledgements included. Edition Four is almost one hundred pages longer at 336.

-- The back cover copy on Edition One boasts that the book contains ratings of more than 250 different single malts. The sticker on the cover of Edition Two trumpets over 800 ratings and reviews.

-- One of the world's most desired whiskies, The Macallan, has six expressions reviewed in Edition One. There are seventeen such reviews offered in Edition Four, plus a full page of tasting notes on different bottlings of The Macallan 18-year-old.

And so on. But the new Malt Whisky Companion is not only worthwhile if you own an edition as old as mine, it is equally valuable if you have a more recent copy. Reason being that even Edition Three is eclipsed by the new version, with 64 additional pages and double the number of reviews.

So it is big, but is it good? Absolutely!

Nowhere in the printed world does there exist an examination of single malt Scottish whisky as encyclopedic as this. For each distillery, Jackson offers a brief history and profile, usually one or two paragraphs long, a synopsis of the house style, and tasting notes and evaluations of every expression the distillery produces. In some cases, such as the long-closed Banff and Glen Flagler, this means notes on two or three whiskies, while in others, such as the aforementioned Macallan and the well-known Glenmorangie, the reviews can run on for pages.

But it is quality as well as quantity that recommends this book. Jackson may not go into as much detail in his opinion of a whisky as, say, Charles MacLean does in his Pocket Guide to Scotch Whisky (Mitchell Beazley, 1998), but his notes are focused, precise and useful. Want a full-bodied cigar malt? Try Highland Park 12-year-old with its "succulent...smoky dryness, heather-honey sweetness and maltiness. Desirous instead of an aperitif whisky? Perhaps The Glenlivet 18-year-old's "firm, smooth" body and "dry, appetizing" finish will suit. Indeed, there is a whisky for every occasion, and Jackson has found most of them.

There is much in the way of other helpful material contained in the latest Whisky Companion. Basic "introduction to single malt whisky" text begins the book; ownership details, addresses, phone numbers and, where applicable, website addresses are included with each entry; and a few pages on malt whiskies distilled outside of Scotland completes the literary exploration. But it is the dictionary of tasting notes that makes the Fourth Edition Malt Whisky Companion an essential for any aficionado of fine spirits.

Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion

In Canada: elan press, 1999, $29.95 (for June release)

In the U.S.: Running Press, 1999, $27.50

In the U.K.: Dorling Kindersley, 1999, BP12.99

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