Okay so “book review” might be a stretch since this is just an update, but I now review The Malt Whisky Yearbook on an annual basis and because it is the one whisky-related publication that I still read regularly, I’m sticking with the title. If you don’t know whether you should own a copy of the Yearbook… well, you should. But if you want proof, read my very thorough review of the 2021 Yearbook. Of course, the Yearbook changes in content every year, but the structure remains the same and the level of quality is just as high.
This year’s Yearbook remains an annual “field guide” to the world of malt whisky and the malt whisky industry. Author/Editor and Keeper of the Quaich Ingvar Ronde began in 2005 – and every year thereafter – compiling 12 months of news, facts, and figures from the industry while also managing to capture the overall trend and feel of the marketplace. In a way, it’s like a whole year of whisky magazine issues compressed into one compact and concise guidebook. Many if not most people in the industry (writers, retailers, importers, distributors, ambassadors, and salespersons) keep a copy of the latest Yearbook on them for reference.
The 2023 edition is available for preorder at Amazon UK and Official Malt Whisky Yearbook website and will soon be available for preorder in the US.
Please remember the Yearbook is strictly focused on malt whisky, primarily malt whisky from Scotland but also from other distilleries across the globe. You won’t find coverage of blended scotch, Scottish grain whisky, bourbon, rye, Irish whiskey (aside from Irish single malt), etc. This year’s edition contains articles from Gavin D. Smith, Ian Wisniewski, Johanne McInnis (Whiskylassie), and others on topics such as the comeback of the Lowlands region, the latest controversies caused by the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association), and the art of toasting casks. There’s also a new section on so-called Ghost Distilleries.
I continue to consult the Yearbook first whenever I encounter a new (to me) whisky or distillery, and I look forward to its release every year.
