Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram

This was a book which I had pondered over acquiring quite a bit. When it first came out, I assumed that it was a little bit of spinoffery, a packaged book that drew on Iain Banks' Name, but not really of much real interest. Then, some years later, we lost Iain way too early, and I thought I ought to acquire a copy because, you know, completism. But it was still not a major priority.

Then I saw a copy on sale from a friend of mine, and I bought it. And then I wondered why I had never done so earlier. Because this is not just a book about Scotland and whisky. Rather, this is a memoir by and of Iain Banks, written by the man himself, and recounting stories of his life. Now, it might seem that this is a bit of what I'm sure Banks himself show more might call a "wankfest"; after all, Iain did very well out of his books and could indulge his passions without wondering where his next £10 was coming from. He makes it very clear throughout the book that he is in a privileged position to be able to afford nice cars, expensive malt whiskies, or to noodle around as a dilettante with music; but he was also a Scotsman and a socialist, and he knew that the fates had dealt him a good hand and that he was privileged. Fate also dealt him a hand that meant that he wasn't in a position to live to a fine old age to enjoy it. And unlike a lot of other celebs, Iain didn't drop Famous Names to make him look big. One of the nice things about this book is that Banks talks a lot about his mates, and the only names that I felt he dropped were his agent, his publisher and a couple of people who I know/have known and who are/were only well-known within the science fiction community.

And there's another thing. Although this book is published under the "Iain Banks" by-line, throughout Banks makes plenty of reference to the science fiction community, where he was as well-known for the novels he published under the 'highly impenetrable pseudonym" of "Iain M. Banks"; and he has no cultural cringe (or would that be a Cultural cringe?) over talking openly about that side of his life and work. Iain was always very up-front about the role his first literary love, science fiction, played in his life, and always leapt to its defence when the literary establishment short-changed science fiction's role in his life. The SF novels paid for the mainstream ones, no matter how many favourable column inches the literati gave his "mainstream" novels. Indeed, the last time I spoke to him, he'd put his name to an open letter in The Guardian over genre literature not getting onto literary award shortlists, especially those where nominations were in the hands of publishers.

(This solved a problem for me: where to shelve this book? Should I shelve it with other books on Scotland? Now I've read it, the answer is "no"; it proudly goes with the Iain Banks/Iain M. Banks novels.)

We also get the benefit of Iain's opinions on politics, the Gulf War, Tony Blair, cars, music and Scotland. Oh, and whisky. And other mind-altering substances, mostly legal. We get a first-hand account of the Great Brighton Metropole Hotel Climbing Expedition at the 1997 World Science Fiction Convention; confirmation that yes, Iain Banks was an extra in the closing scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and a thorough account of how he wrote off a Porsche 911.

In short, this is not a book about whisky. Rather, it is the closest thing we shall get to an autobiography, for which any of the readers of Iain Banks, Iain M. Banks or any other variation you can think of should be grateful.

Half a star knocked off for not having at the very least an index of whiskies and distilleries. show less

I don't usually read non-fiction for pleasure, but "Raw Spirit" is not only one of my favorite non-fiction books, but one of the best books I've read in a long time, period.

The book is as much an autobiography as anything else, as in the process of exploring all things whiskey, Banks shares little gems about so many other topics. The book is littered with observations about Scotland, driving, Science Fiction, and the start of the war we still find ourselves dealing with over five years later. Think of it as a whiskey-themed stream of consciousness with notes of politics and storytelling. Scotland itself is the most important component, just as the water that feeds a distillery determines the character of the whiskey produced.

I look show more forward to reading more from Banks very soon. I borrowed "Raw Spirit" from the Stornoway library, so I also look forward to picking up my own copy of this book, as I expect it will be a well-thumbed reference as we explore Scotland in the next few years show less

Iain Banks admits that he was commissioned to write this book, paid to drive around Scotland and sample the great variety of single malt whiskys that are available, which is probably why it comes off a bit like a 366 page advertisement. But don't let that put you off: Banks is a Scotsman, and he loves his country, and he shares that love with the reader. The focus of the book is whisky, but the rich background that fills out the book is the stories of the distillaries, and the people that built and run them, and the communities that they are part of. This is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes travel writing. You may even find yourself hankering for a wee dram when you're done. (I did; I didn't like it. Somehow I feel like I've let show more him down.) show less

This isn't what it proclaims to be, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not a drinking book, it's only loosely about whisky*, there is a lot of driving in it, and descriptions of Scottish roads. Mostly it reads as an almost detailed autobiography. I'd really only recommend this for people who are already a fan of Iain, like whisky, drive, and have some knowledge of Scotland's geography and it's roads. The only one of these I fulfil is liking whisky, and I wasn't that impressed. It remains readable, but not exciting.

Iain Banks is, for those who don't know him already, a prolific and richly successful fiction and SF author. As such, being rich begets further riches, he has been invited by his publishers to try a non-fiction title show more - finding "the perfect dram" of single malt whisky. And they're paying. He must lead such a hard life. This involves Iain learning a bit about how whisky is made (most of which he probably already knew), and travelling around to many of Scotland's 100 odd distilleries to try various "expressions" as they are known - particular bottlings unique in age and sometimes cask.

Rather than bore the reader with an endless list of distilleries and their minor differences, or even a description of the various whisky flavours - and wine connoiseurs have a lot of ground to catch up on, in the silly description stakes - Iain mostly bores the reader with a list of roads in Scotland, and why he finds them more interesting than other roads. Interspersed with this, and prompted by memories of the geography he's lived around for most of his life, are incidents and anecdotes, along with a few personal rants and thoughts about politics and society. These are often interesting and will be particularly appreciated by fans of his work. Many include details of how and why specific parts if his books were included. I've only read some of his SF work and found it very lacking in almost everything. Some of these excerpts have almost enticed me to try some of his 'straight' fiction. Iain can certainly write in an engaging manner when he chooses to, and I'm still mystified why he didn't do so with his SF work.

For the record, Iain's final choice was - well probably an Islay, or at least an Island, made in a distillery that does it's own floor malting, with some form of decent heritage, would be ab good place to start. If push came to shove he'd pick Glenfiddich's 21yr Gran Reserva, which is none of the above, and also a surprisingly mainstream choice. Whisky is that subjective, you just have to try and find your own.

* whiskEy covers both Bourbon and Irish drinks, the Scottish Single Malt Whisky is made solely from barley, and the product of just one distillery. show less

Everything in here is true, especially the bits I made up.

“Banksie, hi.What are you up to?”

“Well, I’m going to be writing a book about whisky”.

“Your what?”

“I’m going to be writing a book about whisky. I’ve been, umm, you know, commissioned. To write a book about it. About whisky. Malt whisky, actually’.

“Your writing a book about whisky ?'

“Yeah. It means I have to go all over Scotland, driving mostly, but taking other types of transport – ferries, planes, trains, that sort of thing – visiting distilleries & tasting malt whisky. With expenses, obviously”.

“You serious?”

“Course I’m serious!’

“Really?”

“Oh yeah”.

“………Do you need any help with this?”

Iain Banks, starts Raw Spirit with show more the above commentary, perfectly describing how a whisky lover would feel, if given the job of researching a book on their favourite drink. More commonly known for works of fiction such as, The Wasp Factory and Consider Phlebas (written as Iain M. Banks) he is widely acknowledged as one of Britain's greatest living writers & as a Scotsman is passionate about the Whisky. In this book he combines Books & Whisky with a third love, Travel, the result being, he, along with a bunch of fellow travellers “some svelte, some burly, some vintage, some just over the top”, journey across Scotland, by planes & cars, by bikes & trains, by ferry & on foot. Searching remote shores & hidden glens to get to as many Distilleries as he possibly can. It’s a tough job, but as he puts it:

“Someone’s got to do it, & I’m damn sure its going to be me”



Malt whisky is made in some of the most beautiful, rugged inaccessible areas of Scotland, with some of the least modern methods of transport, resulting in a lot of planning & a unique view of his homeland “its a journey of a 1000 cheers & subsequent wobbly walks”. Along the way he meets people engaged in a centuries old tradition & manages to imbibe, along with a vast quantity of malt, some knowledge of the traditions, practices & eccentricities that make up the live blood of whisky & the distilleries that produce it

This book is hilarious, full of sharp witticisms, sparkling prose & that staggering imagination that has brought critical acclaim to his novels, but more importantly this book is full of the joy & excitement of someone given the chance to do something that they love.



If you want to learn about “the daft customs & superstitions”, if you want to know how to pronounce those Scottish names properly (Bunnahabhain = Boonahavin), or if you want to learn where your favourite malt is from, this is the book for you. If you want discover something new about Scotland & it’s people, this may be the book for you & if you want to have a laugh, read a popular writer just having a riotous time & find out if he can survive it, this is definitely the book for you.

http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/raw-spirit-in-search-of-perfect-dra... show less

Kind of a strange book. It's part travelogue and part essay on Scotch whisky, with digressions about the then-current global political scene, in particular the US invasion of Iraq ("Gulf War II"). I'm not sure I learned anything about whisky from it, but then again, I read it just six months after spending two weeks touring distilleries in Scotland myself. It was interesting, though, to read another aficionado's take.

While Banks is always a talented writer, I'm giving this only three stars because honestly, I could have used a lot fewer passages (or at least shorter ones) about what it was like driving a particular vehicle over a particular stretch of road, why this vehicle was chosen over another one, what makes some kinds of driving show more more fun than others, etc., etc., etc. show less

Reread as in the mood for something anecdotal, though I'd forgotten there was more about motoring than whisky in large parts of the book. Still enjoyable, mostly for the familiarity of places I've been and whiskies I know of (from a former job in whisky packaging, not because I've tasted as many as Mr Banks!)