Around the year 1885, Alfred Barnard was secretary of Harper's Weekly Gazette, a journal which featured facets of the wine and spirit trade. In order to provide his readers with the history and detailed descriptions of the whisky-making process, Barnard was determined to visit all the distilleries in Scotland, England and Ireland. The results of his tour were written up in Harper's Weekly Gazette, and then published in this book, which includes entries on names which still inspire the whisky connoisseur to this day – Bowmore, Glenlivet, Highland Park, Macallan and Talisker – as well as others which, though popular at the end of the nineteenth century, have not stood the test of time. 

The appeal of Barnard's book lies not only in his descriptions of the technical properties of each distillery, comparing equipment and differences in the distillation procedure, but also in the colourful descriptions of his journeys. Filled with historical references and anecdotes as well as details of how Barnard and his companions actually got to distilleries in some of the remotest parts of Britain, the book is also a lively picture of life and travel in the Victorian age. 

This facsimile edition is a valuable companion to all those with an interest in Scotland's national drink, and is superbly illustrated with over 200 engravings which show both the distilleries themselves as well as key parts of the distillation process. 

Includes five additional publications by Alfred Barnard, as well as entries on distilleries which still inspire the whisky connoisseur today, including Bowmore, Glenlivet, Highland Park, Macallan and Talisker.