Any European or world citizen should read this… History that illuminates the present day

Books of real quality and importance are rare. Norman Davies's history of Europe is one of them. It is a brilliant achievement, written with intelligence, lucidity and a breathtaking width of knowledge... This is a book everyone should read

A noble monument of scholarship, and all the more noble because it is so full of surprise and feeling... There are superb assessments of vastly daunting subjects

Monumental, authoritative... A book for enquiring minds of all ages, it will answer hundreds of enquires and provoke thousands more

No history of Europe in the English language has been so even-handed in its treatment of east and west... Strong characterisation, vivid detail, trenchant opinions, cogent anaylsis all make this tremendous reading

A voyage that a malt connoisseur of any level will find as enticing and as warming as that first sip of the nectar that has a history as rugged and unpredictable as Scotland’s enticing and formidable terrain.

A beautifully realised fusion of travelogue, social commentary and drinking guide. Scotland's most famous export is decanted into full-bodied, humorous prose.

Fiery, variegated, and full of delicious moments.

Banks' finely-honed sense of place makes you want to get on a train, head to the Highlands and never come back.

Raw Spirit charts its own course through the social landscapes of everywhere from Skye to Lothian, where obscure distilleries compete against the world-famous, with a wide cast of characters bringing them - and the liquor - to life.

The book I return to most often . . . It's like slipping into a warm bath.

Thiswritten account of aroad-trip around the country’s distilleries in search of the ‘perfect dram’ is thebest substitute for the real deal[…] Filled withinsightful and witty observationsabout the whisky-makingprocess andthe peopleand places encounteredalong the way, this isa rip-roaringand informative delve into the unique history and enduring appeal of this iconic spirit.

...In the final judgement, it does what every good book should manage to do ... and what a hundred other books on whisky (and a thousand other books on Scotland) have signally failed to do: makes you want to go for a drink with the author

Studded with bracing shots of pure insight and eloquence. And he's sound on the scotch as well

It’s a very readable and hugely informative book, and Bank’s gentle humour permeates the pages

It’s an engaging piece of work, part love letter, part memoir

A beautifully realised fusion of travelogue, social commentary and drinking guide. Scotland's most famous export is decanted into full-bodied, humorous prose.

Banks' finely-honed sense of place make you want to get on a train, head to the Highlands and never come back.

A very beguiling fusion of memoir, history and current affairs