Spirit of Place

Charles MacLean has been described by The Times as “Scotland’s leading whisky expert.” He has been researching and writing about whisky for 35 years, and has published 15 books on the subject, including Malt Whisky, which won a Glenfiddich Award, and Whisky: A Liquid History, which won "Wine & Spirits Book of the Year" in the James Beard Awards 2005 and "Best Drinks Book" in the International Food Media Awards 2005. He was founding editor of Whisky Magazine (1997), contributes regularly to many publications, and has written historical and promotional materials for all the leading Scotch whisky companies. He is a member of the Judging Panel (Spirits) of the International Wines & Spirits Competition, was runner-up as "Communicator of the Year" in the 2003 IWSC Awards, and won "Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Scotch Whisky" in the 2012 Awards. He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich in 1992, and elevated to Master of the Quaich in 2009.Lara Platman is a photographer and writer, specialising in documenting areas of culture that are often considered to be eccentric or endangered. Coming from a family who produced theatrical costumes, she has grown up around creative craftsmen. She trained as a photographer and then a journalist and now combines these two skills to bring an in-depth study to each of her projects. She has just completed a book of portraits of 130 craftsmen in their working environments for the Art Workers Guild, (October 2009, Unicorn Press). Her overarching ambition is to ensure that Britain's living national treasures are acknowledged by a wider audience. She lives in Gloucestershire.Allan MacDonald is a photographer and folk musician, specializing in landscape and portraits. A son of the Hebrides, he is now based in Edinburgh. His work has been published in TIME, The Huffington Post, The Daily Telegraph, and The Daily Mail among others.

"Spirit of Place is a lavishly illustrated tour of 50 classic distilleries - many you've heard of and some you haven't. The coffee table book explores the heritage of moor and peat, from the Lowlands to the brooding, misty islands, and Mr. MacLean serves up dram after dram of useful detail ... But it's the captivating photographs by Lara Platman and Allan MacDonald that gave me a implacable thirst. ... This is armchair travel at its best - even if it's only as far as the cabinet for a refill."