The Art of Whisky

By chance, award-winning photographer Ernie Button noticed the intricate patterns formed in the residue at the bottoms of (almost) empty whisky glasses — each as different as a snowflake — and began photographing them with inventive lighting techniques. The resulting images are exquisitely gorgeous, evoking earthly landscapes and extraterrestrial visions. This book collects nearly 100 of those photos — each one more amazing than the last — and features delightful touches such as tasting notes, information on the science of what we're seeing, and writing about single malt Scotch by Scotland's leading whisky expert Charles MacLean, commissioned exclusively for this book.  The captivating photographs begin with the qualities that make single malt scotch so exquisite, get an assist from the natural wonder of fluid dynamics, and a finish of artful production that makes each unique and surprising. 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Princeton University Professor Howard A. Stone, who has studied and published on the science behind Button's Vanishing Spirits photographs, contributes a text on the science of what we see. Renowned whisky expert and author Charles MacLean writes here on the unique qualities of single malt scotch and contributes notes about the special aspects of Scotland's whisky-producing regions.