Rachel McCormack with Chasing the Dram 2017

Rachel McCormack was born in Glasgow and tasted her first whisky when offered a flu-alleviating hot toddie by her father. Ever since this early crash course in fine malt, she has developed a deep and discerning knowledge of Scotland’s national drink. In Chasing the Dram, Rachel travels the country with her friends and family, learning about the myths, history, and (most importantly) the taste of single malt, crashing a stag party and getting angry about chips along the way. But this is not only a Scottish travelogue.

Rachel embraces an experimental attitude to whisky, seeing far more than a dram with a splash of water. This book sees her explore it as an ingredient in a whole range of cocktails and dishes, the recipes for which are sprinkled throughout. With an old-fashioned Old Fashioned, a host of main courses, and a veritable platter of desserts, these recipes make a persuasive argument for keeping a bottle of the good stuff in the kitchen at all times. Join Rachel in the bookshop for a St Andrews’s Day evening that will take you from lowlands to highlands, and make your tastebuds tingle.