Whether served neat, on the rocks or stirred into a cocktail, whisky is often hailed as the finest spirit in the world. On paper, it may sound like a simple concoction - water and grain, fermented by yeast, then aged on a wooden barrel - but whisky is about so much more than its physical ingredients. In medieval times, Europeans called it aqua vitae, or "water of life," a name that speaks to the cultural, social and historical significance of this spirit.

In The Impossible Collection of Whisky, bestselling spirits author Clay Risen unpacks the history of this famous drink and invites readers to tour some of the world's most famous distilleries and their finest bottles. From the finest Scotch in the Scottish Highlands to Kentucky's finest Bourbon, Risen's selection of 100 unparalleled whiskies comes from venerable producers as well as pioneers of the craft distilling movement swept across the globe. Here, whiskies are selected not only for their exquisite taste, but also for rarity, age, flavor and innovation. Bottles from countries with nascent whisky markets, such as India and the Czech Republic, stand alongside old American classics like Pappy Van Winkle and some of the rarest and most sought-after bottles on the market. Risen marvels at bottles like Ireland's Midleton Very Rare 45 Year Old, the oldest and most expensive Irish whiskey in the world. Together, these 100 bottles make up a collection of whiskies so exclusive that no one could ever gather them all under one roof. A must-have for any true whisky connoisseur's library, The Impossible Collection of Whisky is a carefully crafted tribute to a spirit long revered as "the water of life."

Presented in a wrought-iron wooden case modeled after an authentic whisky barrel, this addition to Assouline's bestselling Impossible Collection may well be its most outstanding release to date.

• 212 pages and over 150 illustrations
• Language: English
• Written by Clay Risen
• Published by Assouline's Ultimate Collection (October 2020)
• ISBN: 9781614289487