So, what can you find in this Big Black Book?

1)  mALMANAC - First of all there's the mAlmanac (short for Malt Almanac). It's sort of a beginner's guide to single malt Scotch whisky, filled with lots of useful information and pointless trivia. This is propably where you should start if you're a novice in the wonderful world of single malt whisky. The mAlmanac contains ten chapters, dealing with topics like geography, vocabulary, distillation, maturation and bottling.

2)  DISTILLERY DATA - The 'DD' section is a fairly new addition to the site. Apart from the current A-Z overview of active distilleries in Scotland, this section contains a growing number of 'distillery profiles'. These profiles offer some basic information about the history of the distillery as well as sampling notes and scores for all the expressions I've tried so far. I've also included data on some 'silent stills'.

3)  MALT MAP - The malt map gives you the opportunity to geographically 'browse' through Scotland.  Zooming in on one of the five main malt regions (Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown) enables you to find the neighbours of any particular distillery. This might be useful if you're one of the people who believe that regional differences matter when it comes to the motherland of malts.

4)  TRACK RECORD - I have to admit my track record is as much for my personal use as it is for public entertainment. It's an A-Z overview of more than 350 single malt whiskies I've sampled since I started my mission on 01/01/1997. For reference purposes, I've added their scores and other (un)distinguishing marks. There more whisky I drink, the more I rely on this 'artificial memory' to keep track of my experiences.

5)  HIT LIST - Next to my alphabetical Track Record, I used to keep a complete Best-to-Worst list of all the single malts I've sampled. When I passed the 350 mark this system of double bookkeeping became too much too handle. What's more, listing rare independent bottlings that were on the shelves seven years ago seemed a bit pointless. This hit list only contains today's 'best and brightest' and 'avoidables'.

6)  STOCK LIST - Another page meant mainly for my personal use. Just in case you're interested, you can take a glance a list of the bottles in my current drinking collection, as well as my reserve stock. I also have a small trading stock of bottles I'm willing to trade or sell. Just send me an offer I can't refuse...

7)  LIQUID LINKS - Quite simple; an overview of links to dozens of other whisky-related websites. Of course, you should only follow one of these links after you've explored every nook and cranny of MM...