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Elizabeth Riley Bell
Author of The Smart Guide To Single Malt Scotch Whisky - publication date: October 2011 Elizabeth Riley Bell’s first introduction to single malt Scotch whisky occurred in a pub near the Scottish border more than twenty-five years ago. At a time when single malts were little known outside of Scotland, she knew a good thing when she tasted it. She developed a passion for understanding this little known whisky and began traveling extensively in all the distillery regions to gain first-hand knowledge of the production of whisky and new products by visiting all the working distilleries and developing professional contacts. With this pursuit of knowledge came an opportunity to work in one of the Speyside distilleries, experiencing all aspects of the production of the spirit. Her travels allowed her to build an eclectic collection of Scotch, including several bottles that predate American prohibition and several that date back to the nineteenth century. Because of her knowledge, she became a sought-after consultant and authority on single malt Scotch in the early 1990’s when people became interested in single malts and distilleries made them more available. Her evaluation of single malts for magazine buying guides and for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh served to fortify her reputation. Consequently, she became the first American, and one of the first women, to be invited to undergo training in the sensory evaluation of whiskies at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute at Herriot-Watt University, Edinburgh in 1996. Elizabeth recently completed an industry refresher course at the same Institute. In addition, she has written many articles and worked as a consultant for several whisky distributors and for hotels. She noticed in the many tastings, dinners, and staff development sessions that there were many other people, like her, who had a passion for learning more about single malt. She decided to take up the challenge of writing a comprehensive, yet “smart” guide to single malt whisky.
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