Richard Betts Essential scratch & sniff guide to becoming a whiskey know-i

Whiskey fever is sweeping the world.

Every day, craft distilleries are popping up in remote counties and urban centers, offering a wealth of great choices to consumers and just as many puzzlements.

Does the introduction of a simple e to go from whisky to whiskey mean anything? What's the difference between Scotch and Rye? What's Canadian whisky anyway? And what about the whiskeys of Scotland, Japan, and Ireland? Where's a humble Joe to start? In this witty kid style book on an adult topic, Richard Betts boils down his know how into twenty pages, cooling our ''brown-sweat anxieties and dividing whiskey into three simple categories - Grain, Wood, and Place.

While most whiskey tomes are about as fun as a chemistry lesson, Betts makes the learning slide down easy, reassuring us that this exalted spirit is just distilled beer and, through a nasal romp, helping us figure out which kinds we love best.

Humorous illustrations and scratch-and-sniff scents (vanilla, sandalwood, grass, and more) help would be connoisseurs learn their personal preferences.

Language label and Map to Your Desires included.