In Search of the Perfect Dram

Raw Spirit

A beautiful hardback gift-edition with a new introduction by Ian Rankin. Raw Spirit is a fascinating journey through Scotland's famous distilleries with legendary author Iain Banks

It does what every good book should manage to do, and what a hundred other books on whisky (and a thousand other books on Scotland) have signally failed to do: makes you want to go for a drink with the author.

Studded with bracing shots of pure insight and eloquence. And he's sound on the scotch as well.

A very readable and hugely informative book, and Bank’s gentle humour permeates the pages.

It’s an engaging piece of work, part love letter, part memoir.

A very beguiling fusion of memoir, history and current affairs.

A voyage that a malt connoisseur of any level will find as enticing and as warming as that first sip of the nectar that has a history as rugged and unpredictable as Scotland’s enticing and formidable terrain.

A beautifully realised fusion of travelogue, social commentary and drinking guide. Scotland's most famous export is decanted into full-bodied, humorous prose.

Fiery, variegated, and full of delicious moments.

Banks' finely-honed sense of place makes you want to get on a train, head to the Highlands and never come back.

Raw Spirit charts its own course through the social landscapes of everywhere from Skye to Lothian, where obscure distilleries compete against the world-famous, with a wide cast of characters bringing them - and the liquor - to life.

The book I return to most often . . . It's like slipping into a warm bath.

Thiswritten account of aroad-trip around the country’s distilleries in search of the ‘perfect dram’ is thebest substitute for the real deal[…] Filled withinsightful and witty observationsabout the whisky-makingprocess andthe peopleand places encounteredalong the way, this isa rip-roaringand informative delve into the unique history and enduring appeal of this iconic spirit.

Iain Banks was born in Scotland in 1954. He came to widespread public notice in 1984 with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory. He went on to gain enormous and popular critical acclaim with further works of fiction and science fiction. In 1993 he was acknowledged as one of the Best of Young British Writers. Iain Banks died in 2013 at the age of fifty-nine.

New introduction by Ian Rankin 
_________________________________________ 
 
‘One of the most playful and entertaining writers of our generation’ 
Val McDermid, Guardian 
 
 In an absorbing voyage as interesting to non-drinkers as to true whisky connoisseurs, sci-fi and literary author Iain Banks explores the rich heritage of Scottish whisky, from the most famous distilleries to the most obscure operations. 
 
 Whisky is more than a drink: it's a culture that binds together people, places and products far across Scotland's rugged terrain. Switching from cars to ferries to bicycles, Banks criss-crosses his homeland, weaving an engrossing narrative full of fascinating traditions, peculiar people, and the downright bizarre places he encounters on his journey down Scotland's great golden road. 
 
'The book I return to most often . . . It's is like slipping into a warm bath.' 
James Graham, THE TIMES (playwright and creator of ITV's Quiz) 
 
'Filled withinsightful and witty observations . . . this is a rip-roaringand informative delve into the unique history and enduring appeal of this iconic spirit.' 
VISIT SCOTLAND, 9 'must read' books

Iain Banks

Joseph McFadden

Nina Sosanya

Paterson Joseph

Antony Sher

John-Gordon Sinclair

James MacPherson

Steven McNicoll

Full Cast

Louise Beattie

Bill Paterson

Including The Wasp Factory, The State of the Art & Espedair Street

Selected readings and full-cast dramatisations from across the literary and science fiction of Iain Banks 
 
Iain Banks, aka Iain M Banks, came to fame in 1984 with his transfixing debut The Wasp Factory, described as both ‘a work of unparalleled depravity’ and 'a masterpiece'. In 1993 he was acknowledged as one of the Best of Young British Writers, and his numerous bestselling books include The Crow Road, Complicity and the ‘Culture’ sci-fi series. Collected here are three of his best works, as heard on BBC Radio. 
 
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks’ controversial first novel features one of literature’s most unsettling teenage boys. Sixteen-year-old Frank invites us inside his macabre world, as he describes experimenting with explosives, torturing insects – and killing his relatives. But he is not alone in his madness – his brother, Angus, has escaped from a psychiatric hospital and is making his way back home… Joseph McFadden reads this blackly comic cult classic, abridged by multi-award-winning playwright Craig Warner. 
 
The State of the Art – Arriving on Earth in 1977, the Culture ship Arbitrary finds a planet on the brink of self-destruction, obsessed with alien concepts such as ‘property’ and ‘money’. When agent Dervley Linter decides to go native, can Diziet Sma change his mind? Antony Sher, Nina Sosanya and Paterson Joseph star in this thrilling sci-fi novella, adapted for radio by Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell. 
 
Piece – As he waits to board a plane, Munro recalls two previous journeys. Travelling by bus and then train, he finds himself in parallel arguments started by the books he is carrying, pitching reason against faith. But life is too complicated for there not to be continual coincidences… This radio adaptation by Craig Warner of Iain Banks’ short story stars Bill Paterson. 
 
Espedair Street – Told in the style of a Radio 1 documentary, Paul Gambaccini presents the story behind the spectacular rise and tragic fall of the fictional 1970s mega-band, Frozen Gold – from the album deal that set a rock industry record, to the mysterious deaths of two of the band members. At the centre of it all is Weird, the songwriting genius from a Paisley housing scheme, who suddenly finds himself living a life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll… Starring John-Gordon Sinclair, Louise Beattie, James MacPherson and Steven McNicoll, and featuring original music by Iain Banks. 
 
Text copyright © Iain Banks 1984 (The Wasp Factory), 1987 (Espedair Street), 1989 (‘Piece’) 
The State of the Art copyright © Iain M Banks 1989 
 
The Wasp Factory 
Read by Joseph McFadden 
Abridged by Craig Warner 
Produced by Alex Burrett 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 March-5 April 1997 
 
The State of the Art 
The Ship – Antony Sher 
Diziet Sma – Nina Sosanya 
Dervley Linter – Paterson Joseph 
Li – Graeme Hawley 
Tel – Brigit Forsyth 
Sodel – Conrad Nelson 
Dramatised by Paul Cornell 
Directed by Nadia Molinari 
First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 5 March 2009 
 
Piece 
Munro - Bill Paterson 
Jack- Harry Jones 
Mo - Bash Kher 
Eve/the Voice - Susan Sheridan 
Adapted by Craig Warner 
Produced and directed by John York 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 June 1991 
 
Espedair Street 
Weird – John Gordon Sinclair 
Christine – Louise Beattie 
Davey – James MacPherson 
Ric – Steven McNicoll 
McCann – Sandy Morton 
Jean Webb – Margaret Clark 
Wes – Douglas Russell 
Wee Tommy – Martin Docherty 
Inez – Gowan Calder 
Nightclub manager – Graham Debanzi 
Pop biographer – Paul Gambaccini 
Dramatised by Joe Dunlop 
Music by lain Banks and Nigel Clark 
Keyboards: Brian Kellock, Guitar: Nick Clark, Drums: Gordon Wilson, Vocals: Monica Queen 
Directed by Dave Batchelor 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-29 January 2008 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Iain Banks: A BBC Radio Collection

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