Jim visited his first distillery in 1975 and after seventeen years of research and discovery made the brave step of going full time. So, in the Spring of 1992, he gave up his position as a journalist for a British national newspaper to create an entirely new branch of journalism; indeed, the descriptive style of tasting notes he created and cultivated in those early days is now widely used throughout the industry. Since then he has sold more than three quarters of a million copies of his many books in various languages and in over 30 countries. Of those books sold more than half have been his annual publication Jim Murray's Whisky Bible for which he now tastes over 1,000 new whiskies each year. His vast knowledge of whisky has put him in demand as a consultant blender giving him a unique insight into the subject from both sides of the fence and resulting in awards for both his writing and creations. Uncompromisingly independent, Jim is never afraid to pour scorn on those deserving or to champion whiskies previously unfashionable or unknown. Today the world is enjoying Ardbeg, Pure Irish Pot Still, Canadian and Japanese whisky such as Yoichi and Yamazaki, because Jim went out on a limb to bring them to the public's attention. He also, famously, refuses to write for publications where he believes his honesty and integrity may be compromised; for the same reason Jim has also declined offers to become a Keeper of the Quaich. He has, however, been inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame. Jim has homes in both the UK and Kentucky.