Michael James Jackson (27 March 1942 – 30 August 2007) was an English writer and journalist. He was the author of many influential books about

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

and

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

. He was a regular contributor to a number of British

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...

s, particularly ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''.''The Daily Telegraph'' (London), 1 September 2007, Obituary of Michael Jackson Writer who tirelessly examined and championed beer and later became an equal authority on malt whisky, p29 Jackson's books have sold over three million copies worldwide and have been translated into eighteen languages. He is credited with helping to start a renaissance of interest in beer and breweries worldwide in the 1970s, particularly in the United States. He is also widely credited with popularising the idea of

beer style Beer styles differentiate and categorise beers by colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin. The modern concept of beer styles is largely based on the work of writer Michael Jackson in his 1977 book ...

s. His influential television series ''The Beer Hunter'' was shown in fifteen countries. He was as well-versed in

malt whisky Malt whisky is whisky made from a fermented mash consisting primarily of malted barley. If the product is made exclusively at a single distillery (along with other restrictions), it is typically called a single malt whisky. Although malt whisky ca ...

as he was in beer, and his book ''Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion'' (1989) is the best-selling book on the subject in the world. At the time of his death Jackson had been suffering from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

for at least a decade. He did not declare his illness until his symptoms caused some to think he was drunk.

Life

Jackson was born in

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

, West Riding of Yorkshire. His father had Anglicised his

Lithuanian Jewish Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent areas o ...

surname Jakowitz to Jackson. The family moved to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

after the war. He went to

King James's Grammar School, Almondbury King James's School is a coeducational secondary school located in Almondbury in the English county of West Yorkshire. History King James's Grammar School was founded as chantry school in 1547 and received its name and a royal charter in 1608 ...

and became a journalist, particularly being associated with

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, where he first encountered whisky. On his return to London he briefly edited the advertising trade journal ''

Campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

''. Michael Jackson became known in beer circles in 1977 when his book ''The World Guide To Beer'' was first published. This was later translated into more than ten languages and is still considered to be one of the most fundamental books on the subject. The modern theory of

is largely derived from this book, in which Jackson categorised a variety of beers from around the world in local style groups suggested by local customs and names. His work had a special influence on the popularisation of the brewing culture in North America, and in 1989 he hosted a television series entitled ''The Beer Hunter,'' which was shown on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in the UK and the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

. It involved several episodes in which Jackson would visit a different country. Episodes featured beer barrels being lined with pitch or iron foundry workers drinking 'light' beer while they worked in hot conditions to quench thirst, practices which he knew were likely to be ended soon. Jackson considered beer as a component of culture and described beers in their cultural context. Although he travelled around the world and discovered different beer cultures, he was especially fond of the Belgian beers. He was appointed to an honorary officer of the ''

Ridderschap Ridder (; English: "Knight") is a noble title in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Traditionally it denotes the second lowest rank within the nobility, standing below Baron, but above the untitled nobility (Jonkheer) in these countries. "R ...

van de Roerstok'' in 1997 for his important contribution to the international success of the Belgian beers. This honour had previously only been given to brewers. In 1998, Jackson brought forth his own line of beer glassware. Shortly after, Jackson also helped create and worked with the only beer club he ever endorsed, Michael Jackson's

Rare Beer Club The Rare Beer Club is an online mail-order club specializing in exclusive beers for craft beer enthusiasts. It was founded by the British journalist and beer critic Michael Jackson. Reception Sarah Bennett of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called The ...

. Jackson was also an important reviewer of whiskies. In his book ''The Malt Whisky Companion'', he reviewed a large number of whiskies and gave them marks from 0–100, considering only those with a score above seventy-five worth purchasing. In many ways, his work in the world of whisky exceeded his significance as a beer writer. He was arguably the most important writer on whisky since the Victorian commentator

Alfred Barnard Alfred Barnard (1837–1918) was a British brewing and distilling historian. Life and work According to the limited family records available, Barnard was born in 1837 into a Baptist family in Thaxted, a rural village in Essex. He was one of eight ...

and certainly the most significant and influential modern whisky writer. This was recognised by the award of "Master of the Quaich" and the prodigious sale of his whisky books and sell-out attendances at his tastings. He had a large influence on the development of single malt whisky globally. Apart from his work as a journalist and a critic, he was also a fan of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

. It was revealed in December 2006 that Jackson had been suffering for at least a decade from

. He also suffered from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. Michael Jackson died of a heart attack in his home on the morning of 30 August 2007 at the age of 65. He was survived by his girlfriend of 26 years, Paddy Gunningham, and her daughter and grandchildren.

Awards

*''

André Simon Award André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...

'' *Winner of the '' Glenfiddich Trophy'', a British prize for culinary writers. *Honorary officer of the ''Ridderschap van de Roerstok'', a Belgian award. *The ''Gold Tankard of the British Guild of Beer Writers'', given for his CD-Roms *''Columnist of the Year'' from the North American Guild of Beer Writers *Winner ''

James Beard Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

'', 2006 * Keeper of the Quaich; Master of the Quaich (Scotch Whisky industry award) * Holder of the Haarikka ("haarikanhaltija" in Finnish) 1995 (Finnish

Sahti Sahti is a Finnish type of farmhouse ale made from malted and unmalted grains including barley and rye. Traditionally the beer is flavored with juniper in addition to, or instead of, hops;

Association award) *First recipient of the US ''Achievement Award of the Institute for Fermentation Studies''. *Honorary Master beer judge; Beer Judge Certification Program (

BJCP The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) is a non-profit organization formed in 1985 to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills. The BJCP certifies and ranks beer judges through an examination and monitoring process. Purpose The BJCP has ...

)

Selective bibliography

* Jackson, Michael (1976). ''The English Pub'' * Jackson, Michael (1977). ''The World Guide to Beer'' * Jackson, Michael (1986). ''Pocket Guide to Beer'' * Jackson, Michael (1987). ''The World Guide to Whisky'' * Jackson, Michael (1988). ''New World Guide to Beer'' (Updated) * Jackson, Michael (1991). ''Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium'' * Jackson, Michael (1997). ''Michael Jackson's Beer Companion'' * Jackson, Michael (1998) ''Ultimate Beer'' * Jackson, Michael (1998) ''Little Book on Beer'' * Jackson, Michael; Lucas, Sharon (ed.) (1999). ''Michael Jackson's complete guide to Single Malt Scotch'' (fourth ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press Book Publishers. * Jackson, Michael; Lucas, Sharon (ed.) (2000). ''Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide''. DK ADULT. * Jackson, Michael (2001). ''Scotland and its Whiskies'' * Jackson, Michael (2004). ''The Malt Whisky Companion'', Penguin Books 2004 * Jackson, Michael (2005). ''Bar and Cocktail Party Book'' * Jackson, Michael (2005). ''Whisky''

Multimedia

* ''The Beer Hunter'' (1989), a set of two VHS videocassettes * ''A Journey of Discovery – Tasting the Classic Malts with Michael Jackson'' (1992), a VHS videocassette * ''The Beer Hunter'' (1995), a CD-ROM about the American beer culture * ''World Beer Hunter'' (1996), a CD-ROM on beer cultures around the world * ''Beer Hunter The Movie'' (2013), a documentary film on Michael's life

References

External links

Michael Jackson Special Collection
This is held in the Oxford Brookes University Library and includes 1,500 books from the expert's personal library on beer, whisky and other drinks, as well as 300 copies of his own books.

(written by

Roger Protz Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...