A Timeless Secret
It is said that the art of distilling was discovered somewhere in Asia in approximately 800 B.C. The assumption was that this technique was merely used to make perfumes, however this has been refuted.
The method by which the processes found its way to the British Isles is uncertain; however we do know that the Moors brought the art of distilling to Europe. It is believed that the art was then refined in monasteries throughout central Europe. Apparently the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, carried this trade into the monasteries in 432 AD on a Christian mission. Regardless, the Celts did attain the secret eventually and made their water of life that in Gaelic is pronounced "Uisge Beatha".
This simple yet not well-known name is how the scotch whiskey came to be, as Uisge means whiskey. The millstone year for whiskey in history would have to be 1494 as a Sir Friar John Cor of Scotland ordered eight bolls of malt. It was reportedly to be used for aqua vitae which is the first accountable proof of production of whiskey in Scotland.
The skill of distilling soon left the monasteries for the farms where just about everyone was making whiskey up until about 1820 this is when the government decided they were going to shut down personal and private distilleries making them illegal. The rough and sometimes brutal taste differs greatly from today. It was not until the eighteenth century that it was discovered that with aging came a mellower brew. The findings of the aging process was practically tripped upon when an old cask long forgotten was found full of the good stuff.
The uniting of the two parliaments one from England and one from Scotland in the year 1707 is what drew into effect the Union Act. Realizing that it would pay off for both sides, they came up with an unheard of plan for making the malt.
By the year 1725 the English malt tax was forged however not without bloodshed. At this time every second bottle of malt distilled in Scotland was of the illegal kind due to roving excise men, illicit distilleries, and the fashion of smuggling.
In 1820's much trouble arose in the form of crime and tough taxing policies which eventually became completely unmanageable. To solve the problem, the government ordered the Excise Act which allowed the government to track which distilleries were legal and those which were not by using labels.
Whisky started out as a product for the British market in the 1820s, but today it has become a drink that is appreciated and loved around the world. Much of this incredible development is the result of the introduction of blended whisky. Even today approximately 90 percent of all whisky that is produced in Scotland is used in blended whisky. However the interest of single malt whisky has increased in recent years and this development is likely to continue.
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10-12: Scotch is Getting Younger. The notion that all scotch must be at least 12 years to be enjoyed is ... read more
12 Years of Fine Scotch Twelve: Is this indeed the magic number when it comes to fine scotch? In a ... read more
A Bottle of Their Own The majority of fine scotch distillers sell casks of their product as a whole for ... read more
A Manly Drink When you think of a man's drink, what comes to mind? Baileys? Vodka? To many, scotch seems ... read more
A Timeless Secret It is said that the art of distilling was discovered somewhere in Asia in approximately 800 B.C. ... read more
Bourbon In The Making It is a well-rounded argument that the Scottish has the market sewn up as far as ... read more
Dispelling A Blue Rumor It has been rumored that the Johnny Walker Blue Label blended whiskey was about to be ... read more
Global whiskeys Scotland is not the only country that can put out a quality scotch product. Many countries have ventured ... read more
Mixed Drinks Upsetting for Distillers Although some Scots are softening up in regards to their traditional dram, we cannot say ... read more
Old Drink, Young Crowd Why is it that scotch always seem to be left alone in the bar scene? It ... read more
Production of scotch The production of Scotch whisky takes time, a lot of time. It is a tedious process that ... read more
Scotch a Mature Blend It is said that you can tell the quality of scotch by its age, this is ... read more
Scotch: Popular Today, Popular Tomorrow. In today's world of clubs and young drinkers, fine Scotch often falls by the wayside. ... read more
Scotch Whisky to America As new Irish and Scottish immigrants tried to settle on the American continent they brought with ... read more
Scotch Whisky: On top of the world. In terms of export, Scotch whisky amasses approximately 90% of all export sales ... read more
The Art Of Drinking Whisky There is no true rule of thumb when drinking whisky but there are a few ... read more
The Certified Scotch Malt Bar: Worth the Trip An establishment that is spending the time and using funds to maintain ... read more
The First Bottle: History of Scotch Scotch is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages of all time, after all ... read more
The Gold is in Scotland It is said that the acquisition of knowledge on any subject that you are interested ... read more
The Great Debate: Single Malt vs. Blended Many people get confused and the difference between single malt and blended scotch. ... read more
The Six Scottish Malt Regions Scotland can be divided into six different malt making segments or regions Islay, Campbeltown, speyside, ... read more
The True Single Malt A true single malt whiskey is a brew that is distilled in one place. There is ... read more
Understanding a Scotch Label To grasp the understanding of a scotch label takes the ability to understand many things. National ... read more
Walk in Red or Walk in Black In the year 1820 sir John Walker had a vision. To create one ... read more
Whisky 101 Scotch has undoubtedly been elevated to the top spot of most popular spirit however it is said that ... read more
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