Whiskey: Our Religious Duty

[Wizzo]

Whether you prefer Jack and Coke or a fine Islay single malt Scotch whiskey, there’s no denying our love for whiskey. Tennessee and Kentucky are both renowned for their whiskeys, but this amber nectar has a much older history than the US itself.

In the 9th century, Irish monks began arriving in Scotland to ‘tame’ the rough inhabitants and to introduce Christianity to them. Whether the Scots appreciated this attempt or not, they gained something from the monks that they would forever cherish – stills. Although these stills were extremely primitive, they served their purpose well. Within a short time, whiskey stills could be found in most homes throughout Scotland. Not much changed in terms of whiskey for hundreds of years. But in 1707, the Act of Union, which combined Scotland, England and Wales into the United Kingdom, would have a profound effect on Scotch whiskey.

Excise taxes on Scotch whiskey were soon created and enforced, as whiskey had begun to outsell English gin. Illegal distilling immediately followed. By the 1790s, there were reported to be 8 legal distilleries in Scotland and some 400 illegal ones. Taxes on Scotch whiskey were reduced greatly by the passing of the Excise Act of 1823. After this point, legal distilleries popped up all over Scotland.

Traditional Scotch whiskey gets its complex flavors from malted barley being kiln-dried over peat fires. The smoke from the burning peat is what gives Scotch whiskey its distinctive flavor.

Whiskey still had many changes yet to come. In the early 1830s, column stills allowed distillers to make grain whiskey, which is made from unmalted grains such as corn. Grain whiskey is much blander than malt whiskey and lead to the creation of blended whiskey. When grain and malt whiskeys are combined, a much subtler flavor is produced.

Blended whiskey eventually became more sought out than single malt whiskey. Most Scotch whiskey was sold for the creation of blended whiskey, not bottled to be enjoyed on its own. While most whiskey connoisseurs eschew blended whiskey, single malt could have become extinct without it. Over the years, the popularity of single malt whiskey has risen and fallen. Blended whiskey’s reliance on the single malt to produce a suitable product has kept many distilleries in business over the centuries.

Whether your choice is a 15-year-old Aberlour single malt, blended Johnnie Walker Red, Black or Blue label or Jack Daniels, people have an overwhelming choice of whiskeys. Once again, you can thank those ancient Irish monks for giving you the opportunity to enjoy a fine whiskey.

[Ian]

I prostrate myself before them O Wizard one.

[romephius]

Johnny Walker would be very proud of you there Wiz, perhaps you can get Jack Daniels to sponsor you since JW is sponsoring McLaren....... with free wiskey for GPWizard members...

Great story though...... 

Rom

[Ian]

I had the best whiskey I have ever tasted last night. A'bunadh, my mate bought a bottle up in Scotland and filled a minature for me, £80 a bottle it cost and I doubt if I will ever taste a better whiskey.

[Steven Roy]

Gentlemen,
As far as I know I am the only regular contributor who is Scottish.  So it falls to me to be pedantic about our national drink.  There is no e in our whisky.  The e appears in Irish and other variants.

There are no doubt people who add e to their whisky but that is entirely different.

[Ian]

Steven, I apologise, I should have known better myself seeing as my Father was born in the highlands.

[cosworth151]

Picking up where you left off, Wizzo, we move on to Tennessee Whiskey. (with the "e") It was created by Mr. Jack Daniel of Lynchburg, TN. what makes Tennessee whiskey different is that it is mellowed by filtering it through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal. The US government recognizes two brands as Tennessee whiskey: Jack Daniel's and George Dickel.

The US government started to licence distileries after the Civil War. The Jack Daniel Distillery was licensed in 1866, making it the oldest registered distillery in the United States and a National Historic Site.

Oddly enough, Lynchburg  is in a "dry" county, so Jack Daniel's cannot be sold in its own hometown!

[claw_67]

Me?  I'm a rum girl.  And tequila.  Sometimes brandy, or Kahlua!

Wine.... 

Claw_grrl (only slightly pickled)