Origins of scotch whisky Flashcards
What is the gaelic name for scotch/ the water of life
uisge beatha
who discovered that the discovery of distilling whisky was accidental and when
the Novelist Neil Gunn in the 1930s
when was tax first imposed on whisky and by what group
Puritan parliament in 1644
how has the term whisky been shaped in the past in terms of pronunciation
originally uisge beatha was later abbreviated into uiskie in the 17th century which became wiskie by 1715. The modern spelling appears as late as 1736
What are some theorised/ believed origins of distillation
-distilling came to Scotland from across the Irish sea and was done by the Scots as they are called
-The ancient Irish where taught how to distil by saint Patrick two centuries before their arrival in Scotland
-distilling was brought to Europe from the middle east in 950AD
Who revived or revitalised distilling after the dark ages in Europe and when
Arnaldus de Villa Nova in the 13th century
Who is described as the father of distilling and what did they do
Arnaldus de Villa Nova due to studying the distillation of nitric, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. He was the first to distil wine and name it alcohol and describe it as potable
What is the origin of the word alcohol
It comes from the Arabic word al’khol, a fine powder derived from khol or antimony which was used as eye shadow by the Egyptians
who where the original European primary dabblers in distilling and why
Monks for medicinal purposes
Where was the first recorded Scotland distilled spirit found
in an Exchequer roll of 1494 where there is a written order from the king to friar John Corr to make aquavitae VIII bolls of malt
Who is the king who ordered the first distilled spirit known in Scotland
King James IV the best loved of all the ill-fated house of Stuart
What discovery was crucial to progressing the distilled spirit to a more potable drink that could be used for purposes other than those purely medicinal
the invention of ways to condense the spirit produced when mildly alcoholic wash was boiled and the advantages to secondary distillation were discovered.
When was the benefit of cooling the condenser in a tub of water discovered
In the 15th century
When was it discovered that coiling the condenser tube in the tub of water traditionally used would increase the condensers effectiveness
In the middle of the 16th century
What is this coiling of the condenser tube more commonly called
worms or worm tub
In the mid 16th century the condenser tubes were coiled into ‘worms’ what other change was made to the whisky stills during that period and why
The head of stills was elongated into a pear like shape to increase the reflux of condensate going back into the still allowing for a better separation of the spirit and the water whilst also reducing the carrying over of noxious impurities
What where the advantages to the newly elongated pear shaped stills in the mid 16th century
It increased the reflux of condensate which improved the separation between the water and the spirit. It also reduced the carrying over of noxious impurities
In 1560 what happened to Scotland’s Monasteries and how does it compare to those in England around the same time
they were dissolved over time, the difference is that in England it was more ruthless and done in a shorter period.
how did knowledge on distillation move from monks to common folk
As monasteries were dissolved monks settled in with common folk and shared their knowledge on distillation. From here on wherever suitable cereals were grown some was used for distilling in the farming year
When was the first recorded mention of aqua vitae in Scotland
1494
In 1575 what was used to make whisky and what sort of things were added to it
it was made predominantly from any cereal crops at hand such as oat, wheat and barley but it also had additives such as sugar herbs and spices which where compounded with the whisky in much the same manner as gin now
from the early 17th century spent barley husks and spent grains were used to produce what
Animal feed, particularly for cattle in the winter
In the highlands in particular how much of their crops were grown as ‘drinks crop’ and why
1/4 to 1/3rd were grown to produce whisky and this was due to the barley husks and spent grains being usable as cattle feed in the winter which was heavily relied on
what led to the smuggling era around 1757
A ban on distilling in Britain until 1760 which forced a lot of small whisky distilleries out of business leading to home distillers illegally selling whisky.
Due to extreme government and taxing distilleries mostly operated illegally what was the estimated number of illicit and/or illegal distilleries around 1777
400
In 1777 what was the estimated number of licensed distilleries
8
in 1777 the steins introduced a new rough grain spirit and sent 2,000 gallons of it to London for what? and how successful/ unsuccessful was it
it was sent for rectifying and compounding into Gin. this rough spirit was primarily used for mixing effectively to make a drink alcoholic. It was hugely successful
within 5 years of the steins rough spirit export of 2,000 gallons what had their export grown to?
184,000 Gallons
When was private distilling banned and why and what affect did it have?
It was banned in 1781 following pressure from large distillers however it was mostly ignored
What introduced the line between the highlands and the lowlands and impacted the quality of the two whisky regions
William pits wash act of 1784, this led to highlands being favoured with lower tax and smaller stills whereas the lowlands used thicker washes with wider shallow based, taller stills
What led to the impairment of lowland whisky quality in 1784
The usage of large shallow based and tall stills which could be used in minutes allowing for rapid distillation however the reduction in fractionation and the thicker washes led it to being less flavourful
What helped the increased quality in highland spirits around 1784
They were favoured with lower tax and allowed to use smaller stills with weak washes to produce more flavourful whiskies
In 1819 the number of highland distilleries increased from 12 to 57 and in the lowlands from 24 to 68. What caused this rise
The small stills act of 1816 which abolished the highland line and allowed the use of stills of not less than 40 gallons throughout Scotland. It also allowed the usage of weaker washes and reduced duty by about a third.
A commission of enquiry into revenue was set up under the chairmanship of lord Wallace in order to potentially reduce duty costs as a way of outcompeting smugglers. What was the result of this?
The excise act of 1823 was produced which reduced duty costs by half and put the license tax at £10 per annum. It sanctioned the usage of thin washes, introduced duty free warehousing for export spirits and opened the export trade to all.
What essential thing produced the foundation for modern day whisky
The excise act of 1823 as it gave distillers freedom to choose how to distil with their own methods etc as they were no longer restricted or overly controlled by the law
between 1823 and 1825 how many licensed distilleries opened
204
At the start of 1823 how many licensed distilleries where there in comparison to 1825
125 which rose to 329 by 1825
convictions for whisky smuggling in 1823 fell from 14,000 to what
85
How many convictions had there been for whisky smuggling in 1823
14,000
between 1830s and 1850s the number of licensed distilleries fell from 230 to 169 what was the cause of this
widespread distress following the bad harvest as well as the potato blight.
in 1853 the first true brand scotch whisky was put on the market by who?
Andrew usher
What was the name of the first true brand released scotch
Ushers old vatted Glenlivet
In 1853 which distillery released the first true brand scotch whisky and what regions is it located in
The Glenlivet distillery in Speyside
In 1860 what act made it possible to produce blended whisky on a larger scale
The Gladstones spirits act of 1860
The act of blending malts with cheaper grain malts was pioneered by who in 1860?
Andrew Usher Jnr, Charles Mackinlay and WP Lowrie
What were the three great virtues of blended whisky in 1860
It had a broader appeal than some other whiskies which were heavily peated or fiery due to grain. It could also be made to a formula so its flavour remained consistent and it was cheap to produce.
What innovative means of transport was devised around the 1840s that allowed easier means of transport and accelerated growth for whisky
The railway
Which railway had the largest impact on whiskies growth and transport
The Edinburgh to Glasgow railway in 1842
Right towards the end of 1970 what percentage of scotch was made for blending
99%
During the 1860s to 1880s what pest in france was responsible for devastating vineyards
Phyllorexa vastarix
how did the louse pest in France between the 1860s and 1880s help push whisky more
Middleclass British people were unable to have their most commonly enjoyed drink, brandy and soda which became replaced by blended whisky and soda thus helping whisky grow
What was a driver of whisky branding becoming more prominent and developing quickly around 1872
Pubs had been able to easily access and buy cheap whisky spirits and mix it with other things to make it more drinkable, sometimes however it was harmful things like sulphuric acid, acetic ether, varnish, turpentine and naphtha. This led to an investigation that was published in the mail in 1872 who analysed whisky across the city.
It was after the published results of chemical testing that branding then grew.
What were some of the bigger changes in marketing and branding done in the following two decades after 1872s published chemical anaylsis of the cities whisky
Greatly increased use of bottles, these bottles had driven corks with metal capsules and lastly more descriptive started being written on the bottle such as “fine old” “wholesome” and “pure” etc
What led to distillers, blenders and merchants names becoming more conspicuous from 1872
The increased branding and marketing done due to public testimonials and testing on whisky done throghout glascow.
In the1860s to 1870s/1880s what were most of the distilleries doing
Many were rebuilt and modernised and production doubled within the decade
Where was the first built distillery to take advantage of the strathspey railway
Cragganmore in speyside
How many distilleries were opened between 1870 and 1880
11
What problem did the continuous still bring
Its high productivity meant that there was an over capacity and thus market instability
In 1877 what large coroporation formed from some of the principle grain whisky producers
DCL Distillers company limited
Why did the DCL form
to achieve self regulation and prevent trade wars
What were some of the more notable distillers that amalgamated to form the DCL
Port Dundas, Carsebridge, Cameron bridge, Glenochil, Cambus and kirkliston distilleries.
