Scotch Whisky History Flashcards
These flash cards are all drawn from material in Charles MacClean's "Understanding Scotch Malt Whisky" and are designed to study for the Certified Scotch Professional Exam. They are not my original material.
What is the Latin phrase for “water of life?”
Aqua Vitae
What is the Gaelic phrase for whisky?
Uisge Beatha
Distillation came to Europe from where? When?
It is thought that distillation came to Europe from the Middle East around 950AD
What are the origins of the word Whisky?
UIse Beatha (early 6th century)
UIske (17th century)
Whiskie (1715)
Whisky (1736)
Who is considered the “father of distilling?”
Arnaldus de Villa Nova was a Moorish scholar, born in Spain and educated in Sicily. He taught alchemy, medicine and astronomy at Avignon and Montpellier.
What are the origins of the term alcohol?
Comes from the Arabic al’kohl - a fine powder used by the ancient Egyptians as eye shadow.
What is the first record of distilled spirit in Scotland?
1494 Exchequer Roll, “To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aquavitae, VIII bolls of malt.”
Why did early distillers in Northern and Western Europe turn to fermented cereals as their raw material for distilled spirits?
Grapes did not grow in Northern climates as they did in Southern Europe.
When was the first recorded mention of aqua vitae in Scotland?
1494 - Eight bolls of malt for Friar John Cor
When wer the Guild of Surgeon-Barbers of Edinburgh granted a monopoly for making acqua vitae?
1505
When was the first Act of Scottish Parliment passed imposing a duty on spirits to raise money for the Army of the Covenant?
1644
What is the first reference to commercial distillery?
Ferintosch in 1689
What act of parliament created the Highland Line? When was it passed?
The Wash Act of 1784
What were the three main components of the Wash Act of 1784?
1) Created the Highland Line
2) Lowered duties above the line
3) allowed for smaller stills
In what year did Johnnie Walker’s trustees open a shop in Kilmarnock?
1820
What were the main components of the Excise Act of 1823?
1) Halved duty
2) Permitted small stills (40 gallons) above the Highland Line
3) Allowed thin washes
4) Encouraged smugglers to go legal
Who was the first person to take out a patent for a continuous still? In what year?
Robert Stein in 1826
Who perfected the patent still for grain whiskey? In what year?
Aeneas Coffey - 1831
What was the first blended whiskey? Who created it? In what year?
Usher’s Old Vatted Glenlivet was created by Andrew Usher in 1853.
When was Distillers Company Limited founded?
1877
Who was granted exclusive rights to use the name “The Glenlivet?” In what year?
George and JG Smith in 1880
When was the “What is Whisky” case?
1906
What did the Royal Commission on Whisky decide in 1908
Grain and malt (thus blended) can be described as whiskey.
What two significant breakthroughs to distilling occurred in the 15th century?
1) Cooling the condenser in a tub of water rather than in the air
2) Elongating the still head into a pear shape to encourage more reflux
What was the first distillery mentioned in an official document?
Ferintosh was established on the Black Isle by Duncan Forbes of Culloden in 1670
What was the special dispensation that was granted to Ferintosh by the King? How long did it last?
After Duncan Forbes’ distillery was sacked by Jacobites in 1689, Ferintosh was granted the privilege of distilling duty free on his estate. This privilege lasted for 95 years.
When was the Act of Union?
1707 - united the parliaments of England and Scotland
From where to where does the Highland Line run?
The Highland Line runs diagonally from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Tay.
What abolished the Highland Line?
The Small Stills Act of 1816 abolished the Highland Line and permitted smaller stills throughout Scotland.
What crisis in France was one of the major contributors to the rise of Scotch Whisky in export markets? And why?
From the mid-1860’s French vineyards were destroyed by a tiny louse called “Phylloxera Vistatrix” which dried the supply of Cognac and allowed Scotch Whisky to fill that void in many markets around the world.
What major occurrence led to the rise of the Speyside region?
The building of the Strathspey Railway
Who was the first person in the Glenlivet area to take out a license under the Excise Act of 1823?
George Smith in 1826
What took place from 1920 to 1933 in the US, and how did it actually help the rise of Scotch Whisky?
During Prohibition in the US from 1920 to 1933, Scotch Whisky was smuggled into the US through the Caribbean to such a large extent that after prohibition was repealed, Scotch Whisky had overtaken Irish Whiskey in popularity in the US.
What is the origin of the phrase “the Real McCoy?”
Captain Bill McCoy was a well known bootlegger during prohibition smuggling whisky through the Caribbean on his ship the Cutty Sark. HIs name became synonymous with good whisky… “The Real McCoy.”
What was the first commercial release of a single malt whisky? And by whom?
1963 - Glenfiddich
What was the first distillery to open it’s doors to the public - thus creating “Whisky tourism?” In what year?
Glenfiddich in 1969
Which brands were part of DCL’s “The Ascot Malt Cellar” in 1982
Rosebank
Linkwood
Talisker
Lagavulin
Strahconnan
Glenleven
Which brands were part of United Distillers “Classic Malts” Range in 1988?
The Classic Malts featured six whiskies with regional diversity:
Craggenmore (Speyside)
Dalwhinnie (Highlands)
Glenkinchie (lowlands)
Lagavulin (Islay)
Oban (Western Highlands)
Talisker (Isle of Skye)
What two companies merged in 1997 to form Diageo?
Guinness and Grand Metropolitan
