An Introduction to Whisky
Legend has it that Saint Patrick introduced whiskey distillation to Ireland in the 5th century AD, and that this was duly exported to Scotland... along with religion. But none can argue that for some time now the spirit of Scotland has dominated the business world-wide - a point accentuated when in 1994 the Scots celebrated with much fanfare the 500th anniversary of the first written record of whisky-making in Scotland.
Nobody can be sure how or when it all began, but the Celtic nations have for centuries possessed the art, skills and means to produce, each in its own way, uisce beatha or uisge or usky - it's easy to see how the term "whiskey" could have developed. The word was apparently coined by King Henry II's soldiers when they invaded Ireland in the 12th century: on discovering the delights of Irish distilleries, and having trouble in pronouncing the Gaelic, they resorted to a crude Anglicisation which subsequently became "whiskey". (The "e" disappeared from the Scots' product relatively recently).
1827: The development of continuous distillation Whether Irish or Scottish, whisky production was initially only in pot-stills and on a very small scale, albeit by many distilleries. Record has it that in 1827, Lowland (Scottish) distiller Robert Stein developed a method which permitted continuous distillation. This was improved and perfected by an Irishman, former excise inspector general Aeneas Coffey, who patented his still in 1831. The new method produced a lighter character distillate and in large, less costly volumes.
Thereafter, while ignored in Ireland, continuous stills became popular in the Scottish Lowlands where grain whisky was produced in large quantities: the lighter spirit blended with the more heavily flavoured pot-still whiskies made mainly in the Highlands resulted in whiskies with characters more easily appreciated by a wider audience. To this day, most of the top-selling whiskies are blends of this kind. And most of them are Scotch...
1919-1933: The effect of the American Prohibition In the early 1900s, Irish whiskeys dominated the list of top-sellers in the USA, the world's biggest spirit market. However, the scenario changed dramatically during the Prohibition era in the States from 1919 to 1933: the American government banned whisk(e)y importation, an illegal industry developed, and as the most popular brands had been Irish, the bootleggers gave their terrible concoctions similar Irish names, thus tarnishing the reputation of genuine Irish whiskey. This coincided with Ireland's partition into north and south, which disrupted normal trade. When Prohibition ended, Scotch took over the American trade - the blended product grew in popularity, and whisky sales soared to heights never before achieved. Denying Ireland the preferential tariffs granted to the rest of the British Empire was a double blow from which the Irish industry is only now beginning to recover, as consumers take a greater interest in whiskies other than blended Scotch.
Present: Renewed interest in whisky Not only is there an interest in Irish whiskey, but also a revived appreciation for Scotch Malt whiskies. Not to mention an ever-increasing trade in the better Kentucky and Tennessee whiskeys, Canadian whiskies, and even those from other parts of the world such as Japan, and South Africa.
The whiskeys of North America were originally made by Irish and Scottish immigrants. When these distillers moved south to avoid the taxes being imposed in the north, they found the best grain that grew in warmer climes to be maize or, as the Americans call it, corn. Hence Bourbon (Kentucky) and Tennessee whiskey are corn-based, whereas in the northern States and in Canada, a good deal of whisky is made from rye. (Canada followed the Scots in preferring the word whisky to whiskey).
Just as the method of production makes various products distinctive from each other, whiskies made in different places have different characteristics. And regional differences are no better illustrated than in Scotland where there is a broad separation between Highland and Lowland distilleries, with most situated in the Highlands. The whiskies from the islands, like Islay, have a more distinct style, with heavy iodine and seaweed characters, while the whiskies of the Americas are usually lighter, and younger - exceptions being well-aged products that have their own majesty.
