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Whisky ( In Gaelic:- Uisge Beatha. Usquebaugh. Uiski }

An Introduction. How The Egyptians and the English helped the Scots make the World's Best Whisky.

Ancient Egyptians were well aware of the process of distilling.That's how they turned pulverized antimony into the thick, black koh'l, with which they outlined their eyes. Soon,people tried using the distilling method for other things.Someone discovered that alcohol can be made by distilling certain grains. And it's fair to say that down through the years, the abuse of alcohol has been responsible for many more blackened eyes than the Egyptians ever envisaged.

King James the 1st of England boosted whisky production greatly when he ran out of money for his obsession-war. He put a tax on whisky, hoping to be able to field more, and better equipped armies. However, by taxing whisky, he drove many entrepreneurs underground, where they created a lucrative bootlegging and smuggling industry.

When the Scots saw how much money King James was taking in by taxing whisky, they took things one step further. Not only did the Scottish Parliament introduce a whisky tax, but they also decreed that only the nobles and the ruling classes were permitted to get into the distillery business. Naturally, this ensured that the lower classes would get heavily involved in building illegal stills. And anyone not actually involved in making whisky, was looking for somewhere to buy it. Cheap.

It wasn't long before there were tartan-clad figures tiptoeing busily around the caves and crags of Scotland's wild, untamed Highlands. They were carrying copper pipe, barrels, and firewood. But their activities didn't go unnoticed by the local lawmen. Soon, a new,and much despised group of law enforcement officers was being sworn in. These were the "Excisemen",whose sole duty it was to detect illegal stills, and arrest the bootleggers. Well. There was tension.

Many Excisemen met horrible deaths at the hands of the bootleggers. Eventually, their numbers dropped, and those left were too terrified to work, being completely outnumbered and unprotected. Things really deteriorated when Scotland and England united in 1707. The taxes on whisky were doubled again and again. More people got into the bootleg business. For example in 1777, Scotland's capital city , Edinburgh, boasted eight licensed distilleries and 400 illicit stills!

Finally, in 1823 The Duke of Gordon spearheaded the Excise Act through Parliament. When passed, this act reduced the whisky taxes to the point where stills weren't worth the trouble. At last the need for secrecy was gone. Distillers began to share professional information in an attempt to make their product more marketable. Thus began the experimentation with different blending and distilling techniques. And that is how Scotland became the undisputed home of the word's finest whiskies.

And to think it all started with eye shadow! Slanche Var ! (Cheers!)

Online Resources
celticwhisky.com
scotc hwhisky.net

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