WHISKY

See Also: BEER; GIN; SPIRITS & LIQUEURS; WINE; MENU

Barrels

The first known reference to distilled whisky being matured in oak barrels dates from 1822.

In 1915 David Lloyd George introduced the legislation that required whisky to be aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Otherwise, it was not whisky legally. He himself was a vehement teetotaller.

The Angel's Share

Oak is watertight but it allows the whisky to breathe. Approximately 2% of the volume evaporates each year, this is known as the angels share . The evaporation takes place because the whisky is placed in sherry barrels, which are made of oak, which is porous.

Website: www.theglenlivet.com/en-UK/article/theangelshare

Black & White

Winston Churchill was partial to Black & White whisky. Joe Gilmore (1922-2015), the head barman of The Savoy's American Bar, kept a bottle especially for him.

Location: The Savoy Hotel, Savoy Court, WC2R 0EZ (blue, turquoise)

Blended Whiskies and Wine Merchants

Aeneas Coffey (1780-1852), a former Inspector-General of Excise, invented the Coffey Still. This made more whisky at a lower price than had been the case previously. However, the spirit it produced was of a lower quality than that which was made with ordinary stills. The Irish distillers were unreceptive to the device. However, the Scottish ones were open to it. The quality of its product could be raised by blending the liquid with malt whiskies. The timing of the technology was fortunate for the Scots. Until the mid-19^thC brandy had been Britain's favourite tipple. However, the French brandy industry was in a crisis as a result of an epidemic of the phylloxera vine disease that had brought the European wine making industry to the verge of collapse.¹ As a result, the brandy that was available became very expensive. Thereby, the Scottish distillers were furnished with an opportunity to take the leading place in the production of the spirits that were consumed in the British Isles.

During the 1930s the market for whisky grew in popularity. During the Second World War gin became more popular. This was because it did not need the same amount of time to mature as whisky did. During the 1950s whisky grew in popularity again. The increase in its consumption was particularly marked in America, where its lighter, subtler taste was preferred by many consumers to the native-made whiskey. At the end of the 1960s the United States's Internal Revenue Service sanctioned the production of British style light whiskeys.

See Also: WINE

¹. Jules-Emile Planchon played an important role in countering the phylloxera epidemic that struck the vineyards of Europe during the 1860s. He had trained at Kew Gardens under William Hooker.

Cutty Sark

The wine merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd firm owns the Cutty Sark whisky brand.

Location: 3 St James's Street, SW1A 1EG (orange, red)

Website: www.cutty-sark.com

J.& B.

Justerini & Brooks, the wine merchants, was founded in 1749 by George Johnson and Giacomo Justerini.

In 1831 Alfred Brooks bought the business from the Johnson family. He changed its name to Justerini & Brooks, from which the name of J. & B. Scotch is derived.

In 1962 Justerini & Brooks merged with the gin maker Gilbey.

Location: 61 St James's Street, SW1A 1LZ (blue, pink)

Website: www.diageo.com/en/our-brands/brand-profiles/j-b

The Coffey Still and The Scottish Ascendancy

The first advances into understanding the scientific principles behind distillation were conducted by likes of Watt, Lavoisier, and Carnaud. Subsequently, Sellier developed the elementary fractioning columns were developed by adding spouts to a vertical stillhead and then by dividing the condenser into several vessels. During the course of the Napoleonic wars the amount of sugar that could be derived from sugar beet was increased. The first multi-stage distillation column was created by Sellier in 1813

In 1834 Aeneas Coffey devised his own still that built upon the work of Robert Stein. The Scots took to it, whereas the Irish eschewed it.

In 1877 the Distillers Company was founded. Subsequently, within the Scottish industry, the practice of blending whiskies was taken up. This led to an improvement in quality. The Irish industry began to lose market share. This rise of whisky over whisky was compounded by Prohibition.

English Whisky

Whisky distilleries used to be commonplace in England.

The Lea Valley Distillery Company closed before the First World War. It was the last English whisky distillery.

In 2012 the London Distillery Company was set up. In 2020 its parent company Dodd d Gin was bought by The British Honey Company.

Location: 58 Druid Street, SE1 2EZ

Website: https://britishhoney.co.uk/collections/the-london-distillery-company

Malt Whiskies

Before the 1960s malt whiskies were only ever bottled in short, occasional runs. During that decade there was a wave of consolidation among the major blending distilleries. For the malt producers, this raised the prospect that they might not have a future role in the industry. Therefore, they started to bottle their produce themselves and selling it. Glenfiddich was the first to enter the field. Its success encouraged others to follow it.

Monkey Shoulder

Malts are turned over with a large shovel. This is known as a monkey shoulder because some developed a repetitive strain injury that caused one of their arms to hang down. William Grant & Sons developed the Monkey Soulder brand.

Website: www.monkeyshoulder.com

Scottish Whisky

Whisky¹ is reputed to have been invented at the end of the 15^thC by the Scottish Friar John Cor. Whether or not this was the case, 500 years of Scottish whisky making were celebrated in 1994.

Malts are made from malted barley. Grain whisky is made from unmalted grain. Blends are produced by combining a malt with a grain.

Website: www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

¹. The word whisky is descended from uisge beatha , the Gaelic for water of life .