Whisky a very peculiar history

The long and storied history of distilled spirits.

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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Thanks for my morning scailg. Love this stuff.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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:thumbup:
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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At first the only spirit distilled in the colonial New World was the sailors and Pirates favorite rum. rum was made from imported Caribbean molasses, produced from sugarcane grown by slaves on plantations.The earliest rum distillery that we know about in North America was founded at Boston in 1657, but no doubt there were several earlier smaller ones. Settlers in the southern colonies also made brandy from whatever fruits they could find, from peaches to pumpkins.2
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Bourbon
Barrels also helped to name America's best known whiskey. Old Bourbon County became part of the state of Kentucky in 1785. (It was named in honor of the the French Royal Family.) Thanks to it's mild climate, fertile farmland, and plentiful oakwoods, it became a great place to make good quality barrel-aged American Whiskey. When the barrels were ready to be shipped. dock workers marked them with their place of orgin-and the whiskey inside was named the same.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Keep the history coming Bushman, still digging it, pun intended.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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WHAT WERE THEY MAKING?
By the early 1800's there were at least 2000 legal whiskey distilleries in the United States and a lot more illegal ones. In the US the whiskey distillers were distilling corn not malted barley. So what precisely were they making?

At first, US farm distillers continued to use or share small traditional pot stills like those used in Ireland and Scotland. If they were really poor they might make out with a hollowed out log and a piece of old copper piping. But by 1816 at least one company, the Hope Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, was producing whiskey in large copper stills on an industrial scale. (It tasted horrible, and was not very popular but it was a sign of things to come).

Big or small, the earliest American distillers all began their whiskey making in a similar way. They simply mashed their grain first, then boiled it with water, and either added yeast or allowed wild yeast to ferment it.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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A hollowed out log? Interesting! Still following this thread. And loving it.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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moosemilk wrote:A hollowed out log? Interesting! Still following this thread. And loving it.
Tricky deal . You can boil water in a cup or bowl made from bark as long as you don't let the flame rise above the water level . Stillin in a log takes that to the next level .
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Yup, I remember from my scout days about using bark to boil water...but stillin in a log...that's impressive!
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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moosemilk wrote:Yup, I remember from my scout days about using bark to boil water...but stillin in a log...that's impressive!
Rekin so and that's sumpin I never saw happen . Guess it could , though , if you was desperate enough .
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Wonder if that's where the term "stump likker" came from. Would make sense.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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moosemilk wrote:Wonder if that's where the term "stump likker" came from. Would make sense.
Interesting concept . Beech trees were notorious for going holler and were sought after for honey bee 'gums' . Guess they could have served the same function for boilers . Maybe ensconed in a snail shell furnace ? :?:
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

Post by jedneck »

Truckinbutch wrote:
moosemilk wrote:A hollowed out log? Interesting! Still following this thread. And loving it.
Tricky deal . You can boil water in a cup or bowl made from bark as long as you don't let the flame rise above the water level . Stillin in a log takes that to the next level .
Same with an animal hide pot
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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FLOWING THROUGH FILTERS
Not to be out done by the good citizens of Kentucky, whiskey-makers in the neighboring state of Tennessee started to filter their whiskey through charcoal made from local sugar-maple trees. They did this straight after the whiskey was distilled but before it was put into barrels. They claimed it added an extra smoothness and mellowness to the flavor. And they were right on the whole.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Production of the first grain spirits are unknown, but we know they existed in Europe 500 years ago. Some claim that whiskey was invented in Ireland as long as 1,000 years ago and carried to Scotland by monks. The first written records of Scottish whiskey-making date as far back as 1494. (The word whiskey comes from the Irish Gaelic uisge beatha or the Scottish Gaelic uisge baugh, both meaning "water of life.")

Spirits were brought to the New World with European settlers. Rum was distilled in New England in the early 17th century, and distillation also took place in New York as early as 1640. During the early 18th century whiskeymaking became an important industry in the western part of the American colonies, particularly in western Pennsylvania. Farmers found it difficult to store their perishable grains and to transport them to distant eastern cities. It was much simpler to use them to make whiskey, which could be stored for years and more easily transported.

In 1794 the United States had a Whiskey Rebellion. Farmers in western Pennsylvania refused to pay an unpopular tax on whiskey and attacked federal officers who tried to collect it. After the home of the local tax inspector was burned by a group of 500 armed rebels, President George Washington sent in 13,000 troops to stop the uprising. The rebellion ended without bloodshed, and the power of the federal government was firmly established. Many whiskeymakers moved farther west, into what was then Indian territory, to escape federal authority. They settled in southern Indiana and Kentucky, areas that are still famous for whiskey.

American whiskeymaking reached a peak in 1911, when about 400 million liters were produced, a figure not exceeded until after Prohibition. On November 16, 1920, the Volstead Act became the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and no American whiskey was legally made until the amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933. Production reached another peak in 1951, when about 800 million liters were made. Today with all the micro distilleries starting it is hard to say how much is produced each year.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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WHAT IS WHISKY?
In 1905 London magistrates prosecuted pub landlords for selling a drink that was not of the nature, substance, or quality demanded by the purchaser. It was, in fact, raw grain spirit with just a few drops of cheap whisky added for flavor. To add insult to injury, some of it was mockingly labelled "NSS" (Never Seen Scotland). The court found the landlords guilty, and declared the 'real' whisky could only be made in a traditional pot still , using malted barley.
The big grain distillers and their customers, the blenders, were horrified. They appealed the court's decision, and in 1909 they won their case. The legal definition of whisky pronounced by the court was to last for exactly 100 years; Whisky could be made from any kind of grain, in any kink of still, but whisky labelled 'Scotch' had to be distilled in Scotland.
In 2009 new laws gave the name and the product 'Scotch whisky' much more precise protection. Today, Scotch whisky can only be described in one of these five ways: single malt, single grain, blended malt, blended grain, blended Scotch whisky. Vague, misleading terms such as ' pure malt' are not allowed. Most important of all, any whisky sold as 'Scotch' must be wholly distilled and matured in Scotland. Single-malt whiskies must be bottled in Scotland, too. Distillery names can only be used for whisky made on the premises.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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I'm really enjoying this history lesson. Thank you very much Bushman.

Is there any mention of the word "spirits" and how it came to be a description for distilled alcohol?
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Quote - "Distillery names can only be used for whisky made on the premises."

I'm assuming that's not part of the regulations for defining US whiskies.

Still enjoying this thread. Thanks Bushman.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Due51 wrote:I'm really enjoying this history lesson. Thank you very much Bushman.

Is there any mention of the word "spirits" and how it came to be a description for distilled alcohol?
Good question, Wiki gives this definition:

The term spirit refers to a distilled beverage that contains no added sugar and has at least 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). Popular spirits include brandy, fruit brandy (also known as eau de vie or Schnapps), gin, rum, tequila, vodka, baijiu and whisky.

I have also seen these referenced online:
If not mistaken the word ESPIRITOS is Greek translated to Breath of life or breathe life into. They believed the breath was the in presence of that which leaves the body at time of death.
If you can imagine having little to no understanding of the sciences that explain such a traumatic event. The only thing they could be sure of was absence of breath in their people, when they died.
Until it wears off or it can be masked the alcohol carried its own effect on the breath. Thus the presence of another spirit was apparent to all who seen heard and smelled, one whom was consumed by spirits. ( hard alcohol )

Another thought:
The people to distill spirits were monks in europe along with wine and beer during the 12 century and earlier. monks tried to explain how the brown foamy mash became a clear pure water like consistency. It was believer that the distilling process was removing the spirit from the mash and that's why. To this day in some european countries with rye whiskey drinkers, people pour out the first shot onto the ground (in order to giving the angels their share).
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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S-Cackalacky wrote:Quote - "Distillery names can only be used for whisky made on the premises."

I'm assuming that's not part of the regulations for defining US whiskies.

Still enjoying this thread. Thanks Bushman.
No that's strickly Scotland.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Due51 wrote:Is there any mention of the word "spirits" and how it came to be a description for distilled alcohol?
When my daughter saw my large pile of sprouting corn this summer, drying under fans, she asked me what I was doing. I explained that I had coaxed and tricked the corn kernels into thinking it was spring, and that they had been planted in the cool damp earth, and that it was time for them to grow. She was very impressed. When asked what the fans were for, I told her that now I had to stop the growing, and dry out the malt so that I could grind it up, throw it in boiling water and gelatinize it. She seemed horrified. I went on to explain how I would then mash the grains, add yeast, ferment, distill, and eventually make a delicious whiskey that I would enjoy this winter with friends. She didn't see, to be feeling any better about it. And that by providing myself and my friends with a warm and convivial glow, a sense of well-being, that the corn would then essentially be coming to life a second time! And that's why whiskey is called a spirit! :D (ba dum bump) (sort of made the story up on the spot, at the time, but I like it)
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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DID YOU KNOW?
The “XXX” symbol before todays adult movies was seen painted on the side of a big clay jugs and stood for moonshine that had been triple distilled. During prohibition usually the equipment was crude and after one pass through the distilling process, the liquor typically wasn’t all that strong and likely full of impurities. After the third run, the last “X” was added, along with the guarantee that the jug contained some serious stuff.

America’s largest spectator sport NASCAR got it's origin from the days of Prohibition, when moonshiners used souped-up cars to avoid police. In 1933, when Prohibition was repealed, the moonshiners continued their reckless ways, this time staying ahead of the tax man on the dirt roads of the Deep South. Junior Johnson got his start as a former bootlegger, Johnson spent a year in prison for operating an illegal still when he made the transition to NASCAR in 1955. He would go on to win 50 races, retiring in 1966.

Prohibition lowered the standards of quality as producers concentrated on making larger amounts to meet the increased demand. This substandard shine was termed “Mean Whisky” and the term Moonshine comes from the fact that distilling illegal liquor is done underground or “in the moonlight”. The term bootlegger comes from early colonists who hid liquor in their boots in order to smuggle it to the Native Americans.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Very good read! Keep it coming.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Bushman wrote:
S-Cackalacky wrote:Quote - "Distillery names can only be used for whisky made on the premises."

I'm assuming that's not part of the regulations for defining US whiskies.

Still enjoying this thread. Thanks Bushman.
No that's strickly Scotland.
I was being a little facetious - having read a thread recently about how many startup distilleries here in the US are buying their spirits from a large mass production distillery in Indiana and passing it off as their own. I guess that kind of thing couldn't happen in Scotland.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Taken from the book Irish Whiskey a 1000 Year Tradition
"In 1806, due to laws and taxation, out of 11,400,000 gallons of spirits made in Ireland, 3,800,000 of these were produced by illicit manufacturers. In the years 1811 to 1813 almost 20,000 illegal stills were destroyed by the revenue authorities and the military."

In the earlier 1800s, scotch whisky was heavy in flavor profile and the English didn't prefer it. Irish whiskey, which used malted and unmalted barley, was both lighter and more consistent.

When column distillation was invented, Irish whiskey makers were very reluctant to use it to water down their whiskey. They argued against it and refused to use it, while the Scots took to it to dilute their strongly flavored spirit. The lighter flavor profile was more popular both in England and America.

The Irish whiskey industry was further harmed by world war rationing, independence from England, and American Prohibition.

The last remaining Irish whiskey distillers banded together in the 1960s to form Irish Distillers. They were the sole producers of Irish whiskey, which was made both at the Old Bushmills distillery and down at Cooley.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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S-Cackalacky wrote:
Bushman wrote:
S-Cackalacky wrote:Quote - "Distillery names can only be used for whisky made on the premises."

I'm assuming that's not part of the regulations for defining US whiskies.

Still enjoying this thread. Thanks Bushman.
No that's strickly Scotland.
I was being a little facetious - having read a thread recently about how many startup distilleries here in the US are buying their spirits from a large mass production distillery in Indiana and passing it off as their own. I guess that kind of thing couldn't happen in Scotland.
I just took a tour of the 2 James Distillery in Detroit and was surprised to learn they use this exact practice for their gin and vodka. They do make their own bourbon and white Rye dog (which...blech).,
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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I’ve a couple of argumentative but constructive observations to make about some of the “facts” as presented by this book.

Quote: “SECRET STILLS
How whisky was made in 1600 Scotland when it was illegal:
8. Add yeast and leave for 48 hours and stand well back while the mixture heaves and bubbles.”

I propose that it was not illegal in 1600 for individuals to make whiskey in Scotland. That moonshine war did not come until later.

* The first conceptual excise tax to generate revenue seems to have been imposed upon whiskey – by the English Parliament in 1661. (Scotland was an individual sovereign state with a different parliament and different laws).
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky] suggest that whiskey taxes rose dramatically after the merger of England and Scotland in 1707. “After the English Malt Tax of 1725, most of Scotland’s distillation was either shut down or forced underground”.
* The concept of national dept also has its roots in English financial reforms during the 17th century.
* The first Scottish licensing legislation appears to have been an Act of 1756" [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications ... 7590/22952]
* In Ireland, viceregal licenses for the manufacture of whiskey were apparently being issued before 1600 however. “The Old Bushmills Distillery claims to be the oldest surviving licenced distillery in the world (the distillery claims a heritage to a licence from James I in 1608)”- apparently some form of taxation was beginning in Ireland – now a vassal of England.
{James VI (a Tudor) was King of Scotland from 1567 – and then (changing names) also King of England and Ireland as James I (from 1603 to 1625}.

I also propose that in 1600, no one had a clue as to what yeast was. Almost all bread before the 1840s was probably a form of sourdough bread. A renaissance of baking began in the mid 19th century, particularly in 1880’s Vienna, Austria after bakers began making sweetbreads by skimming and collecting the barm or krausen from the top of beer (ale) vats. Bakers and brewers began to appreciate the presence of yeast after this, and bakers began pressing yeast cake from dedicated grain worts after brewers ditched ales for new lagers and bottom dwelling yeast.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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Got anymore stuff from that book good stuff friend.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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W Pappy wrote:Got anymore stuff from that book good stuff friend.
I've been busy, need to get back to it, thanks for the reminder.
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Re: Whisky a very peculiar history

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In 1870 wine makers in France noticed something strange and alarming. Their vines were turning brown and dying. There were no new shoots, no green leaves, no grapes to make wine. It was a disaster!
A tiny aphid-like insect had migrated from America. It attacked and killed grapevines, halting wine production throughout Europe for years. Without wine, there was no brandy; and so, for whiskey distillers, the attack became a blessing in disguise. Their marketing teams persuaded the upper classes in England and elsewhere that blended whisky would be just the thing to replace their brandy. Sales soared and the 1880's and 1890's saw a Whisky Boom.
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