Saturday 16 March 2013

Whiskey

Today a Dutchman told me a story about the invention of whiskey - he said that apparently the Irish were the first to distill whiskey.  But they used it to rub on their horses' flanks, it was the Scots who discovered that you could drink it!  True or I am being spun a yarn?  Mel over to you ......

5 comments:

  1. Fran there are many tall tales told about Whisky and an awful lot of bad mouthing towards the Irish : (
    Gaelic whisky was first documented in 1405 in the Irish Annals of Clonmacnoise, an Irish chronicle translated in the early 17th century. Herein there is a written record of the death of chieftain, at Christmas time, after “taking a surfeit of aqua vitae”. Scotland has its first record of the water of life in 1494 in the form of an entry in the Exchequer Rolls where the malt was sent “to Friar John Cor, by order of the king, to make aquavitae”. Usquebaurgh became whisky during the 12th Century, during an invasion of Ireland when King Henry II’s soldiers bastardized the term.

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  2. Thank you Mel, I knew I could rely on you for the facts. Now I will go back to the Dutchman and tell him to get his story straight! Personally I am not a whiskey lover, but I can take a drop of Irish whiskey occasionally. Happy Saint Patricks Day tomorrow xxx

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  3. Whisky makes you frisky
    I'm a brandy girl myself. But hey, if needs must....

    Sarah x

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  4. Haha, so the Dutch are at it again, are they. I thought they'd stirred up enough trouble in Ireland without adding to it still :-) Seriously, I never touch the stuff, but I'd like to wish all in that beautiful land of faerie a wonderful St Patrick's day, and a wonderful day to you too, Fran xxx

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  5. Sarah - I am definitely not going to give Pete any then!!! Xxx

    Val - you do have to watch those Dutch! Kees has been living here forever and is the present Commodore of the sailing club. There has not been such a blatant take over of power since William of Orange !!!! X

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