Have you ever wondered how whiskey came about? It has roots that go a
long way into the past, and in this book, the author tells us how the
various discoveries came together - first of all to obtain alcohol from
wine, but in Ireland, where grapes do not grow, from ale. The monks who
first carried out this experiment wanted alcohol for medical purposes
because the monks in those days were also the physicians.
Inevitably, the alcohol was tasted, and though at that time it must have
been harsh in flavour, the feeling of well-being and warmth it created
could not be missed. At first, it was flavoured with spices, notably
saffron, which gave it a beautiful yellow/orange colour. Later it was
discovered that storage in an oak cask not only produced the amber
colour of whiskey today but did wonderful things to the taste. From then
onwards, all additions other than water to adjust the alcoholic strength
and some caramel to standardise colouring were prohibited by law.
Whiskey distilleries were recognised by their chimneys indicating their
voracious use of fossil fuels, but today distilleries are being
converted to be 100% fossil-fuel-free and still produce the same
beautiful amber liquid.
