World Whisky Day (17th May) is getting closer, so I thought it would be fun to share some interesting whisky facts you may not have heard before.
1 Dram has a long history.
The word dram comes from the Ancient Greek word drackhme, which referred to coins. It also appeared in the Bible as a unit of treasure. The Latin translation was dragma. From there it was translated into Old French and eventually into Old English. The historical evidence suggests it was used as a unit of measurement by the chemists. Whisky is known to have been used for medicinal purposes; therefore, it makes perfect sense that people would have been at the apothecary ordering a dram of whisky.
2 Devil’s Cut is lost whisky.
Never mind Angel’s Share, but what about Devil’s Cut!? Devil’s Cut is the spirit that goes so deep into the wood of the cask that it never comes out. The amount of liquid disappearing into the staves varies depending on the length of the maturation and the condition of the oak.
3 Dogs can find the bad casks.
William Grant & Sons uses two red-haired cocker spaniels, Kevin and Toby, to find the bad casks in their production so they can be removed from circulation before spirit is added. This will ensure the top quality of Grant’s whisky. Kevin and Toby will sniff through the casks in all the William Grant warehouses in Scotland and Ireland. They are very social dogs when off-duty, but once the working vests are on, both go into full-on working mode ignoring anyone passing by. They then sniff through the casks and confidently spot the faulty barrels.
See my previous blog post about Animals Working in the Drinks Industry.
4 A little bit of history can be found on Ardnamurchan bottle labels.
Ardnamurchan Distillery has a design of a lighthouse on their bottle labels. The lighthouse is situated close to the distillery, and it is the most westerly point in mainland Britain. The numbers surrounding the design are the coordinates for the lighthouse.
The 35-metre lighthouse stands 55 metres above the rocks, and it was built in 1849 using granite from the Isle of Mull.
5 A tea-spoon can make a difference.
The term ‘tea-spooned’ is a term used when a blended malt is made up of a huge majority of one single distillery – sometimes 99.9% of it – with just a tiny amount of something else spooned in to protect the anonymity of the distillery name.
It is a sub-category worth keeping an eye on as you can find some excellent whiskies at great value.
6 Whisky doesn’t have to be aged in a traditional warehouse.
Finnish distillery Teerenpeli use recycled shipping containers for storing their casks, approximately 2,500 of them. It is a cheaper option than building a whole new warehouse, especially given the strict Finnish regulations on storing spirits.
They claim that this method allows them to create a unique microclimate for their whisky, as the containers are exposed to the changing seasons and temperatures of Finland. These containers can be ventilated, but they are also insulated to reduce temperature fluctuations, which range from -30°C to 30°C depending on the season.
7 Monkey shoulder is a whisky injury.
Monkey shoulder is an injury from the traditional floor malting process where the malted barley was turned by hand with heavy shovels. Lifting the shovel day after day contributed to a shoulder injury, making their arm hang low, similarly to a monkey, hence the nickname monkey shoulder.
8 There is whisky smoked with manure.
Icelandic distilleries use sheep manure in place of peat to smoke their barley. Using sheep dung as fuel has been commonly used in Iceland due to the lack of firewood and the huge number of sheep living on the island.
9 Glenlivet shorthand was a sign of quality.
Since the smuggling era, ‘Glenlivet’ was used as a shorthand for several Speyside whiskies. They were known as premium products and often sold for more than whiskies from any other area.
The founder of The Glenlivet Distillery trademarked ‘Glenlivet’ in 1876, but due to rivals having the same idea, they ended up in court. Eventually, in 1884, the distillery won the battle and became the owner of the name. To complicate matters, however, other distilleries could still use ‘Glenlivet’ on their whisky labels after their own distillery name (Macallan-Glenlivet, Aberlour-Glenlivet and so on). It is still possible to see the name ‘Glenlivet’ on whisky labels other than The Glenlivet Distillery (see Tomintoul).
10 The SMWS set a new record.
As part of their 40th anniversary celebrations, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) set a Guinness World Record for the biggest online whisky tasting. The event took 45 minutes and saw 447 of the Society’s members sample three drams of whisky simultaneously. The SMWS members joined from countries such as the UK, the US, Australia, China, South Africa, Japan and more, which meant guests from Australia attended at midnight while people from New York sampled their whiskies at 9am.
11 Quaich is a symbol of trust.
Quaich comes from the Gaelic word cuach, simply meaning a cup. It was commonly used for the enjoyment of whisky and brandy. The story goes that Highlanders used to drink their drams from a scallop shell, which may have inspired the current shape.
The handles on the quaich have since become a symbol of trust. The clan chief would hand it over to another clansman as a sign of friendship and trust. They’d have to hold the cup with both hands, making it impossible to handle their weapons while drinking. It is said that the clansmen began using glass-bottomed quaiches out of fear of being chibbed. The glass would allow them to see their rivals while drinking. The heads of the clan would drink from it first before it was shared with the rest of the clan.
The quaich is now referred to as the ‘cup of friendship’, making the whole drinking ceremony a popular part of weddings, christenings and other celebrations. The cup gets passed on between the bride’s and groom’s immediate family members and, in some cases, between the whole wedding party.
12 Whisky fumes turn trees black.
Have you ever noticed how the trees around distilleries are black? Make sure to check next time you visit a distillery. It is a disease caused by the spirit fumes. It colours the white walls of the distillery and even the neighbours’ laundry. Basically, the fungus grabs the ethanol, the angel’s share, from the air and that helps it to thrive even in harsh environments. Luckily, it has no negative effect on the trees other than changing the colour.
Have you heard any interesting whisky facts recently? Will you celebrate World Whisky Day?
Disclaimer: Some of the links used are affiliate links. If you buy through the links, I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
