A brief history of Scotch Whisky

The History of Whisky

8th Century BC         First Evidence of distilling in the Far East
4th Century BC         Greeks know of distilling
6th Century AD         First mention of distilling in Britain

1494                           First record of distilling in Scotland
                                    James IV on throne in Scotland
                                    Henry VII on throne in England
1513                           Battle of Flodden
1539-1550                Dissolution of Monasteries, spread of distilling as a
                                     trade
1558                          Queen Elizabeth I on throne in England
1560                          Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland from France
1567                          Mary Queen of Scots abdicates and flees to England
                                   and imprisonment
1579                          Temporary ban on distilling, except by noblemen,
                                   because of a bad harvest
1587                         Mary Queen of Scots executed
1588                         Spanish Armada
1603                         Union of Crowns-James VI of Scotland became
                                  James I of Britain
1636                         Charles I granted charter to the "Worshipful
                                  Company of Distillers"
1644                        First excise duty imposed -2/8 per Scots pint
1649 -1659           Cromwell's Commonwealth
1660                      Charles II restored to throne - excise duty reduced
1666                      Great Fire of London
1685                      James II came to throne
1688                     James deposed in Revolution
1689                      William of Orange proclaimed King after Revolution
                               Ferintosh Distillery burned by Jacobites
                               Battle of Killiecrankie
1692                     Glencoe Massacre
1707                    Union of Scots and English Parliaments
1715                    1st Jacobite Uprising
1725                    Malt tax led to riots in Glasgow
1726                   General Wade started road building programme to
                            open up the highlands so that troops could control
                            the region more easily
1736                   Porteous riots in Edinburgh
1745                   2nd Jacobite Uprising
1746                   Battle of Culloden
1747                   Repression in Highlands imposed by
                            Duke of Cumberland
1760                  Start of "Highland Clearances"
1773                  Boston Tea Party
1775                  Dr Johnson toured Highlands with James Boswell
1776                  American Declaration of Independence from Britain
1784                  Ending of Ferintosh's exemption from Excise Duty
1785-1803       Series of huge increases in Excise Duty led to
                           bankruptcies among licensed distillers
                           and a big increase in the amount of smuggled whisky
                           which was often of superior quality
                           because of the short cuts taken by the licensed
                           distillers to try and keep costs down
1788                  Roberts Burns became an Exciseman.
1789                  French Revolution and the mutiny on the Bounty
1790                 Forth and Clyde Canal opened. All goods still had to
                          be transported by horse drawn cart on poor roads.
                          There were no railways and the internal combustion
                          engine had not been invented.
1793 - 1815    War with France; shortage of brandy made people
                          turn to whisky
1798                 Nelson defeats the French navy at the Battle of the
                          Nile
1805                Nelson again victorious at Trafalgar
1815                Napoleon defeated by Wellington at Waterloo
1822                George IV visited Edinburgh and is reputed to have
                         asks for Glenlivet whisky which could only have
                         been illicit; widespread acceptance of whisky
                         smuggling; Union Canal opened, linking Edinburgh to
                          the Forth and Clyde Canal
1822                New Whisky Act encouraged the setting up of licensed
                         distilleries at reasonable cost but under close
                        supervision
1825               Opening of Stockton to Darlington Railway



The above text has been reprinted by kind permission of the SCOTCH WHISKY HERITAGE CENTRE. If you would like to learn more about whisky, the centre runs regular courses in Edinburgh. For more information see www.whisky-heritage.co.uk