Szkoci mówią: "Slainte!"

.....czyli o tym, co najbardziej na świecie kocha każdy Góral!!! A nie jest żadną tajemnicą, że górale najbardziej na świecie kochają swoje kobiety, ale jeszcze bardziej od kobiet górale kochają "naskom okowitke". A okowitka to przecież nic innego jak: Aqua Vitea, Woda Życia. Ale dla Highland Gaelic ta "Water of Life" była nazywaną: uisge beatha. Angole - cepry niechrzczone - wszystko poprzekręcali. I tak najpierw zaczęli ten wspaniały trunek nazywać Fwisge a potem.......... Whisky ;)
The first reference to Scotch Whisky was in the year 1494 in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls. It states "8 bolls of malt for Friar John Corr - Wherewith to make aquavitae". However whisky was almost certainly made much earlier than 1494. The distilling skills most likely came from Ireland via Argyll, when monks came to christen the heathens. Later the monasteries were burned down or demolished by the Protestants during the Reformation (1534-5) and monks had to "seek work" elsewhere. Peasants who had been supplying these monks with barley soon learned the skills and took it upon themselves to carry on this tradition.
In 1644 whisky was taxed for the first time. Taxes were also imposed on the stills, barley, malt & wash. Lowland distillers had to abide by these laws and pay the taxes because there was nowhere to hide. Many had to compromise with the quality of the grain and production was hurried through. It was made in small stills that could be quickly dissembled and hidden from the law. Because of the size of the stills and the location in the highlands, illicit distillers had all the time they needed to produce a quality product with quality ingredients, and so distilling grew in the Highlands.
By the 19th century whisky had become a currency. Highlanders were poor but they could plant barley in fields and try to sell it. However, prices varied and storage facilities were scarce. So, barley was distilled and whisky making became a natural extension to a farming year with distillation in the late autumn or winter months. The illicit distillation problem got worse and everyone rallied against the excise men. But even King George IV supported the Highlanders. This helped the move for a change in law on whisky production.
In 1823, The Spirit Act was passed - after much hard work from the Duke of Gordon who had the most illegal distilleries on his land. He knew about these, but was reluctant to give them up and risk losing tenants. He also realised that whisky was always going to be produced and sold and that it was simply a matter of reforming the law so that parties on either side could benefit financially from distilling. And so the history of legal distilleries was born.
Dobra.
Tyle historii. Moją ulubioną whisky jest The Balvenie Cask 191.
Nose ~ Complex, intense with toffee, marzipan, sweet oak, raisins and nuts.
Taste ~ astonishing depth of flavour, developing from butterscotch to clover honey, liquorice and chocolate - elegantly balanced with drying oak and spice.
On the 6th of September 2002, Cask 191 was emptied for bottling and only 83 bottles of this precious liquid were forthcoming. The angels had indeed taken their share!

no i ogólna wiedza, tzw universum o tym trunku. istnieje kilka podstawowych rodzajów szkockiej:
whisky słodowa (single malt whisky)
whisky mieszana słodowa (pure malt whisky, vatted whisky)
whisky słodowa z pojedynczej beczki (single cask whisky)
whisky mieszana (blended whisky)
whisky mieszana de luxe
whisky zbożowa (grain whisky).

o poszczególnych rodzajach możesz dowiedzieć się więcej zaglądając tutaj lub tu ;)


i na koniec jeszcze kultowe whisky in the jar:
As i was going over
The Kork and Kerry mountains
I saw Captain Farrell
And his money he was counting
I first produced my pistol
And then produced my rapier
I said "Stand and deliver
Or the devil he may take you"

I took all of his money
And it was a pretty penny
I took all of his money and
I brought it home to Molly
She swore that she'd love me
No Never would she leave me
But the devil take that woman
For you know she treat me easy

Mush a ring dum a doo dum a da
Whack for my daddy'o
Whack for my daddy'o, there's
Whisky in the jar, o

Being drunk and weary
I went to Molly's chamber
Taking my Molly with me
And i never knew the danger
For about six or maybe seven
In walked Captain Farrell
I jumped up, fired off my pistols
And i shot him with both barrels

Now some men like the fishing
And some men like fowling
And some men like to hear
The cannonballs are roaring
Me - I like sleeping
Specially in my Molly's chamber
But here i am in prison,
Here i am with a ball and chain, yeah.