The Empire Strikes Back

It is called in ancient Gaelic  ‘usige beatha’, meaning water of life. Over time it changed to ‘usquebaugh’ and phonetically changed to ‘uskey’ and in English to  ‘whisky’. Through the moors, who refined the ancient Mesopotamian art of distillation to make alcohol, which they were not supposed to imbibe but did, it found its way to the land of St.Patrick. Here, the monks brought not only the word of god but also the secret of alcohol distillation.

The Irish monks of the Emerald Isles used this process to produce a fiery distillate from malted barley and grains to  keep themselves warm from the cold wintry weather. They refined the stills and a Dublin man Aeneas Coffey perfected the design of the continuous still which increased the production and brought costs down and improved quality. They were no takers in Ireland and he sold his invention to the Scots who used it to take over the whisky market and become world leaders. The traditional luck of the Irish held. Before this the Irish had the biggest market.

"Being moderately taken,
it slows the age,
it cuts phlegm,
it lightens the mind,
it quickens the spirit,
it cures the dropsy,
it heals the strangulation,
it pounces the stone,
its repels gravel,
it pulls away ventositie,
it keeps and preserves the head from whirling,
the eyes from dazzling,
the tongue from lisping,
the mouth from snuffling,
the teeth from chattering,
the throat from rattling,
the weasan from stiffing,
the stomach from womblying,
the heart from swelling,
the belly from wincing,
the guts from rumbling,
the hands from shivering,
the sinews from shrinking,
the veins from crumpling,
the bones from aching,
the marrow from soaking,
and truly it is a sovereign liquor
if it be orderly taken
(poem of Raphael Holligshead)

  The original whisky was drunk neat, fresh without ageing and was a potent and sometimes dangerous drink. Serendipity played a part when a years-old forgotten cask of whisky was tasted by an adventurous soul and thus was born the present day smooth, aroma laden nectar.

 Once the Scots took over whisky making with continuous stills, Scotch became the premier whisky with an unmatched multitude of distinctive flavours and aromas. The continuous battles with England till the Union did not deter the Scots. If anything it added to distilleries all over the highlands and lowlands and the northern Isles which were beyond the reach of the English. Whisky is made in a number of countries of the world but none has captured the connoisseurs as Scotch has done. All whisky is made from fermented grains or barley except in India where molasses is mainly used.

 Alcoholic drinks and taxation go together. We are given the impression that the authorities do it to prevent alcoholism. Don’t you believe it. It is one of the items that can be taxed without the drinker objecting till the rates are so high that he suddenly finds he is out of money. Scotch whisky was taxed by the Scottish exchequer in 1494- probably the first taxation on whisky. However the first major taxation of whisky by the Scottish government was in 1644 because of the shortage of barley harvest. The tax was used to finance the royalist army. The history of taxation on whisky has had its ups and downs for the industry. Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII moved production from monasteries to homes and farms and was the start of the independent distilleries.

Poetry and whisky went together and no other drink came claim this lofty association. One of Scotland’s greatest poets cried out, when the duty free concession was withdrawn from the Ferintosh distillery in 1785,

Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost!
Scotland lament frae coast to coast! 
Now colic grips, an barkin hoast
May kill us a';
For loyal Forbes' charter'd boast
Is taen awa!
Thae curst horse-leeches o th' Excise,
Wha mak the whisky stells their prize!
Haud up thy han', Deil! ance, twice, thrice!
There, seize the blinkers!

Robert Burns was fond of whisky and Frintosh was his favourite. Fate had the last laugh when a few years later due to financial reasons Burns had to become an excise inspector! Burns’ poetry however flourished no doubt inspired by the drams of whisky. ‘ Freedom and whisky gang thegither ‘ wrote Robert Burns and a never a truer noble statement had been made.

When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks
      Are my poor verses!
Thou comes - they rattle in their ranks, 
      At ither's arses!

Fortune!  if thou but gie me still
Hale breeks, a scone, an' whisky gill,
An' rowth o' rhyme to rave at will, 
      Tak a' the rest,
An' deal't about as thy blind skill
      Directs thee best.

By the 19th century a measure of stabilisation had taken place and production exceeded local demand and exports started. The early patronage by the royalty like Elizabeth 1 and James IV and the involvement of monks in the early stages had established its credentials. Unlike rum and gin it was an upmarket drink and has remained so to this day. Even the attempts to upgrade gin by present British female royalty has not knocked whisky off its lofty pedestal . The excise act of 1823 reduced the number of illicit moonshine distilleries and put things on an even keel by encouraging legitimate distilleries to grow and concentrate on improvement of quality. The continuous still of Coffey was introduced and production of grain whisky took off. This brought in the blending revolution of malt and grain whisky. The next boost to Scotch whisky was given by phylloxera beetle which decimated the French vineyards in 1880s and enabled whisky to take over the place of Brandy. All these small events added up and Scotch whisky was on a roll. Whisky could be produced anywhere in the world but only in Scotland could the combination of water, peat , and the isolated places of distilleries away from all industrial pollution and distilleries of small and medium size concentrating on their specialities  can this nectar be made. Add to this the farsighted vision of not going for quick bucks but holding on the whisky to age in wooden barrels produced not only nectar but also good bucks.

Whisky exports took off by the middle of 19th century and have not looked back since then. The ex colony, the dominions, the colonies had the privilege of enjoying the nectar and paying for it adding to the finances of the mother country. The scotch  exports to India started in to increase by mid nineteenth century establishing itself as an elite drink for high ranking civil servants and army officers. Scotch in India was used by the rulers as a weapon for furthering, extending and consolidating the Imperia. For a small nation far away, with a population a fraction of the ruled, it required strategy and use of ideas to achieve not only mastery but also the respect of the ruled.  Queen Victoria was revered and the former Indian rulers who a few decades fought the English lined up to pay her homage.

In the initial stages the English had unemployed Scots and Irish to fight for them. Later they recruited Indian mercenary sepoys in large numbers to fight for them. After the so called Indian Mutiny the English not only learned the lesson but managed to get the loyalty of sepoys by making the commanders figures of respect. The officer’s fancy dress uniforms in striking colours must have the most uncomfortable dress to wear in Indian heat but caught the sepoy’s attention and respect. Rum rations were given to sepoys- a master step as a couple of pegs of the fiery stuff removed their fear and instilled courage long enough to last before they were shot in battle! For the officers Gin was reserved for the afternoon shots and night was of course Scotch.

With the expansion of the Indian Empire and additional work of administration there was need for additional hands which could not be found in their Isles. Careful induction of locals in the civil services and army in position of responsibility, of course under the eye of their own men, started after due education and indoctrination. They were introduced to the pleasures of Scotch and the strangle hold was in place. In army messes the evening whisky and soda became a part of the drill to get ahead for Indian officers and  they quickly succumbed. Indian recruits to the Indian civil service took it up in big way. Word seems to have spread round about the magical power of whisky and soon very conservative Indians took to the habit of afternoon G&T and evening pegs of Scotch. The very conservative Iyengars and Iyers  salved  their conscience and purified the ferangi drink by adding a sprig of basil. The Brits had the secret weapon in place and were able to hold on to their Jewel in the Crown till 1947 for over two hundred years. They tried the same trick with Chinese with opium but then the opium did not have the magical powers like the Scottish nectar!

Even though Scotch was exported to a captive market, the whisky distributors in U.K had very innovative ideas of brand creation. They were well known established brands exported all over the world like the Red label and Black label, also brands with typical Scottish names like Ballantines and old Grouse. They created special names for specific markets like Cutty Sark for the U.S and the Black Dog for India. The fascination with blacks continued with the Black label and Black and White. To counteract they had the White Label.  Any whisky labelled Black surprisingly was good- the Black label is even today considered one of the best blended scotch whiskeys. People did wonder the proclivity to use Black for high quality. There is the story of a carnatic musician who remarked after his first sip of Black Dog, after checking the name -'  Will anyone but a White man name a divine nectar like this a Black Dog?’

The end of World War 2 saw a sea of change. The Brits lost the Jewel in the Crown. Independent India introduced prohibition and brought in import restrictions to save foreign exchange. Was the Scotch hold over India lost? For a time things looked bleak but neither the colonels nor civil servants could be off whisky and so limited imports let in a trickle. Soon the port cities were used by smugglers, and as air travel to Singapore increased there were flights which were a smugglers run. So if you could afford the price scotch was available with a little effort.

All over the world Scotch faced competition with Vodka taking a big slice in the U.S.A. The old serendipitous discovery of maturing in oak casks was fully capitalised. Then the wily Scots unleashed their Malt whisky aimed at the top markets with an unmatched variety of subtle and sometimes strong flavours. There was no looking back and the old tottering empire struck back. They did not aim for mass market but only snooty up markets first in the U.S.A and soon in the developing markets of the Far East- Japan, China and our own India. Scotch, which was the favourite tipple of Indian P.Ms from Nehru to Vajpayee and brown sahibs and generals and colonels of the subcontinent, soon found its feet and took off after the 1990s. Red Label parties were replaced by Black Label Parties, then Glenfiddich and now they serve only Laguvalin. So much so that Laguvalin was in short supply .

There have been takeovers of Scottish distilleries by large liquor makers but fortunately they realised that the strength was in the diversity and that more money could be made by strategic thinking and planning. Each distillery was like a new vineyard and here was a hard drink with the diversity and mystery of wine. It did not have the vagaries of grape growth. A cottage industry of illicit distilleries started by the Scots to produce a liquor to keep warm has become a secret weapon in the hands of Great Britain to bolster their tottering economy. We quote below the deputy Prime Minister of U.K on the exports of Scotch.  

‘ Speaking at the Strathisla Distillery in Keith, Scotland - the home of Pernod Ricard’s icon brand Chivas Regal, Mr Clegg said: “I would like to raise a toast to the Scotch whisky industry, as 2010 shapes up to have been a record year for exports. I was glad to see evidence this morning of the verve and ambition in Scottish industry.’

History is full of surprises. Who would have thought that the Scots, whose noses had been bloodied by the English over centuries, first fought for them and then helped the English to administer the Jewel in the Crown. And now they are providing the means to bolster the economy! The Brits must be happy to provide the denizens of their former Jewel in the Crown much needed refreshment to help them to run their country on their own.   

The Scots are no fools. They are saving their Scotch from extinction and giving it immortality.

                                                         

All the lovely photos and drawing are taken from the internet from Scotch whisky and distilleries sites and my grateful thanks to them.

The inspiration for this blog came from watching from Sekar sipping his Malt and enjoying it over a long evening. One bequeaths a lot of things to our children and the most precious is the ability to enjoy this nectar from Isles half a world away. And so I dedicate to this to Sekar, a connoisseur of Malt with a little push from me and a big shove from my cousin Manash.

To make things even, I also dedicate this to Kamini, who hates Scotch, but has the unerring ability to pick up good malt for me.

Lastly my thanks to the unknown organisation in U.K who took me on a whisky trail in the middle of last century.

R. Ramakrishnan, 30th April, 2011

Comments

[Kamini]

Now the colonized are striking back! There is an Indian single malt whisky called Amrut, (made near Bangalore, I think) that has whisky connoisseurs raving, apparently. I had a sniff the other day, and it does smell every bit as terrible as the Scot ones.

[ramakrishnan]

Now when did you start sniffing whisky? you know what the next step?
Sotch cannot be duplicated any where else in the world.

[Raja Ramakrishnan]

Thanks kamni.
lots of love Appa

[Ness Pesikaka]

Dear Raja,
Your piece jogged this old guy's memory!
Your take on the Empire Striking Back is not untrue.
I have read about "Amrut" too-and would take the reviews with a bucket of salt.
Here's to Laguvalin,Lafroaigh, Maccallen, etc.
Cheers,
Ness.

[Sankar]

Outstanding read throughout. Dedications too. And reading should be in the company of a fine island malt to fully capture the spirit.

[Kamini]

Don't worry, I've remained at the sniffing stage for the last several decades!

[ramakrishnan]

I hope so kamini.The stats show that 30% of Malt consumers are ladies. We do not want a shortage of Malt due to increased consumption by ladies!

[Kamini]

You should be roundly condemned by the Female Liberation Army for such a statement!

[cialis to buy]

http://www.maxipharmacy.com/ generic cialis shipped overnight cialis how much in thailand cialis severe headache cialis and eyesight.