A Brief History of Rare Malt Whiskey

Whiskey has an interesting history. It dates back to either ancient China or ancient Babylonia (thought to be the birth places of distillation). At first distillation was used as a means of making medicine and perfume. It is not clear exactly when but sometime around 800 BC people realized they could use the distillation process on wheat and rice alcohol. The practice was spread through Europe by the Moors and by Christian missionaries. The whiskey of old was nothing like the smooth scotch whiskey we enjoy today. It was more like raw grain alcohol. The idea of aging whiskey did not come around until the mid-1700s.

Whiskey production in Ireland was almost defiantly brought to the country by missionaries. The term whiskey is actually derived from the Gaelic word Uisge.

Two historical events are charged with giving rare malt whiskey the popularity it enjoys today. One was King Henry the 8th's dissolving ofmonasteries in the 1530's and 1540's. The monks had to make a living out of their monasteries so many used their expertise to make whiskey. The other was the merging of Scotland and England in 1707. This lead to higher tax on the barley used to make whiskey. This drove the trade of rare malt whiskey underground and lead to a lot of home brewing.

Another important development in the growth of whiskey came in 1831 with the invention of the twin-column still. This allowed for use of malted and unmalted barley as well as corn. More importantly, however, it allowed for much higher volumes of production. Although the products of this method of distillation where inferior in quality, people quickly realized that they could blend twin stilled whiskey with single malt whiskey to create a more palatable blended drink.

One final historical event that really established whiskey as a bellowed spirit worldwide was a brandy shortage in the 1880\'s caused by the grape-destroying pest, phylloxera. The French where forced to drink whiskey in lieu of brandy but by the time the grape crop recovered whiskey had already cemented itself as a beloved beverage.

From then on it has been all success for whiskey. Whiskey was even legal during prohibition (by a doctor\'s prescription). Today it is one of the most widely enjoyed hard alcohols on the market, and for good reason. You should stock up now before it gets too cold. Some nice warm rare malt whiskey on a cold day can really heat you up inside.