FolkWorld Issue 39 07/2009; Article by Walkin' T:-)M
Burns and Scotland www.robertburns.org
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The Sound of Whisky (2)
Robert Burns: Freedom an' Whisky Gang Thegither
When Scots all over the world celebrated their national bard's birthday on 25th January, they were addressing the haggis, the traditional Scots dish of sheep's stomach, and the main subjects which dominated the life of Robert Burns - the ladies and, of course, Scotch whisky.
Let other poets raise a fracas "Bout vines, an' wines, an' drucken Bacchus, An' crabbit names an'stories wrack us, An' grate our lug: I sing the juice Scotch bear can mak us, In glass or jug. |
Drinking and socialising became one of his passions, though he was a moderate drinker throughout his life because of his weak stomach and his poor health. From his works, we know that he drank ale, wine (particularly claret), port, rum, nantz (a type of brandy) and, of course, whisky. In 1785 he wrote his poem "Scotch Drink" (see box on the left), mentioning one of the most famous whiskies of the period explicitly: Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost! Scotland, lament frae coast to coast.
O Willie brew'd a peck o' maut, And Rob and Allen cam to see; Three blyther hearts, that lee-lang night, Ye wadna found in Christendie. Wha first shall rise to gang awa, A cuckold, coward loun is he! Wha first beside his chair shall fa', He is the King amang us three. |
Another whisky Burns mentions explicitly is in "The Jolly Beggars": and by that dear Kilbaigie. The inspiration for the song was a visit to Poosie Nansie's, a tavern and brothel in Mauchline. The Kilbagie distillery was one of the large Lowland distilleries which used shallow flat-bottomed stills that could be run off in minutes. The spirit from such stills was notorious for its harshness, and most of it was exported to England to be rectified into gin.
One of his most popular drinking songs is "Willie Brew'd A Peck O' Maut," written in the autumn of 1789. Burns and his friends Allan Masterton and William Nicol spent a most enjoyable night. The result was this song, with words by Burns and music by Masterton.
Scotch Whisky
Legend has it that distillation reached Scotland in the 5th century by Irish monks.
In 1495 a distiller named Friar John Cor is mentioned.
Taxation caused a rise in illicit whisky distilling,
in the times of Burns there were about 8 legal distilleries and 400 illegal stills.
This was changed in 1823, when Parliament eased restrictions on licensed distilleries,
while at the same time making it harder for the illegal ones to operate.
Scotland is traditionally divided into four regions:
The Highlands (including
the Islands
such as Arran),
the Lowlands,
Islay and
Campbeltown.
Speyside,
encompassing the Spey river valley in the Northeast,
comprises almost half of all Scottish distilleries.
Scotch whisky is divided into distinct categories:
Malt whisky must contain no grain other than malted
barley and is traditionally distilled in
pot stills.
Single malt whisky
is a 100% malted barley whisky from one distillery.
Vatted malt
(also called pure malt),
is created by mixing single malt whiskies from more than one distillery.
Grain whisky may contain unmalted barley or other grains such as wheat and maize
and is typically distilled in a continuous column still,
known as a Patent or Coffey still.
Blended whisky
is a mixture of whiskies, usually from multiple distilleries; to achieve a particular blend,
the blender may have to use up to 40 individual malt and grain whiskies.
Generally speaking, malting breaks down starches in the grain and helps convert them into sugars.
Malt whisky production begins when grains of barley are soaked into water,
and are allowed to get to the point of germination.
Afterwards the malted grain is roasted in kilns over open, often peaty fires.
The dried malt is then ground into a coarse flour
(grist),
and mixed with hot water in a huge mash tun,
producing a sweet liquid (wort).
It is cooled and drawn off into a massive vessel (washback).
Yeast is added and fermentation turns the sugars into alcohol
The resulting liquid (wash), now at about 5–7% alcohol by volume, is similar to a rudimentary beer.
Distillation is used to increase the alcohol content.
The wash is distilled in copper swan-necked pot stills;
all but two Scotch distilleries distill their product twice.
The spirit is filled into wooden casks for the maturation process.
Historically, casks previously used for sherry or bourbon were used (as barrels are expensive).
The distillate must age for at least three years to be called Scotch whisky,
although most single malts are offered at a minimum of eight years of age.
The whisky is generally reduced to a bottling strength of 40-46% alcohol by volume.
Occasionally, distillers will release a cask strength edition,
which will usually have an alcohol content of 50–60%.
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Tell them wha hae the chief direction, Scotland an' me's in great affliction, E'er sin' they laid that curst restriction On aqua-vitae; An' rouse them up to strong conviction, An' move their pity. Scotland, my auld, respected mither! Tho' whiles ye moistify your leather, Till, whare ye sit on craps o' heather, Ye tine your dam; Freedom an' whisky gang thegither! Take aff your dram! |
In days before income tax, excise was a tax, similar to today's VAT, levied on home-produced goods, essentials such as salt, soap, candles and paper, and luxuries as tobacco and spirits. The exciseman, or gauger as he was known in the Scots vernacular, was a most hated figure. The illicit whisky industry was a massive enterprise. Most of their production was smuggled to the Lowland towns and paid the tenants’ rent.
In the late summer of 1788, Burns name was entered on the excise list with the annotation: never tryed; a poet. At the end of his probationary period it read: turns out well. Burns' first excise station was a large stretch of countryside between Dumfries and the Lowther Hills, comprising tanners, maltsters, tobacconists, victuallers (publicans brewing their own beer) and wine, spirit and tea dealers. After a year, he was appointed excise officer responsible for a third of Dumfries and its immediate surroundings. In 1792 he was promoted to the Dumfries Port Division checking on all excisable goods passing through the port.
The deil cam fiddlin' thro' the town, |
In the same year, he gave the job's general dislike a humorous slant in his poem, "The Deil's Awa Wi' The Exciseman". Here the despised figure is carried off to hell by the Auld Mahoun. The tune is the "Hemp Dresser" jig which is printed in Playford's "English Dancing Master" (1650) and also appeared in John Gay's "Beggar's Opera" (1728).
Burns probably wrote the verses for a toast at an excisemen's dinner. A more dramatic story about the origins of the song has it that Burns and several men were awaiting reinforcements before boarding a French brig to impound her cargo. After several hours of waiting in the wet salt marshes they were getting increasingly impatient. One of the waiting men suggested that the devil should take the messenger for his pains and that Burns might meanwhile produce a song.
Today Burns' name is associated with The Isle of Arran Distillers, which count a Burns Malt and a Burns Blend as part of their product range. All of them are officially endorsed by the Robert Burns World Federation, which is dedicated to the life and works of Robert Burns.
Put off, put off, and row with speed, |
Arran is called Scotland in Miniature, for it has all of its scenery including mountains, glens, lochs and castles. The island's beauty is best sensed through a haunting tune called the "Arran Boat Song," also known as "Highland Boating Song" or "Queen Mary's Escape from Loch Leven Castle". It is variously played as a slow air, a march or a jig. Other variants of the tune are the cowboy ballad "The Streets of Laredo" and the jig "Scarce o' Tatties" composed by piper Norman MacLean.
Burns himself found the tune used for a Jacobite song, "Bhanarach dhonn a' chruidh" (The Brown Dairymaid), by Gaelic poet Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair (Alexander MacDonald, 1695-1770). In 1741 MacDonald published a Gaelic-English dictionary, the first in this language; he is also said to have accompanied Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 and to have given him Gaelic lessons. Burns wrote his own words to the tune, "The Banks of the Devon," dedicated to a young lady, Charlotte Hamilton, residing at Harvieston on the banks of the Devon in the county of Clackmannan.
In the late 18th century there used to be several illicit stills on Arran. It is sometimes claimed that the Arran waters were the finest available in Scotland, only rivalled by the whiskies from the Glen of Livet. There also were two or three licensed stills, the last closed in the 1830s.
Arran Distillery was opened in 1995 by Harold Currie, former director of the Seagram Company. The place was chosen because of the constant water supply from the waters of Loch na Davie. Building work was first delayed for several weeks due to two nesting Golden Eagles who live on the mountain behind the distillery, then by a protected dragonfly species.
During the official opening ceremony the Golden Eagles provided a fly by,
as if to give their blessing.
Thus the distillery claims that their products are rightly described as
the true spirit of nature.
Indeed, Arran Single Malt products are non-chillfiltered, and they neither use
peat in the production process nor caramel for artificial colouring.
Tasting Notes:
Arran 10 Year Old
Arran 100o Proof
Robert Burns Single Malt |
Photo Credits:
(1) Robert Burns,
(2) Scotch Whisky Regions (by Wikipedia);
(3) Robert Burns lamenting the loss of Ferintosh @
The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, Edinburgh;
(4) Robert Burns Single Malt,
(5) Isle of Arran Distillery
(by Arran Distillery).
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© The Mollis - Editors of FolkWorld; Published 07/2009
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