History of Whiskey
History of Whiskey is actually the History of Irish Whiskey.
Uisce beatha, is the name for whiskey in Irish Gaelic. From Old Irish uisce "water", and bethu "life".
Whiskey is not only a spirit but "the water of life" in that sense. It warms your senses on a cold day.
The art of distillation is attributed by many experts to Arab chemists making perfumes.
" According to Irish legend it was St.Patrick, the Roman-British missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, who imported the art of distillation from the Mediterranean region to the Celtic island."
"It is now generally accepted that whisky was first developed in Ireland- although when speaking of Irish "whisky" it is more correct to use the spelling " whiskey". source : Whisky , the Connoisseur's Companion, 1999, p12
There are probably some people across the Irish sea that have their own version who invented Whiskey. According to Irish historian Malachy Magee is his book " 1000 Years of Irish Whiskey" the soldiers of Henry II discovered the local spirit when they invaded Ireland in 1172. The English soldiers also corrupted the Gaelic word Uisce beatha to whiskey.
A german book refers to the Irish Monks for discovering the secrets of distillation and whiskey at a time that Ireland was a cultural centre of christianity : " Der Genaue Ursprung des Whiskeys bleibt eine Sache von Vermutungen. Doch Irland spielt dabei die grösste Rolle. Mönche waren es, die das Geheimnis der Destillation kannten, und Irland war während des frühen Mittelalters ein Land mit Kultur und Bildung. Es leuchtet daher vollkommen ein, dass es nicht nur das Geburtsland der Whiskey-produktion ist, sondern eines der wichtigsten frühen Zentren der Destillation überhaupt."
source : Das Whisk(e)y Handbuch, 2005, p104
Forbes article summarizing the ups and downs of the Whiskey making.
