BackRoots of the spirits: Where scotch, brandy, cognac, whiskey originated
Many alcoholic drinks wouldn't have been invented if not for farmers in Western Europe growing whatever they could to stay alive
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Western Europe has always been a centre of innovation and brand building in the world of drinks. Be it beer from Belgium or vino from the Loire Valley, booze runs thick through the blood in all Western European countries.
But, as always with the production of spirits, the history of the supportive local economy always plays a huge part and in the case of producing alcoholic beverages, and the key supporting industry when it comes to drinks is farming.
From the barley fields on the most westerly aspects of Europe, which have given us Irish whiskey, Scotch and gin, through to the French grapes used in brandy production, literally providing the roots for cognac brands to go global, these now booming products would not have even been invented if it wasn’t for the local farmers growing whatever they could to stay alive.
Let’s start in a place about as far west as one can get, and still be in Europe: Ireland. This island, the last stop in Europe before the vast Atlantic Ocean and the American shore, has cultivated a rich history in distilling. The local distillate, known as poitin or poteen (often pronounced “potch-een") is a rough old spirit made from potatoes. Still made at home (often illegally) in many part of Ireland, if you’re offered this in a local pub, it is best for both your health and your eyesight that you politely decline and carry on sipping your pint of Guinness. However, there are now a few commercially available poitins on the market, with the best being from the Teeling Whiskey Company. Worth trying if you find yourself in an Irish bar with a bottle in stock.
Various different brands of liquor are made at Midleton, from gins and vodkas to Irish whiskey. But the most famous of them all, the brand that is currently lighting up the whiskey world on a global stage, is Jameson. For more details, see the brand profile.
Whiskey production is growing all across Ireland, with new distilleries opening up on a seemingly monthly basis. Bushmills in the north, founded in 1608, provides another great example of the rich history of Irish whiskey making and was the first place under the British Crown to be granted a licence to distil. Today it produces in the region of 4.5 million litres of alcohol per year. Such was the power of the brand in the nineteenth century, that in 1890 the distillery bought a steamship, the S.S. Bushmills, to help distribute its product across the globe and thus insure the brand’s place in history.
Moving over to Scotland, the big news is the continued growth in both value and volume of Scotch whisky. There isn’t a lot that can be said about Scotch that I haven’t already covered over the past 12 months, needless to say that you should keep an eye in the coming years on the established brands of The Macallan single malt (who have just announced a £100 million investment in a new distillery at its current site in Speyside, Scotland), Johnnie Walker’s Blue Label blended whisky and—a new boy on the block—Mortlach distillery that owner Diageo is looking to launch next year as a premium offering in the market.
The other great product from the UK is gin. Ah, gin...how I do love thee so! I have only one thing to say about gin: drink more of it. Preferably Beefeater or Tanqueray 10. In a martini or simply over ice. Yum!
And the same goes for brandy. As was mentioned in my introduction, 2013 has been a year of discovery for me, especially when it comes to French brandy. In 2012, I took a visit to the Cognac region of France and was wowed by their its distilleries, globally revered brands and attitude to premium products. If you want to look good in bar, a glass of Louis XII is always going to impress.
However, if you are looking for something a little unusual, which the French (the gatekeepers of taste) tend to keep for themselves, then choose an armagnac. A much more niche product, discovering armagnac is a little like finding a band, a film, a magazine, fashion designer or other cultural item that only you know about, one which your friends have not yet discovered, which makes you feel just that little bit special, as you can have a hint of additional knowledge over your fashion-conscience mates.
Discovering armagnac (you can pick up a vintage from the 1970s for about the price of a good blended Scotch whisky) will have you in raptures; if you set one booze-related new years resolution, make it to try this awesome offering from central southern France.
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