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Whisky drinkers rejoice! July 27th is National Scotch Day. If you’re one of the millions of whisky drinkers who like a good Scotch, we’re sure you’ll be happy to have a reason to raise a glass. And what better place to do just that than Stella Blu? Our bar and fine dining experience create the ideal place to bring your friends together to enjoy a fine Scotch Whisky. No need to waste time searching for “bars near me,” come to Stella Blu!
But how much do you know about Scotch? Let’s take a look at the history of this whisky and what makes a Scotch a Scotch.
A Rule-Breaker’s Drink
The Scottish are known as a people of rebellious spirit, so it’s no surprise that some clever rule-breaking plays a role in the history of their whisky. The first written record of Scotch is from 1494 and appears in the Exchequer Rolls, the tax records. Over the next century, the popularity of Scotch continued to grow and the Scottish Parliament soon noticed. 150 years after that first record, parliament imposed the first tax on Scotch Whisky. That, in turn, led to thriving whisky smuggling operations for the next 150 years. The Scots invented increasingly imaginative ways of hiding their distilleries and their products, including hiding the bottles in coffins!
In 1823, the Scottish Parliament finally decided to make distilling Scotch profitable for the distillers. They passed the Excise Act which allowed distillers to buy a license to make their whisky. After about a decade, the practice of whisky smuggling died out almost entirely. But that didn’t mean that the rebellious spirit of Scotch was gone for good. During American Prohibition in the 1920s and 30s, alcohol was banned, but whisky was allowed for medicinal purposes. However, certain people got pretty liberal with the definition of “medicinal purposes.” Among those people was none other than Winston Churchill, whose doctor claimed that he required “the use of alcoholic spirits, especially at meal times.”
What Counts as Scotch?
Despite the rebellious spirit of its history, there are very strict rules about what distillers and distributors are allowed to label as Scotch Whisky. First of all, it has to be distilled in Scotland (otherwise you have to call it whiskey). It also has to be matured in oak barrels for at least three years. When it comes time for bottling, the ABV cannot be lower than 40% and it cannot exceed 94.8%. The Scots may be rebels at heart, but they take their whisky seriously.
Looking for Bars Near Me? Come to Stella Blu!
The Scots take their whisky seriously and so do we! So this July 27th, don’t search for “bars near me,” come to Stella Blu and raise a glass of the national drink of Scotland.
