10 WHISKY FACTS YOU PROBABLY NEVER KNEW!

1. Whisky Population Dominance

In Scotland, whisky casks outnumber people by a phenomenal 4:1 ratio. With roughly 22 million casks of whisky compared to only a population of five and a half million Scottish residents, there is plenty of Scotch to go around!

2. Whiskey Currency 

In Pennsylvania in the 18th century, American whiskey was the favoured currency to buy goods, from food to medicine. This actually led to the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, as farmers rebelled against taxes that threatened the whiskey currency.

3. Blackened Trees

The trees that surround distilleries often turn black over time due to their exposure to whisky fumes. The good news is that it’s a harmless effect caused by the spirit fumes, leaving the trees with a distinct hue and perfectly fine.

4. Peaty Evaporation

No matter how peaty a whisky is initially, once the bottle is opened, it begins to lose its peatiness over time due to oxidation. Drink your Arbeg quick, peat heads! 

5. Age Deception 

By law, the age of the Scottish whisky that is printed on the label must represent the youngest whisky in the blend. So actually, a 12-year-old single malt could contain older whiskies aged for over 20 years.

6. Medicinal Whisky

During Prohibition, whisky was prescribed by doctors for medicinal purposes. Similar to medical cannabis cards, patients could obtain alcohol from chemists with a prescription. An estimated 64 million pints of liquor (or 8 million gallons) were prescribed during the first year of Prohibition.

7. Copper Dog Smuggling 

The “copper dog” was a device used by distillery workers to secretly transport whisky home. The device was a copper pipe with a penny joined on one end and a cork on the other, employees would then secretly fill it with whisky from a cask and sneak it home in their trouser legs.

8. Mountain Dew Origins

The iconic American soda brand Mountain Dew was originally created as a chaser for bang average whisky, highlighting its humble beginnings.

9. Sinatra’s Final Rest

Frank Sinatra, the legendary singer, was laid to rest with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in his coffin.

10. Whisky Mythology

In Celtic mythology, whisky was thought to possess magical powers and was often associated with gods.