History of Whiskey

Whiskey derives from the Gaelic ‘uisege baugh’, which translates as ‘water of life’. Monks on the Emerald Isle are said to have been distilling ‘uisege baugh’, as far as the twelve century.

But the ancient Gaelic Scots had also a similar word, ‘uisge beatha’, also meaning ‘water of life’, so there’s bit of contention there over who’s on first.

The early communication of the Phoenicians with Ireland in all probability introduced the knowledge of distillation into the country.

Originally the pale, strong spirit which were called uisge baugh in the Irish form or uisge beatha by the Gaelic specking Scots of the Celtic language until 1170.

The word entered English when Henry II invaded Ireland. The English tongue transformed the terms into whiskey and grain alcohol entered European history under the name long before Arab and Mediterranean scholars began their experiment with grape spirit.

According to the experts the origin of whiskey, which is a mere corruption of uisege, shows the source at once whence the Scots obtained their knowledge of ardent spirits.

Most whiskey literature uses ‘whisky’ as the generic term, making exceptions for American and Irish whiskeys.

American whiskey is derived from European immigrants who brought the skills and experience need to distill storing liquor safety.

Since the recipe for whiskey, by its most basic definition, may vary widely and grains were available in large quantity, whiskey became a popular drink and commercial product.
History of Whiskey