WHISKY

"King of drinks" they call it, the Scottish malt whisky. In fact, there is hardly any other drink that has such a wealth of aromas and such an abundance of taste as he does. Eugene O'Neill once said, "I have always considered whisky the best tonic!"

Whisky! A word that is associated with much magic, tradition and history. The art of distillation probably came to Europe from the Orient with the Moors. The distillates were used as medicine at that time. Celtic monks from Iralnd brought the secret of distillation to Scotland via the Hebridean Islands (Islay). The water of life "aqua vitae" or in Gaelic "uisge beatha" was first mentioned in a document in 1494. In English "uisge beatha" became "usky" and this later led to the spelling whisky.

Already in the 16th century Scotland had monasteries and countless small rural distilleries producing malt whisky. For the production of the distillate mash from fermented grain was used. The invention of Robert Stein and Aenean Coffey caused a revolution in production around 1830: their continuous distillation system enabled the inexpensive production of high-proof, almost tasteless alcohol. This was the birth of the grain whisky. Businesslike merchants with names such as G. Ballantine, J. Walker and Chivas Brothers began to produce blends of malt and grain whisky. The blends were invented. They had a milder taste than the smoky malts and corresponded more to the preferences of the buyers at that time. Excellent marketing and a phylloxera plague in the European wine-growing regions, which brought cognac production to a standstill, helped the blends to their final triumphal march.

In the eighties of the last century the worldwide concentration on the spirits market led to the closure of many Scottish distilleries. Today the remaining distilleries are owned by a few multinational companies. Inspired by Glenfiddich, the first distillery to market its whisky as a single malt, many distilleries began to offer their whisky as a single malt. Today the malts are very trendy. A constantly growing number of followers are enthusiastic about the variety of tastes and intensity of this traditional product.

In our shop you will find a selected range of different, high quality whiskies from all around the world. Let us surprise you!