THE traditional Hogmanay dram takes on added significance tonight,
ushering in a New Year that marks the 500th anniversary of the first
documented record of distilling in Scotland.
The Exchequer Rolls of 1494 -- the rough equivalent of today's tax and
excise records -- report ''eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor
wherewith to make aqua vitae''.
Humble beginnings for what would eventually turn into a multi-billion
pound industry, providing the world with Scotland's most famous and
envied product.
However, it should be noted that the 15th-century monk from Inverness
probably spotted a gap in the drinks market even then as the eight bolls
-- around 1200kg -- of malt would have been enough to make 1400 bottles
of whisky. (The word comes from the gaelic uisge beatha meaning the
water of life.)
Celebrating the anniversary, the Scotch Whisky Association has
produced a Spirit of Scotland marketing logo which will no doubt adorn
bottles, cases, glasses and all the other paraphernalia of the trade
throughout the coming year.
Several high-profile events, including a St Valentine's Day reception
aboard the royal yacht Britannia off New York, are also planned.
The SWA, which safeguards the honour of our national drink from the
attentions of all those pale foreign imitations, released a batch of
statistics illustrating the power of Scotch.
It is consistently in the top five of the UK's export earners,
generating around #2000m in foreign sales every year. Or, in more
graphic terms, 22 bottles are sold every second overseas.
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