Taylo t1_jdv6q55 wrote
Reply to comment by BasicLuxury in Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century - A scrap of fabric found in a Highland peat bog 40 years ago is likely to be the oldest tartan ever discovered in Scotland, new tests have established. by ArtOak
Wait, what? I don't think this is true, rum was being made in the Caribbean in the mid 1600's, but whisky was being made in Scotland in the late 1400's/early 1500's. Do you have a source for this?
-Gabe t1_jdv9c4y wrote
Yeah, /u/BasicLuxury is wrong...
Earliest known rum was 1628.
Earliest known scotch was 1496.
BasicLuxury t1_jdvao1k wrote
Oldest known aquavitae of brasii (malt/beer) 1495, does that mean Scotch? Some people have chosen to belive it does.
-Gabe t1_jdvejqg wrote
It might've tasted a bit different than modern day Scotches, but aqua vitae is a distilled drink; and we known malted barley was used. So a distilled drink made from malted barley in Scotland first appeared in 1496.
It might not be aged and as potent as required by modern-day standards, but it is going to be fairly close to what you'd most closely identify as Scotch.
don_tomlinsoni t1_je47xgo wrote
Whisky is an anglicised version of the Gaelic uisge beathe which - just like the Latin aqua vitae - means "water of life".
BasicLuxury t1_jdv8mnv wrote
It was some interview with Matt Pietrek. I can't remember the specific one. I might have been more about the specific product we call Scotch, than a general statement on distilling in Scotland.
Taylo t1_jdv9owv wrote
Ah, perhaps it's some technicality or legal thing cementing Scotch whisky vs the various rums. But yeah they were definitely making whisky in Scotland before rum in the Caribbean.
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