Scotland's Secret History

Product Description

Illicit distilling in Scotland was seen as a 'right of man' at the end of the 17th century. Attempts to enforce excise duty on the spirit were therefore met with resistance, ranging from riots to more & more ingenious ways of avoiding paying tax. In this book & Charles Mac Lean & Daniel Mac Cannell give a fascinating insight into the day-to-day struggles that led to the increase in illicit distilling from the mid-1600s, then to its eventual demise in the early twentieth century. The Cabrach, a wild & sparsely populated part of Aberdeenshire, became renowned for its production of illicit whisky. Local inhabitants mixed farming & distilling with great skill, creating a network of stills & distribution to evade customs. Using new research first-hand historical accounts & official records, the authors show how spirits from this small parish were made & travelled far & wide, across the border to England & across the North Sea to France, firing up revolution & lending solidarity to the struggles of the Jacobites.