Scotland's Secret History: The Illicit Distilling And Smuggling Of
Whisky

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