![]() ![]() Consequently, the whisky matured in sherry barrels tasted like brandy. Spanish sherry was another popular drink in the nineteenth century and it was common for empty sherry barrels to be used by distillers to mature whisky. Brandy was the preferred drink of the middle-and upper-classes and therefore in order to fill the gap in the brandy market, whisky had to be marketed as a suitable replacement and had to appeal to the tastes of English consumers. This impacted upon the availability of brandy in England and thus created a niche in the market for the sale of whisky. These events occurred around the same time as the Phylloxera plant disease wiped out an estimated one-third to a half of French vineyards. ![]() 5 In 1870, the total output of home-produced spirits was 24.4 million proof gallons (mpg) and this rose in 1900 to a total output of 42.8 mpg. 4 As Ronald Weir notes, between 18, distillers operated in a highly competitive free trade environment. In 1865, The Scotch Distillers Association was formed through an amalgamation of six major distillers looking to secure the future of their businesses by regulating the price and output of grain whisky. The initial purpose of whisky blending was to reduce the cost of pure malt by mixing it with cheaper grain spirit made using the patent still method. 3 The trade in whisky expanded after the passing of The 1860 Spirits Act which allowed the blending of spirits in bonded warehouses without the payment of duty. The spread of the railway system in the 1850s had opened up the English market to Scottish products more generally. Several key events led to the growth and development of the trade in blended whisky in the second half of the nineteenth century. 2 The idea of a good Scotch was appealing but as the quote above suggests, the quality and taste of single malt or grain whiskies varied. Spiller believes that the popularity of Scotch whisky is linked to Walter Scott romanticism, the growth in Highland tourism and the grouse season attracting high society. This was the period of the so-called ‘whisky tide’ when Scotch whisky became a popular drink south of the border. The trade in blended whisky expanded in the second half of the nineteenth century. The solution was blended whisky which combined grain and malt and ironed out their inconsistencies to give a consistently good drink. Malts had flavour and charisma, but varied from batch to batch. Many were aware of whisky’s shortcomings and idiosyncrasies. ![]()
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