The Whisky Chronicle
Rows of aged oak casks in a warehouse

Whisky History

Nine centuries, from the monastery to the modern distillery.

  1. c. 1100

    Monastic distilling in Ireland

    Distillation techniques are recorded in Irish monasteries, where aqua vitae is produced for medicinal and liturgical use.

  2. 1494

    The first written record in Scotland

    The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland grant Friar John Cor of Lindores Abbey eight bolls of malt to make aqua vitae — the earliest documentary reference to Scotch distilling.

  3. 1608

    Bushmills licence

    A royal licence to distil in the region of Bushmills, County Antrim, is granted by James I. It is often cited as the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world.

  4. 1707

    Act of Union

    The union of England and Scotland brings whisky under the reach of the London Excise, and legal distillers begin to compete with a large illicit trade.

  5. 1791

    Whiskey Rebellion begins

    The new federal excise on distilled spirits in the United States meets armed resistance among western Pennsylvania farmers, prompting a landmark constitutional confrontation.

  6. 1823

    The Excise Act

    The Westminster Parliament dramatically lowers duties on Scottish whisky and simplifies licensing, transforming the industry from a largely illicit trade into a legal one.

  7. 1824

    Glenlivet and Macallan founded

    Following the Excise Act, licensed distilleries proliferate across Scotland; the Glenlivet and the Macallan are among the earliest and most enduring.

  8. 1830

    Coffey still refined

    Aeneas Coffey patents an improved column still, enabling continuous distillation and paving the way for grain whisky and the modern blended Scotch industry.

  9. 1857

    Redbreast's beginnings

    A partnership between the Jameson distillery and the wine merchants Gilbey lays the groundwork for what will become Redbreast Irish whiskey.

  10. 1877

    Distillers Company formed

    Six grain distillers unite to form the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), setting the pattern for the concentration and consolidation of the Scotch industry.

  11. 1898

    The Pattison Crash

    A spectacular failure of the Leith blending firm Pattison, Elder & Co brings the Victorian whisky boom to an abrupt end and precipitates a long period of contraction.

  12. 1920–1933

    American Prohibition

    The prohibition of alcohol in the United States devastates one of the largest export markets for Scotch and Irish whisky, with lasting industry consequences.

  13. 1923

    Yamazaki founded

    Shinjiro Torii commissions Japan's first purpose-designed malt whisky distillery at Yamazaki, with Masataka Taketsuru — trained in Scotland — as chief distiller.

  14. 1934

    Nikka established

    Masataka Taketsuru leaves Suntory and founds Nikka at Yoichi in Hokkaido, whose cold, peaty landscape reminds him of Scotland.

  15. 1963

    Glenfiddich launches as single malt

    Glenfiddich becomes one of the first Scotch distilleries to actively market its whisky as single malt outside Scotland, laying the foundations for the modern category.

  16. 1988

    Classic Malts selection

    United Distillers (now Diageo) launches its Classic Malts collection, giving international prominence to six single malt distilleries and shaping the modern single malt market.

  17. 1990s

    Cask finishing pioneered

    Glenmorangie, under Dr Bill Lumsden, develops the technique of extra maturation in a second cask type, reshaping practice across the Scotch industry.

  18. 2000s–present

    A global craft

    Distilling expands globally, with new single malt producers in India, Taiwan, Australia and Scandinavia, while established regions enter a period of exceptional creative and commercial vitality.