Americans? Doing what?

Can you track the history of a country through the production and attempted taxation of Whisky? Apparently yes, yes you can. And that country is America.

From the settlers in the 16th century all the way to the Second World War. In this three part Whisk(e)y Road series, we will investigate and chart the role Whiskey has played in the history of America.

Part One- The Settlers, the Grain and the Founding Fathers

Whiskey came to America in the 16th century with Scottish and Irish settlers who had a hankering for gods elixir. Before their arrival, distilling hadn't been present in what is now America but as the colonists first arrived in the Caribbean, rum was the spirit which swept the new nation. In fact, much of the wealth of the Founding Fathers came from imported molasses.

However, as more and more immigrants came from Europe, a demand for whiskey came with them. It began with farmers who found that grain grew well and needed a way to preserve their surplus. Perhaps store it in a warehouse? No, drink it!

As we have learned through our investigations into Scotch and the whiskies of the world, the whisky reflects the air, land and water of a region. So, America had the grain which was mostly rye but they did not have enough barley for fermentation, so they looked to the land for answers. Rather than using barley, they chose corn and the first reported whiskey made using corn was by famed landowner George Thorpe. 

George Thorpe and the farmers of Maryland and Virginia would mix rye and corn which would be fermented into a mash and distilled to make the first American Whiskies. Typically, they wouldn’t age or mature this whiskey in any way so it was blindingly strong. Another hurdle the early Americans had was the absence of Pete, he is a great guy. Not that Pete silly…Peat. 

They didn’t have peat to heat the dry fires for the malt, so despite the abundance of trees for this process, there was no smoky flavour. Residents of Islay look away. With no peat came the inception of something that would cover whiskey bottles for generations, the charred oak barrel. 

Whiskey in America thrived through the 18th century and they loved the new flavour from the sweater rye whiskey. By the end of the century there were almost 3000 distilleries(not farms) in Pennsylvania alone. With success comes taxes. And then rebellion! More on that in our next issue!

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