Whisky
by James Ross
Published in 1970 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, London.

titleauthorpublisheryearisbnlanguageppbooksizeedition
WhiskyJames RossRoutledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, London, UK19700710066856english158hardcover, ill(bw)145x2231st


frontcover Ross The introduction on the sleeve jacket reads as follows:

'To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aquavitae, VIII bolls of malt'. This is the first definite evidence that we have of the making of whiksy in Scotland. The year was 1494. The history of whisky has been bound up with the social and political history of Scotland from that time, and a very turbulent history it has proved to be.
James Ross's fascinating study looks at the beginnings of Scotch whisky, it's history and it's lore. It describes the making of whisky, the skills of distilling, the fights between the makers and the excise men over the years, and brings the story to a survey of the industry today. The book abounds in good stories, Gaelic songs, quotations from Highland literature, and, of course, toasts.
Here is one of them, a tribute to the power of whisky:

A Gaelic toast
Is coisiche na h-oidhche thuYou are the prowler of the night
Gu leapannan na maighdeannan;To the beds of virgins;
A Righ! gur h-iomadh loinn a th'ortO God! what powers you have
Gu coibhneas thoirt a gruagach.To gain kindness from girls.

The contents of this book consist of a preface, 10 chapters, a bibliography and an index.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
chapter 1:How it Began
chapter 2:Scotsman and Englishman: Malt and Gin
chapter 3:Convivial Society
chapter 4:Bad Laws and the Illicit Still
chapter 5:Moonlight into Daylight
chapter 6:Proof
chapter 7:The Making of Whisky
chapter 8:Whisky, Whiskey and Usquebaugh
chapter 9:Expansion: The 'What is Whisky?' Case
chapter 10:The Industry of Today
Further Reading
Index
Illustrations:14 nice black&white photo's.

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