Y K S r I e t H a
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W e Th f Life o
By Peter Mayne (Head of English, 1991–2007) So what else would an ex Tudor Head of English and housemaster do after retiring but go and edit a definitive whisky guide? Well, apart from teaching for eight years at a girls’ grammar school and tutoring in London. Perhaps ‘Teachers’ and ‘Bells’ (puns fully intended) had something to do with it. Whisky, in Gaelic uisge beatha, ‘water of life’ has been distilled in Scotland for hundreds of years. Some will claim that it was introduced by monks, but the process could have been chanced upon by Highland farmers – you take your pick. However, we don’t have a written record until 1494 in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls. It is essentially fermented grain mash, which may be malted (if it is, don’t call it Scotch – just Malt or Whisky). The grain may be barley, corn, rye or wheat depending on where it was made and whisky is distilled on every continent except Antarctica. To be whisky it must have spent at least three years in cask before bottling.
94 . ROSE . SPRING 2020
To many people whisky is purely ‘Scotch’ – a Scottish product. They may be dimly aware that there are different styles – smoky peat infused island products. They may know that some whiskies are called Single Malt, made from malted barley. Others ‘Blends’. Oh yes, and the Irish, they make whisky too don’t they? But they add an ‘e’ as in whiskey. Bourbon, is that whisk(e)y? Absolutely it is. And, to tell the truth, until recently the above ‘facts’ were about all I knew. Am I anything approaching an expert now? No – absolutely not. So why are you writing this article Mayne? Good question. A few years ago, I began editing the annual Whisky Bible for a friend, Jim Murray, his book being described by The Sunday Times as “regarded by connoisseurs as the most authoritative whisky guide.” Almost certainly Jim has visited more distilleries than anyone living, tastes and reviews 1,250 different whiskies each year, 20,000 in total as of 2019 and records his (very) personal opinion of each in his book. But this is not an article about him, just some of the things I have picked up along the way of our association.
