![]() In Ireland, any discussions about uisce beatha or whiskey were mainly done vocally and no written records are found, this is mainly because they didn't want the British to have any trace of their home brewing whiskey. ![]() If grain was being distilled in Scotland in 1494, we can make a well-educated bet that it was also being done in Ireland. The earliest indication of distilled spirit from cereal is actually mentioned in Scotland in 1494, in a letter from the King to Friar John Cor requesting him to make aqua vitae. It is hard to trace the evolution of Irish whiskey with little to no documentation and when uisce beatha is mentioned, it was also used to describe the other drink at the time, aqua vitae, the Roman drink made from wine or brandy. Whiskey was first mentioned in Irish literature in 1405. The "Water of Life" became universally known and nearly every plant was being tried and tested, in France eau-de-vie, grapes were used, in Scandanavia it was herbs, and in Ireland, it was grain. When the Moors were pushed or driven out of Europe by Catholic armies, the stills and the art of distillation was handed to the monks, who were then able to share this knowledge to all reaches of the globe. The Moors being Muslim, we can only assume they didn't drink alcohol, but their stills were used for medicine rather than recreational purposes, such as distilling alcohol. However, as much as a fairytale and fantasy that sounds, it was probably the Moors who discovered or rediscovered whiskey, we just know that it wasn't the Irish or even the Scots. ![]() It is said that Irish monks invented the elixir we know now as whiskey, and were so fond of it they called it uisce beatha. Irish whiskey was one of the earliest distilled drinks in Europe, arising around the 12th century. The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) is derived from the Irish (or 'Gaelic') uisce beatha, meaning "the water of life". ![]()
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