Now you may wonder why you can read about whisky on a website that is primarily about gin & tonic? The reason is simple. That Swedish Tonic works for so much more than just gin. Try mixing a Whisky Sour with our Tonic Syrup and you'll see!
Whisky in the beginning
It has always been assumed that the roots of whisky are in Scotland, and in a way there is some truth in that. The whisky they produced in the 15th century is the earliest known that is reasonably similar to today's version. But it was actually Irish monks who laid the foundations for Scotch whisky production back in the 7th century, when in an unsuccessful attempt to produce perfume they produced a flavoursome alcoholic beverage instead. The drink, although perhaps not similar to today's whisky, was introduced to the Scots at the same time as the Irish monks, on their missionary journeys, tried to introduce Christianity to Scotland.
The document, a written purchase list of a certain brother John Cor of the monastery of Lindores, can be dated to 1494. According to this document, brother John Cor probably wanted to create a brandy for alchemical purposes. It is this document that gives rise to disagreement as to whether the whisky is actually Irish or Scottish in origin.
A little later
When the monasticism eventually ceased, knowledge of this drink, now both refined and polished by the Scots, spread to the Scottish countryside. Whisky now became something that farmers made from the surplus of the barley harvest. But when England and Scotland united in 1707, several laws were passed, which were England's way of controlling not only the rebellious Scots, but also the Scottish economy. In 1757, distilling was banned in Britain, but not for home brewing. This ban increased the smuggling trade in the Highlands. Recognising the problems of smuggling, the 1784 Mash Act was introduced. The new law now sought to encourage legal distilling. The British Parliament then raised taxes and introduced a distilling licence which included home distilling. Smuggling continued.
In 1823, a stricter distilling law was passed, which brought about major changes in whisky production:
- The British Parliament introduced a licence fee
- A minimum production of 150 litres per year was established
- Every bottle of whisky sold was taxed.
But despite the tightening of laws, the number of distilleries increased. New competition eventually led to better whisky, as producers began to experiment and vary their range. Even today, Scotland is one of the countries with the greatest variety in its whisky production; a lot of Scotch whisky is made, mixing not only different vintages and types, but also different distilleries.
In the 1830s, Robert Stein and Aennes Coffey invented the continuous still, and it was here that the whisky we drink today really began to emerge. Previously, Scottish farmers had made whisky to keep warm during the cold nights, but with the new boiler it was now possible to produce spirits more cheaply and easily. As the process was continuous, it was also possible to produce more spirit at a time. Â
Whisky increased in mass production and gained international attention as early as 1860. By then, French vineyards had lost large harvests and sometimes even had their vineyards burnt down due to vine lice. Scotch whisky was substituted for brandy. The popularity spread to Spain, where producers realised that the empty sherry casks used were ideal for storing malt whisky.
A century later, around the 1950-60s, interest in single malts outside Scottish soil increased, and exports increased markedly.
Today, whisky production is Scotland's largest export industry, and the UK's fifth largest. Nearly a billion bottles of Scotch whisky are exported each year.
Sweden's most famous whisky producer is Mackmyra, which started making whisky in 1999. Today they have expanded their portfolio with gin, and Swedish Tonic has been given the great honour of producing a matching tonic called Kreatör Tonic.