StillSmart

I recently found this podcast and was pleasantly entertained for some 20 minutes by the telling of the history of distillation in Ireland...it is authorative if a bit short for such a rich and proud history...I hope you find it as entertaining as I did.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pro ... on/3809530

It first aired on the ABC (Australia)
Regards
Stephen

I tried to get the pod-cast but it seems that the ABC station have removed it from the library. It is true that the Irish had a great and very ancient distilling history., The Normans made note of it in 1123 and at that time it was a well and long established industry. It can in fact be proven that distillation was in use in the 7TH century for the Irish Philosopher and poet Johannes Scottus Eriugena while in the court of French Carolinian King Charles the Bald. The King was goading Eriugena about the "strong fiery wine*" the Irish drunk to excess, he asked the question of Eriugena "what separates a sot (drunkard) from an Irishman?" Eriugena looked the drunken King in the face and replied "only this table separates a drunken sot from an Irishman!".
Whatever the past glories of Irish distilling history the present state of affairs is a sad one WITH ONLY TWO DISTILLERIES ON THE WHOLE ISLAND!!! Not a single licence has been granted for a distillery in over seventy years.
I have been trying to obtain a "PERMIT" for a small r.e. Artisan distillery for over five years with no success. The HMRC {HER MAJESTIES REVENUE C**TS} are the sole authority for granting these "special" small distillery "permits".
The HMRC are in truth a difficult position for the facts are that a licence is NOT REQUIRED for a still with a capacity under 1800 litres!!! That is why you are issued with a "PERMIT" and "NOT A LICENCE".
WAY TO GO HMRC FOR DESTROYING A NATIONAL TRADITION AND INDUSTRY; F**K W*T'S!!! >:( >:( >:(





* The Irish did in fact distill wine before the French ever did, meaning it was the Irish who first distilled brandy. It was also Irish monks who introduced and produced distilled wine in France! The monks distilled the "low wines" i.e the poor quality and sediment laden dregs left in the casks and fermenting vats. These low wines were shipped all the way back to Ireland were they were distilled. In order to get a clean product they distilled the wine three times hence the Irish practice was born for triple distilling which persists to this day!