Liquid gold rush earns a place in Scotland's national museum

Now, National Museums Scotland is raising a glass to the country’s thriving whisky industry, which will be preserved for generations to come in its new collection of contemporary items.

They have acquired a range of bottled whiskies, packaging and related material which span more than a decade of production, curators revealed ahead of World Whisky Day today.

Laura Scobie, doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh and National Museums Scotland, said the items “not only provide an insight into one of our leading industries but reveal a picture of Scotland in the early 21st century that will now be preserved for generations to come”.

Whisky is a symbol of Scottish heritage and culture and, as the largest food and drink export, it reaches 166 markets worldwide.

In recent years the industry has undergone a period of growth and reinvention, with dozens of distilleries opening for production since the turn of the century.

National Museums Scotland’s collection of 14 objects will show the thriving industry of the 21st century and the length and breadth of the country, from the Borders to the islands of the Inner Hebrides and Thurso, the most northerly town on the British mainland.

Ms Scobie added: “I’m delighted to add such fascinating examples of material culture associated with contemporary Scottish whisky to the national collection, from actual bottles of whisky to surprising artistic responses from local makers.”

Today’s industry exists against a backdrop of environmental concern and demand for sustainability.

As well as improvements in sustainable production and practice, many new distilleries are building brand identities that embrace the nature and landscape that surround them.

A bottle acquired for the collection from Isle of Raasay Distillery is textured with fossil details from the region’s geological topography.

Torabhaig Distillery’s Allt Gleann single malt, named after one of the burns that provided the distillery with spring water, has also been added to the collection.

The Wolfburn Northland single malt from Thurso is also among the selection of bottled drams.

Wolfburn opened in 2013 on the outskirts of Thurso, close to the site of a previous distillery that was opened in the 1820s.

In 2020 it gained the Brand of the Year title by the Whisky Committee, an independent UK-based association of 133 whisky aficionados.

In the past, whisky distilleries were built in remote locations across Scotland, including the Highlands and islands, to produce whisky even though it was illegal.

The first law pertaining to the production of whisky in Scotland was the Excise Act of 1644, which meant tax had to be paid on any that was put up for sale.

However, private production that was not destined for sale was legal and exempt from tax.

It was estimated that, by the 1760s, private distillers were producing around 500,000 gallons a year – about 10 times the amount of taxed production.

In 1781 distilling for private consumption was banned, however approximately 300,000 gallons were smuggled across the border into England that year alone.

The government tried to control whisky production, and the 1788 Excise Act banned the use of stills making less than 100 gallons at a time.

“Excise officers” could search for illegal stills and confiscate the drink and equipment they found.

Legal whisky was of poor quality, due to the high taxes imposed on the malted grain used to make it.

Some distilleries cut corners by using unmalted raw grain, to make a drink called “corn spirits”.

In 1823 a new Excise Act was passed, which sanctioned the distilling of whisky in return for a licence fee of just £10, and a set payment per gallon of proof spirit.

This turned the production of whisky into a potentially profitable activity, and many former illicit distillers now could work legally.

These included the first licensed distillery under the new Act, which was The Glenlivet, in Speyside.

In 2019, two ruined farmsteads found in a forest were thought to have been illicit distilleries. The spots were found when archaeologists surveyed the 18th century remains and the results suggest the Wee Bruach Caoruinn and the Big Bruach Caoruinn, near Loch Ard, were used to make whisky.

National Museums Scotland said its new collection also considers the relationship between distilleries and Scottish makers.

A 25ml measure created by Skye-based potter Katharina Lenz for Torabhaig Distillery shows the ways in which the island’s creative community is stimulated and supported by the local whisky industry, curators said.

A backpack from a collaboration between the Isle of Jura Distillery and accessories brand Trakke will also be preserved in the collection.

It was produced in Glasgow with materials sourced from across Scotland, including waxed cotton from Dundee that has been dyed with lichen native to Jura.