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266 Gaelic Society of Inuerness.
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able manner, and along with other feats, his drinking a brewing of
ale at one sitting. In this song whisky is never mentioned, nor
is it in any case, except in the modern ballads and songs."
Here is a verse of it :
Fear Druim-a'-charaidh,
Gur toigh leis an leann ;
'S dh'oladh e 'n togail
M' an togadh e 'cheann.
All the evidence that can be gathered goes to show that the
manufacture and use of whisky must have been very limited until the
latter part of last century. This is clearly shown by the small
quantities charged with Excise duty. On Christmas day IGGO,
Excise duty was first laid on whisky in this country, the duty in
in Scotland being •2d., 3d., and 4d., per gallon according to the
materials from which the spirits were made. No record exists of
the amount of duty paid until 1707, when it amounted only to
£1810 15s. lid., representing about 100,000 gallons, the population
being 990,000. No record of the quantity charged exists
until 1724, when duty was 3d. and Gd. In that year 145, G02
gallons were charged, the duty amounting to £3504. 12s. lOd.,
the population being little over one million. Last year the
population was 3,866,521, the gallons of whisky charged G,629,30G,
and the duty £3,314,680. 10s." Since 1724, 160 years ago, the
population of Scotland has increased nearly four times, the quantity
of spirits charged for home consumption forty-five times, and the
amount of duty over nine hundred and forty-seven times. In proportion
to poi)ulation, the people of Scotland are now drinking
eleven times as much whisky as they did IGO years ago, so that
our forefathers must have been mucli more temperate than we are,
must have drunk more foreign wines and spirits or ale, or must
have very extensively evaded the Excise duty.
Although much of the whisky manufactured at this time
must have been distilled on a small scale within the homes in
which it was consumed, there is early mention of public distilleries.
In 1G90 reference is made to tlu; " Ancient Brewary
of Aquavity," on the land of Ferintosh, and there is no reason
to doubt that Ferintosh wiis the seat of a distillery before the
levying of the Excise duty in 16G0. The yearly Excise of the
lands of Fca-intosh was farmed to Forbes of Culloden in 1690, for
400 merk.s, about £22, and tlu^ history of the ])rivil('ge is interesting.
As in later times, Forbes of Culloden sided with tlii^ Kevolution
party, and was of considerable service in the struggle which led to