To err is human…
A few days ago I had a little giggle about a video which had been played to us at Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland. I have since been contacted by a company representative who wanted to clear a couple of things. We exchanged emails and in the course of discussion we agreed that some points are open to debate. For example whether it was indeed the “first big step” into international trade that Scotch whisky took in the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence… see, pot still whiskey exports around 1900 were greater that those of any other whisky at the time therefore by comparison and from the Irish point of view it may seem like it was the first big step for Scotch when they had to take the back seat. What is the definition of a ‘big step’ though? Who is to tell now whether it was the phylloxera louse, the prohibition, the Economic War of the WW2 that put Scotch whisky where it is now? Frankly, it was probably all of the above.
In the light of valid and interesting arguments and counterarguments presented by the company I insist once again that it was the wording more than the overall message that caused my reaction. I made that clear to them and we’re still cool… I don’t have to move to a different country and grow a beard. Yet.
…but it takes a blogger to really fuck things up
There is, however, one thing I got totally wrong. When talking about the addition of the letter ‘e’ to the spelling to differentiate from “their provincial rivals” (refer to 6min 24sec in the video), Peter Mulryan meant their actual provincial rivals – Irish distillers outside Dublin. It was Dublin distillers taking action against other Irish distillers and not against the Scots, as is widely believed (see photo on top – it shows a bottle of one of the provincial rival’s product from 1927 still bearing the proper spelling). Mea culpa, I should have known that and I am offering an apology to guys at Midleton for this cock-up.
To my defence, from conversations with people here in Edinburgh and back in Ireland, I know it wasn’t just me who misunderstood that part of the video. So perhaps the wording and the flow of the script are at least partially to blame for my misinterpretation? Or should I just shut up and stop making excuses?
Whether you think the video is slightly misleading, I am bloody imperceptive or both, don’t forget to check back for the final piece of the Irish Pot Still jigsaw which will be my review of 4 new or refreshed single pots currently available from Midleton. All I can say is that there are 3 crackers and one whiskey which, despite its cult status, wasn’t entirely to my liking. They are building a stake in Midleton… and it is for me.
Lucas
