In this episode, Kenyon digs into the historical pressures that pushed Scottish and Scots-Irish distillers to turn to moonshining in early modern Scotland and Ireland. This includes a discussion of the (believed) origins of whisk(e)y in Scotland and Ireland, along with stories of how James I initiated the plans behind the Ulster Plantation, and the riots that broke out in Scotland after the English raised the tax on malt. This episode is riddled with stories of bastard landlords, rent hikes, and community efforts to thwart the excise man. It turns out, this early history to moonshining is just as unruly as the generations of illicit distillers that followed.
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Sources:
Robert Burns, “The Author’s Earnest Cry and Prayer,” as read and analyzed by the Robert Burns Guide YouTube channel.
Jamie Joyce, Moonshine: a cultural history of America’s infamous liquor (2014).
Kevin Kosar, Moonshine: a global history (2017).
Tristan Stephenson, “Early Gaelic Spirits,” The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies.
A.T.Q. Stewart, The Narrow Ground: the Roots of Conflict in Ulster (1977, revised 1989).
Charles D. Thompson, Jr., Spirits of Just Men : Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World (2011).
Sandra White, “Smugglers and Excisemen: The History of Whisky in Scotland, 1644 to 1823,” Master’s thesis, the University of Western Ontario, (2020).
Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne
Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer
Additional featured music:
“Distilled: Highlands,” Table Top Audio
“Leaving Home,” Kevin MacLeod
“Division,” Kevin MacLeod
“Garage Punk,” 331music
“Elysium,” nakaradaalexander
"Celtic Arena," DJARTMUSIC
"Where the Brave May Live Forever," OB-LIX
"Medieval Celtic Violin," _Music_for_Creators_
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