For countless people around the world, nothing says relaxation after a long hard week like a glass of good whisky. And although drinking in the middle of the week is likely not a good habit to get into, you could probably make an exception just this once, on Scotch Whisky Day, and take the time to appreciate this beloved alcoholic beverage. So are you ready to celebrate? We thought so!

History Scotch Whisky Day

The Babylonians of Mesopotamia were likely the first people to distill alcohol as 2nd millennium BC. At the time it is likely that various perfumes and aromatics were most often distilled. The earliest records of the distillation of alcohol for the purpose of drinking date back to 13th century Italy, where harder alcohols were distilled from wine. Soon, the practice of distillation use spread through medieval monasteries and was used largely for medicinal purposes, such as the treatment of smallpox and other illnesses. Distillation spread to today’s Great Britain in the 15th century, and the first evidence of whisky production in Scotland comes from an entry in the Exchequer Rolls for 1494 where malt is sent “To Friar John Cor, by order of the king, to make aquavitae”, enough to make about 500 bottles. Whisky production later moved out of a monastic setting and into personal homes and farms when King Henry VIII of England dissolved all the monasteries in his country due to his feud with the Pope, causing the monks to find a way to earn a living for themselves. However, the distillation process in those days was much more basic than it is today, and the whisky itself was not allowed to age, meaning it must have tasted much more raw than it does today.

Scotch Whisky Day was created to celebrate this alcoholic beverage in all of its glory and remind people that Ballantine’s is not as good as it gets!