Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  145 / 374 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 145 / 374 Next Page
Page Background

BRINKS.

t4S

whether

he

would

sWear

to

that,

or

whether

he

ever

overstepped

that

limit.

The

witness

replied

that

he

was

upon

his

oath,

and

would

swear

no

farther;

"for

I

never

kept

count

beyond

the

two

dozen,

though

there

is

no

saying

how

many

beyond

I

might

drink

to

make

myself

comfortable

;

but

that's

my

stint^

Good

whiskey

should

be

made

solely

from

the

finest

barley

fnalt,

and

is

so

made

by

the

largest

and

best

distillers

;

but

the

smaller

ones,

and

those

who

are

in

a

hurry

to

get

rich

by

any

means,

use

all

kinds

of

refuse

grain,

and

produce

a

spirit

which,

if

drank

new,

is

neither

more

nor

less

than

rank

poison.

The

fusel

oil,

which

is

present

in

all

distillations

from

grain,

re-

quires

time

to

resolve

itself

into

those

delicate

ethers,

which,

while

enhancing

the

flavour

and

bouquet

of

the

spirit,

are

harmless*

Good

whiskey,

properly

matured,

mixed

with

a

sufficient

quantity

of

water,

and

used

in

moderation,

is

a

good

and

a

wholesome

drink,

acting

also

in

lieu

of

food.

When

this

life-giving

liquor

was

discovered

is

un-

certain.

Edward

Campion,

in

his

History

of

Ireland,

1633,

speaking

of

a

famine

which

happened

in

13

16,

says

that

it

was

caused

by

the

soldiers

eating

flesh

and

drinking

aqua

vitce

in

Lent

;

and,

in

another

place,

he

states

that

a

knight,

called

Savage,

who

lived

in

1350,

having

prepared

an

army

against

the

Irish,

allowed

to

every

soldier,

before

he

buckled

with

the

enemy,

a

mighty

draught

of

aqua

vitcs,

wine,

or

old

ale.

Walter

Harris,

in

his

Hibernica,

1757,

says

that

in

the

reign

of

Henry

VHI.

it

was

decreed

that

there

be

but

one

maker

of

aqua

vita

in

every

borough

town,

K