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-Gabe t1_jdv9c4y wrote

Reply to comment by Taylo in Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century - A scrap of fabric found in a Highland peat bog 40 years ago is likely to be the oldest tartan ever discovered in Scotland, new tests have established. by ArtOak

Yeah, /u/BasicLuxury is wrong...

Earliest known rum was 1628.
Earliest known scotch was 1496.

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BasicLuxury t1_jdvao1k wrote

Oldest known aquavitae of brasii (malt/beer) 1495, does that mean Scotch? Some people have chosen to belive it does.

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-Gabe t1_jdvejqg wrote

It might've tasted a bit different than modern day Scotches, but aqua vitae is a distilled drink; and we known malted barley was used. So a distilled drink made from malted barley in Scotland first appeared in 1496.

It might not be aged and as potent as required by modern-day standards, but it is going to be fairly close to what you'd most closely identify as Scotch.

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don_tomlinsoni t1_je47xgo wrote

Whisky is an anglicised version of the Gaelic uisge beathe which - just like the Latin aqua vitae - means "water of life".

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