 | for Cask |
| | for Cask |
Whisky was originally transported inand purveyed by the small wooden cask, known as an 'anker'. Theword, which is Dutch, was used throughout Northern Europe as ameasure of wines and spirits equal to about ten imperial gallons.The precise amount varied - a Rotterdam anker, for example, wasequal to only eight gallons - but the small size of such casksmeant they could be carried by pack-horses over rough terrain,and were easily handled by one man.
Until the late 19th century, whisky was mainly sold in bulk -by the cask or stoneware jar - and bottled/decanted by thepublican, spirits merchant or end consumer. In large householdsthis was the job of the butler (i.e. 'bottler'). Even beyond theturn of the century, many customers preferred to buy in bulk, andadvertisements offered 'cased' or 'bulk' whisky. Until theoutbreak of the Second World War Matthew Gloag and Son wereoffering The Famous Grouse by the five and ten gallon cask (theformer for £ 18/10 - and this price was held from 1923 until atleast 1934; refills at 70/- a gallon).
Wooden barrels were, until relatively recently, the commonestway of transporting many solids, as well as liquids - think ofbarrels of fish or apples or butter, sugar and salt, tobacco andgunpowder - so there were huge numbers of barrels in everydayuse. The best were made of oak and, until World War I, cameprincipally from the great forests of Eastern Europe via the portof Memel (now Gdansk). The oak trees which grow in Britain(Pendunculate oaks) are not good for making barrels, since theycannot be sawn and are prone to leaking and cracking.
In general, distillers and blenders filled any barrel thatcame to hand. It is said that, during the 1920s, old fishbarrels, scoured and re-charred, were used by distilleries inCampbeltown - hence the pejorative description of Campbeltownwhiskies as 'stinking fish'. Imagine saying that about aSpringbank today! But such lack of quality control contributed tothe closure of 30 Campbeltown distilleries during that decade.
Astute readers will have noticed that we have said nothing inthis piece about the cask as a vehicle for maturing whisky. Thisis so profound and important that it must have an article foritself. Watch this space - W for Wood.
The wooden barrels used for maturing, marrying, storingand selling Scotch are always referred to as 'casks'. The come indifferent sizes, each with a different name.
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