McHardy, Stuart
Tales of Whisky and Smuggling

Lochar Publishing, ISBN 0-948403-86-1, First Published 1991, 160 Pages, 23,5 x 15 cm, Hard Cover

This is the story of a war - between a hostile London government and large numbers of cottage whisky-makers, mostly in the Highlands. Highlanders believed they had a natural right to make whisky from their own barley, just as they made porridge from their own oats. The Government, with little time for Highland culture and no appreciation of it, wanted to raise as much tax revenue as possible from the distillation of spirits. In so doing they exacerbated the problem of illicit stills and had to set about destroying them. The stories in this book are all based on actual events in the "Peatreek" conflict. They show the lengths to which Highland people went to defend their traditional practices. In some skirmishes with the Excise Officers, lives were lost. These fascinating stories are a mixture of humour and tragedy and illustrate the determination of the whisky smugglers to thwart the London government.