The Monk, the Malt, and the First Written Record of Scotch Whisky
Ep. 01

The Monk, the Malt, and the First Written Record of Scotch Whisky

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Episode description

The Monk, the Malt, and the First Written Record of Scotch Whisky

On 1 June 1494, a monk named John Cor made an entry in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland ordering eight bolls of malt to make aqua vitae. It was a routine transaction in a royal accounts book, unremarkable at the time, yet it stands as the earliest known written record of Scotch whisky. Clara Vale explores how a monastery shopping list became the origin point of a five-hundred-year tradition, why medieval monks were distilling spirits in the first place, and what it means when history arrives not with fanfare but with a clipboard. Also on 1 June: the 2008 Universal Studios fire that destroyed a vault of irreplaceable master recordings, the 1943 downing of BOAC Flight 777 that killed actor Leslie Howard and sparked enduring conspiracy theories, and the 1974 publication of Dr Henry Heimlich’s life-saving choking intervention. Small records, big histories, and proof that the most lasting things often begin quietly.

Chapters

  • A Wee Dram of History The earliest written record of Scotch whisky appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland on 1 June 1494, when Friar John Cor ordered eight bolls of malt to make aqua vitae. Medieval monasteries were centres of medical and scientific knowledge, and distillation was a practical skill with genuine medicinal applications. Lindores Abbey, where Cor worked, now operates as a distillery again. Also covered: the 2008 Universal Studios fire that destroyed a vault of master recordings, the mysterious 1943 downing of BOAC Flight 777 carrying actor Leslie Howard, and the 1974 publication of the Heimlich manoeuvre by Dr Henry Heimlich, who would later use his own technique to save a life at age ninety-six.

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