The History of Scotch Whiskey

Today as my blog I am going to write about the history of scotch whiskey.

What is whiskey?

Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage made out of distilled grains barley, rye, corn, or wheat but usually barley or rye.

How is scotch whiskey different to any other whiskey?

For scotch to be scotch it has to be one hundred percent made in Scotland, contain a particular amount of barley, be aged for at least three years or more and have an ABV lower than 94.8%.

How is it made?

Whiskey is made by collecting the grain and letting it soak in water and germinate. It is then left on the floor of a level of the distillery called the malting floor and to help the grain to germinate. It is then rotated by a rake to spread the heat evenly. The grain (now called green malt) is evenly spread on a mesh and completely killed by the fire and heat below, it if you add peat to the fire it will change the flavour of the whiskey. It is then ground up to a fine flour were it is put in the mash tun with hot water. It is then drained and added to hotter water, drained, and added to hot water again. It is then put in what is called a washback and yeast is added and turns the substance into alcohol. It then starts bubbling which is helped by spinning blades above. This process takes about 48 to 60 hours. The distilling progress can now start and as it does the alcohol is poured into  copper container like thing called the wash still were it is heated. As alcoholic vapours rise they go through different copper tubing were they cool and turn back to liquid again. This process is then repeated in a different copper pot called the spirit still where the distilling separates the alcohol from the majority of the flavoured water substances and concentrates them.  The whiskey is now pumped into to spirit receiver then the spirit vat. Water can now be added into the whiskey as it it is added into the barrels before being stored. As it distills it gives the whiskey about 80% of its flavour and the longer it distills the better.    

What is the difference between a single malt and a blended whiskey?

A lot of people think that a single malt is the product of one cask of whiskey this is not true most single malts you see are a blend but the whiskeys they put into it are always from the same distillery whereas a blended whiskey is made up of whiskeys from different distilleries.

What effects the flavour of the whiskey?

The thing that always affects the flavour of the whiskey is the type of wood the cask holding the whiskey is made out of. W§ether its oak or birch or lime each one will make the whiskey taste different.

What is the angels share?

The angels share is the part of the whiskey that evaporates through the cask when it is being distilled it then goes to 'the heavens' and that's why its the angels share.

how much was the most expensive bottle of whiskey sold for?

The most expensive scotch ever sold was sold for $631,850 for a single bottle of Macallan M that was 70 years old.
 

The history of the Kilt

Today as my second blog for my topic, Scotland, I am going to write about kilts.

When did people start wearing kilts?

Kilts have been around since the early 16th century according to newspapers from around that time.

What is a kilt?

Kilts are usually made of a soft woollen cloth woven to look like the clan tartan. Each clan would have a different tartan, a bit like a family crest. About nine yards of cloth can go into a kilt sometimes! What we now think of as a kilt is really only the bottom half of the 'great kilt' which had an extra cloak on it which could be pulled up over your head to protect you from the rain or go over your shoulders to keep you warm.

When did people used to wear kilts?

Soldiers used to wear kilts for marching because the were very practical, warm and easy to move about in but they never wore them while fighting.

A description from 1746 states:

"The garb is certainly very loose, and fits men inured to it to go through great fatigues, to make very quick marches, to bear out against the inclemency of the weather, to wade through rivers, and shelter in huts, woods, and rocks upon occasion; which men dressed in the low country garb could not possibly endure."

They would take off their kilt for battle and fight in their war shirt, call a léine. This was before wearing them was banned by the English. After that they were only worn on special occasions.

Why and when were kilts banned?

Kilts were banned in 1746 by the English because they thought that they had complete power over the Scottish if they took away their right to wear kilts because wearing them was such a large part in their national pride. The English were afraid of the Scottish wearing tartan because it was such a large part of their loyalty to their Highland clan and their freedom as a country. The only time they would be allowed to wear kilts would be in the army. The penalties for breaking this law were very high. The penalty for the first time spotted wearing a kilt was six months in prison and the second was seven years shipped out to Australia (note: you probably wouldn’t be taken back after the sentence but just left in Australia.)

What is a sporran?

A sporran is a little bumbag-like pouch usually made out of leather or fur, which would be used like a wallet or pocket, since the kilt doesn't have pockets. A day sporran might be a simple pouch made of leather and a dress sporran might be much more decorated with silver trimming and fur or tassels. When the person wearing a sporran wants to play sports or drive or anything like that the sporran can just be slid around the waist into a more comfortable position

What are the accessories of a kilt?

Some of the main kilt accessories are the pin which is used to hold the kilt together and stop it from blowing up and the sgain dubh which is a single side blade kept in the sock while wearing a kilt.

The golden eagle

Today as my first blog of my new topic, Scotland, I am going to write about the golden eagle which is pretty much only found in Scotland in the UK.



Habitat?

These birds are found in Mexico, western North America, Asia, northern Africa, and Scotland. Usually in quite deserted and untouched wildlife spots.

Wingspan?

The golden Eagle has an amazing wingspan of 2.34 metres! This means it can be spotted very easily from quite far away.

Diet?

Golden eagles feed on marmots, ground squirrels, birds, fish, rabbits, large insects, carrion (rotting animal carcases), reptiles and have been known to attack fully grown deer.

How old do they live?

Golden eagles in the wild can live up to about 25 years if they reach adulthood but if they don't they will only live to about five years old, but on the other hand a golden eagle in captivity will live for about 40 to 50 years because it will have much more food and will be cared for and treated very well.

What age do they mate?

Golden eagles usually mate at about three to four years old. They will use the same nest every year in and around march to lay their couple of eggs. they can take 40 to 45 days to hatch and the second ones to hatch probably won't last the first 20 days but the first will have a much larger chance. a baby golden eagle is called an eaglet.

Are they endangered?

Golden Eagles are very least concerned on the endangered list. Their are over 500 breeding pairs in Scotland.

How do they hunt?

These massive birds have to hide in trees and search for their prey and the aim at it like you aim a gun and dive down at it with tremendous speed and grab it with its claws.

10 viking wedding traditions

1.

Viking weddings were always held on a Friday which in Norse religion is a sacred day for Frigga the goddess of marriage. The wedding would probably start on the Friday and last about a week.

2.

Before the wedding the groom would have to enter a grave. He would have to dig up and enter the grave of one of his ancestors and retrieve his ancestor's sword.

3.

The Viking bride would not wear any special dress or gown but would focus mainly on her hair and would wear a crown made out of silver covered in valuable crystals.

4.

Like the bride, the groom would not wear any special clothes but would carry a very special weapon (probably given to him by his father.)

5.

The bride and groom wouldn't just exchange rings but would also exchange their ancestors swords.

6.

At the wedding the bride and groom would sacrifice an animal for the gods: a goat for Thor, a sow for Freyja, and a boar or a horse for Freyr. The blood of the animal would be put in a bowl and a bundle of fir-twigs would be dropped in and would be used to sprinkle the blood on the couple.

7.

At the wedding feast a replica of Thor's hammer would be placed on the brides lap while she said her prayers to him.

8.

It was a tradition that the bride and groom would get drunk on bridal ale during the feast. Bridal ale is a special beer brewed especially for the bride and groom.

9.

At least six witnesses would walk the bride and groom to their bed by torchlight after partying.

10.

It was tradition for the bridal party and the groom party to race to the feast and the team that lost would have to serve the ale and beer for the rest of the evening.

viking foods

Today as my blog I am going to write about viking foods.

What did they eat?

The vikings ate pretty much anything they could get their hands on but their main specielty was farming. Vikings were very good farmers they would make flour out of dried corn which they would then make into bread to eat with the cheese they made out of their cows milk. Vikings would usually send their kids out to find nuts and berries in the woods and if they were lucky they would find some geese or chickens wandering around the farm to collect eggs from. While the girls were at home making flour, collecting nuts and berries and doing house chores the boys would go out and hunt for meat or go and do some fishing.

Did they have feasts and celebrations?

Vikings had many many feasts to celebrate. Some of the main reasons where for weddings, solstices, and festivals. Depending on how wealthy the host was a major feast would usually last 12 days! at feasts vikings would usually eat meat, bread, nuts, berries, fish, and cheese and drink mead, beer, weak ale and if they were at a major feast strong fruit wines.

How did they cook their food?

Their were three ways the vikings used to cook their food:

1. boiling, method 1: Vikings usually boiled their meat which they would do by digging a pit and lining it with wood which they would then put water and meat in and drop in hot stones to boil the water and add any herbs or spices they had to flavour the meat.

2. boiling, method 2: the other way vikings would boil their meat (and veggies) is by digging a hole making a fire in it and dangling a metal pot over it with water and either meat or veggies and a bit of seasoning.

3. over the fire: to cook fish or meat the vikings would make a fire and roast meat or fish over it on a spit.

viking games and entertainment

Today I am going to be writing about what the vikings would do for entertainment and whether or not they had any board games.

 Did they have any board games?

The answer is yes. they did have many board games but the most popular one was Hnefatafl, no one actually knows the rules to this game but we know that there would be two players one much stronger than the other who would have many more tokens than the weaker person and would have to get to the opponents king that wasn't guarded very well. this game was very popular until 12th century when it was replaced with chess.

What indoor games did they play?

The vikings had many indoor games but my personal favourite is one that the vikings would usually play after a feast or a meal. this is how the game goes, there would be two teams men in one team women in the other and they would throw a dice to see what team goes first. The team that throws the bigger number goes first and will drink as much as possible and try to insult the other team then the other team would try to out-drink and out-insult the other team the winning team is the team stays the wittiest and drinks the most.

What outdoor games did they play?

The vikings played lots of outdoor games including archery, stone throwing, wrestling, a type of tug of war called toga-hönk, and a ball game using a stick and ball. it wasn't uncommon for someone to get hurt or killed in some of these games. The women would not compete in these games but would sometimes gather round to watch. Family games were usually stuff like swimming and ice skating. did you know that the vikings invented ice skating? of course the vikings didn't have nice shiny ice skating shoes on a nice indoor skating rink but they did have a bit of horse or cow bone attached to their shoes with leather straps on a frozen lake or river.

Did they have any competitions?

Vikings did have lots of competitions they would have swimming races, archery competitions, wrestling competitions and toga-hönk (tug of war).

What toys did kids and babies have?

Viking children would usually play with wooden toys there parents carved for them or play ball and child size games of the ones there father would play.

Did they have any stories?

The vikings had two different types of stories fairy tales and sagas. sagas were like poems a viking would recite a saga to his or her children talking about their time in the war or one of their voyages. sagas where very, very, very long. Prepare yourself because viking fairy tales aren't a single bit like what your used to. viking fairy tales are very gruesome the person to live happily ever after  and be the hero was always the meanest tricksiest person in the story. one of the stories are about where the first man and woman came from and guess where they came from? the armpit sweat of a giant! If the giants used deodorant none of us would be here.
 

Viking names and what they mean

Today as my first blog for my new topic, vikings, I am going to write about viking names and what they mean.


Girls names:

Name                       Meaning

Astrid                      ás - Word for god in old norse / frid - beautiful (woman.)

Brynhild                Bryn - chain mail / Hild - fighter.

Freydis                  Freyr - fertility goddess /  Dis - low rank goddess.

Gudrun                  Gud - god / run - secret knowledge.

Gunnhild               Gunnr - fight / Hild - fighter.

Gunnvor                Gunnr - fight / Vor - defend.

Hilde                     Hild - fighter.

Ingrid                    Ing - viking god / Frid - beautiful (woman.)

Ragnhild              Regin - council / Hild - fighter.

Ranveig               Rann - house / Veig - Unknown, Perhaps Víg - fight.

Sigrid                  Sigr - victory / Frid - beautiful (woman.)

Sigrunn               Sigr - victory / Secret - Knowledge.

Siv                      Sif - a relation or an inlaw.

Solveig               Sól - house, hall / Veig - Unknown perhaps Víg - fight.

Svanhild             Svan - swan / Hild fighter.

Torhild               Tor - The mighty thor / Hild - fighter.

Torunn               Tor - the mighty thor / Unn - love.

Turid                  Tor - the mighty thor / frid - beautiful (woman.)

Vigdis                Vig - fight / Dis - low rank goddess.

Yngvild             Yng - viking god / Hild - fight.



Boys names:

Names               Meaning

Arne                  Orn - Eagle.

Bjørn                 Bjørn - bear.

Eirik                  Ei - the unique one / Rik - prince.

Geir                   Geirr - javlin.

Gisle                 Gísl - Hostage, the handle of the javlin.

Gunnar             Gunnr - fight / ar - warrior.

Harald             Har - army / Vald - Prince.

Hákon             Hár - A prominent person/ Konr - family.

Inge                Inge - The viking god Yngve.

Ivar                yr - A coniferous tree / Ar - worrier.

Knut              Knutr - A knot

Leif               Leif -  Property, inheritence.

Magnus        Magnus - Mighty, big.

Olav             Anu - ancestor / LaibaR - inheritence.

Rolf             Rod - Honour / Ulfr - wolf.

Sigurd         Sigr - victory / Vard - guardian.

Snorre         Snurre - The unruly one.

Steinar        Stienn - stone / Ar - worrier.

Torstein      Tor - The mighty thor / Steinn - stone.

Trygve       Tryggr - the trustworthy one.

Ulf            Ulfr - wolf.

Valdemar  Valr - Might / Mar - famous.

Vidar        The viking god Vidar.

Yngve      The viking god yngve.