"Scotch whisky is a mystery, a magic of locality. A foreigner may import not only the Scottish barley but Scottish water, Scottish distilling apparatus, and set a Scot to work on them, but the glory evaporates: it will not travel." [p. 6 par. 2] —Ivor Brown, British essayist and novelist Fortunately, though the "magic" and "glory" of Scottish distilling processes are not exportable, the finished product is. No alcoholic beverage in the world is so closely and immediately identified with its homeland as Scotch. And two brands exemplify and symbolize the world-renowned quality and prestige of Scotch whisky—Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet. In A Double Scotch celebrated beverage author, journalist, and columnist F. Paul Pacult tells the stirring story of how two families forever changed the Scotch whisky playing field by producing benchmark whiskies that, over time, became standards of excellence, not just in Scotland, but the world over. Set against the spectacular, craggy backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, this multigenerational saga offers a study in contrasts between families as different from each other as the exquisitely blended Chivas Regal is from The Glenlivet, the quintessential single-malt Scotch. You'll meet the Chivas brothers, James and John, an ambitious pair of upscale Aberdeen grocers who never owned or operated a distillery, but elevated the process of blending whiskies to a fine and very profitable art. The father-and-son team of George and John Gordon Smith, on the other hand, were hardy Highland farmers from the Glenlivet district of Banffshire whose sideline malt whisky business became too lucrative to remain a part-time pursuit. For all of their differences, the Smiths and the Chivas brothers shared a common dedication to quality, authenticity, and customer service. It was that dedication that helped both families weather a storm of cutthroat competition that, along with excessive taxation and ill-advised government interference in the whisky trade, gave birth to an infamous era of widespread skullduggery, illicit distilling, rioting, smuggling, and even murder. Through it all, these two families—along with their flagship brands—not only survived but also transformed their local craft by creating first a nationwide, then a worldwide market for their products. Of course, it was a third family, the Bronfmans, who actually ensured that these two great whiskies achieved world status through deft marketing skills and the sheer mercantile weight of the House of Seagram, which they had so deftly acquired when it looked as if whisky might go out of fashion during the bleak inter-war years. That the Bronfmans and Seagram have disappeared quite recently from the whisky scene is all the more reason to understand what they achieved through the positioning of these two great brands. Published in 2005 by John Wiley.
