Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-12
BOGUS BOOZE FROM ABROAD
Judicial and Scientific observations
on Popular Brands of Imported
whisky.

In 1906 Dr. H. w. Wiley, who watches
our food and drink to see that it is pure,
went to England to find out what sort of
stun was exported to this country under
the names OF Scotch and Irish whisky.
At about the same time certain public
spirited Bnglishmen were trying to learn
exactly what was being sold to them under
the same names, and two retail liquor deal
ers were under prosecution charged with
selling liquors falsely marked. The case
was heard by Mr.. z. Snow Fordham,
MAGISTRATE, in the North London police
court, and in giving his decision he found
1t necessary to define the word whisky"
which he did thus:
Whisky, have no doubt, is a word de-
rived a century or so ago from the word
'usquebaugh," which signifies spirit dis
titled in form OF pot still in Ireland or
mated in frel,.nd or Scotland. In
both ireland and Scotland from earliest
times the national alcoholic beverage 'us-
by pot stills. 1t certainly WIS so made
when II was first known as Irish whisky
and Scotch Go sI snS s wbsET n no%
the spirit must be obtained in the same
methods by the aid of the form of still
known as the pot still The product Of
whisky, cannot be Irish or Scotch whisky
although made in Ireland or Scotlandi the
l
the method known as Irish or Scotch. As
| to the material to be used to produce Irish
or Scotch whisky, II must be such as has
always been used in the Irish and Scotch
forms OF stin commonly. This, find from
the evidence / have heard, rs IN Irish
whisky barley malt alt, as to +S about q per cent
wheat, oats and rye, or any OF them; and
| in Scotch whisky 1t is wholly barley malt.
/ There is a distinct difference In the ma
| terial used to produce Irish and Scotch
| whisky in the Dot still. but the material
used to produce spirit in the patent still
| Is the same whether II be produced In ire
| land or Scotland
The accused liquor dealers had sold
fluids produced by patent still from a
mash consisting to a large extent of maize,
TO which a dash of whisky made from
barley malt in a pot still had been added"
and these compounds the magistrate held
not TO be Irish and Scotch WHISTLES, re-
spectively. The mixtures were worth about
half as much as real WHISTLES. and the
| court held their vendors TO have infringed
the law. OF the practice of selling sub
stitutes for whisky. Mr.. Fordham said:
The Misrepresentation with regard TO
| Irish and Scotch whisky has become very
usual. and it's adulteration by the addition
/ to IL Of patent still spirit made largely
from maize, has been gradually increasing
for years, and the result has been taken
by the unsuspectlng public to the benefit
OF the distillers, dealers and retailers, until
the so-called blenders nave dared 10 con-
coct and place upon the market and sell
to the retailers raw new patent still spirit
with . mere dash OF Irish or Scotch whisky
in II as Irish whisky" and Scotch
whisky" The retailer has, in fact. sold
this effort OF adulteration to the public
under the description by which 1t was sold
TO him.
1t is time the fraud upon the public in
the matter OF the sale of whisky was
stopped, and though doubtless these prose
cutions are very costly TO those who en-
gage IN them, the information obtained
and published in the course of the hearing
OF these two summonses Is most valuable
and the result OF this trial seems TO me
TO afford ample justification for the prose
cutions.
DIR. Wiley found that 'the mixing OF
the Scotch whisky with grain spirit ID
quite general practice both for home con
sumption and for export" and he could
not md that ANY genuine malt whisky
without admixture OF grain spirit Was bot