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See now I don't think this is true, because AFAIK England doesn't have any native spirits, and nobody I've asked could think of one either. Gin came from the Du

See now I don't think this is true, because AFAIK England doesn't have any native spirits, and nobody I've asked could think of one either. Gin came from the Dutch and it's introduction caused a literal "Gin epidemic" of people dying from it, which seems to support this point. Genuinely curious to be proven wrong here...

bbatha 4y ago
Gin had become its own thing by the time of the gin craze. The origins of the gin epidemic are varied but introduction from a foreign source is not one of them. In fact one of the major factors was Britain subsidizing the local gin industry and establishing protectionist laws that cut down trade for liquor from Continental Europe. 20 years of that plus the majority of Londoners losing their shirt in the South Seas panic was a recipe for disaster. It’s a fascinating case study with echoes to the current opioid crisis. For more information checkout, Gin: The Much Lamented Death of Madam Geneva. You could also make an argument for rum is native to Britain given it was likely in invented in Barbados, or another British sugar island as a direct result of colonization.
- spiralx 4y ago
  This is the best answer I've had so far, thanks! And even better that book is available on Kindle Unlimited, thanks for the recommendation. > You could also make an argument for rum is native to Britain given it was likely in invented in Barbados, or another British sugar island as a direct result of colonization. That does make sense in fact and I think you've proven me wrong - technically at least - which is great, because my rum connoisseur friends did not propose that argument and I can tease them about it next time we hang out :)
mejutoco 4y ago
I’ll bite. If we want to be pedantic, England is not a country, but obviously we mean uk. It is difficult to prove this one wrong, without knowing how many years back you would accept before claiming it is from another country. I suspect all the other drinks could be traced to have origins in another country as well. This is further complicated by the fact that going back enough in time the country might not be considered the same country. I will try with this brandy: Rush https://www.brightwellvineyard.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7108518-Rush-English-Brandy.html https://www.brightwellvineyard.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7108518-Ru... If not, Tesco finest cognac I think fits the bill :) and we can settle on it https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/295693637 https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/295693637
- twic 4y ago
  Cognac can only be made in a particular bit of France. It seems the Tesco one is from the Distilleries de Matha: https://iwsc.net/results/detail/121623/tesco-finest-xo-cognac https://iwsc.net/results/detail/121623/tesco-finest-xo-cogna... https://www.maisons-cognac.fr/en/maison/distillerie-de-matha/ https://www.maisons-cognac.fr/en/maison/distillerie-de-matha...
peoplefromibiza 4y ago
AFAIK you're right, that's why I specifically refer to continental Europe.
twic 4y ago
There was distillation going on in England in the middle ages, but probably to make medicine rather than booze [1]: https://distillatio.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/distillation-in-15th-century-england/ https://distillatio.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/distillation-in... As far as i know, the first widely-drunk spirit in England was brandy, imported from France by Dutch traders (hence the name, brandewijn = "burnt wine"). Gin and whisky both took off when England got into ones of its regular wars with France, and brandy became embarrassing to import. My best guess at why England was late to start making its own spirits is that we have a crummy climate but good trade links to the continent, so it was cheaper to import brandy than to make whisky or apple brandy. Whereas Ireland and Scotland have slightly crummier climates but far worse trade links, so domestic distillation made sense there. [1] Which are different things - remember, "people say alcohol's a drug, it's not a drug, it's a drink".

bbatha 4y ago

Gin had become its own thing by the time of the gin craze. The origins of the gin epidemic are varied but introduction from a foreign source is not one of them. In fact one of the major factors was Britain subsidizing the local gin industry and establishing protectionist laws that cut down trade for liquor from Continental Europe. 20 years of that plus the majority of Londoners losing their shirt in the South Seas panic was a recipe for disaster. It’s a fascinating case study with echoes to the current opioid crisis. For more information checkout, Gin: The Much Lamented Death of Madam Geneva. You could also make an argument for rum is native to Britain given it was likely in invented in Barbados, or another British sugar island as a direct result of colonization.

spiralx 4y ago
This is the best answer I've had so far, thanks! And even better that book is available on Kindle Unlimited, thanks for the recommendation. > You could also make an argument for rum is native to Britain given it was likely in invented in Barbados, or another British sugar island as a direct result of colonization. That does make sense in fact and I think you've proven me wrong - technically at least - which is great, because my rum connoisseur friends did not propose that argument and I can tease them about it next time we hang out :)

mejutoco 4y ago

I’ll bite. If we want to be pedantic, England is not a country, but obviously we mean uk. It is difficult to prove this one wrong, without knowing how many years back you would accept before claiming it is from another country. I suspect all the other drinks could be traced to have origins in another country as well. This is further complicated by the fact that going back enough in time the country might not be considered the same country. I will try with this brandy: Rush https://www.brightwellvineyard.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7108518-Rush-English-Brandy.html https://www.brightwellvineyard.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7108518-Ru... If not, Tesco finest cognac I think fits the bill :) and we can settle on it https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/295693637 https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/295693637

twic 4y ago
Cognac can only be made in a particular bit of France. It seems the Tesco one is from the Distilleries de Matha: https://iwsc.net/results/detail/121623/tesco-finest-xo-cognac https://iwsc.net/results/detail/121623/tesco-finest-xo-cogna... https://www.maisons-cognac.fr/en/maison/distillerie-de-matha/ https://www.maisons-cognac.fr/en/maison/distillerie-de-matha...

peoplefromibiza 4y ago

AFAIK you're right, that's why I specifically refer to continental Europe.

twic 4y ago

There was distillation going on in England in the middle ages, but probably to make medicine rather than booze [1]: https://distillatio.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/distillation-in-15th-century-england/ https://distillatio.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/distillation-in... As far as i know, the first widely-drunk spirit in England was brandy, imported from France by Dutch traders (hence the name, brandewijn = "burnt wine"). Gin and whisky both took off when England got into ones of its regular wars with France, and brandy became embarrassing to import. My best guess at why England was late to start making its own spirits is that we have a crummy climate but good trade links to the continent, so it was cheaper to import brandy than to make whisky or apple brandy. Whereas Ireland and Scotland have slightly crummier climates but far worse trade links, so domestic distillation made sense there. [1] Which are different things - remember, "people say alcohol's a drug, it's not a drug, it's a drink".