THE DISTILLING INDUSTRY IN IRELAND. 



499 



thus trebled in five years, led to a sudden fall in the quantity produced in 

 Ireland, which was accentuated by the further increase of 2t. per gallon 

 imposed in i860, and for several years the quantity made was but one half 

 of the average production during the decade 1849-58. Thus in 1863 the 

 quantity made was only 4,137,544 gallons, the lowest figure recorded since 

 1823. Towards the end of the sixties Distilling revived in Ireland, and 

 though the duty has since been raised to lis. per gallon, there has been a 

 steady increase in the output of Irish Distilleries, as is shown by the 

 following figures : — 



Table showing the Number of Gallons of Spirits Distilled in England, 

 Scotland, and Ireland during certain years. 



The amount in warehouses in the United Kingdom on 31st March, igoo, 

 was 157,169,068 gallons, and, as shown above, 57,020,847 gallons were 

 distilled during the year ended 31st March, 1901, making a total of 

 214,190,815 gallons to be accounted for. This was disposed of as follows: 



Delivered for Home Consumption, 



Exported, 



Used for fortifying \A'^ines for Ships, Stores, &c. 



Methylated, 



Deficiencies allowed. 



Total Distributed, 

 Balance in Warehouse on 31st March, igor, 



36,703,728 gallons. 

 5-773,718 „ 

 309,166 ,, 



5-070,713 „ 

 4,830,661 ,, 



52,687,986 

 161,502,829 



Any account of the development of the distilHng industry in Ireland 



would be incomplete without some mention of illicit 



Til- -i. rk' ^-ii i.' distillation. It is difficult in these days, when illicit 

 illicit Distillation. 1- . 11 ,• r ^ .1 n • 4. 



distnlation is of comparatively small importance, to 



realise the extent to which that traffic grew during 

 the eighteenth century. The produce of the smugglers' stills, being 

 made from malt alone, found a ready market on account o its distinct 

 flavour, and the trade was encouraged by the high rate of duty levied at 

 licensed distilleries. Both in Great Britain and Ireland the smugglers may 

 be looked upon as the pioneers of the whiskey trade. To them is largely 

 due the superior quality of the fine old malt whiskey that is made nowadays, 

 and the " sma stills " and " illicit potheens " may be said to be the founda- 

 tions upon which the whiskey distilling industry has been built. The 

 ilhcit whiskey acquired the name of "potheen" from the fact that it was 

 usually made in a small pot, and it was sometimes called ' Innishowen," 

 from a district in Donegal notorious for illicit distillation and famous for 

 the superior quality of its whiskey. 



Many interesting and curious facts have been related of the extra- 

 ordinary contrivances of the people to evade the law, and to prevent 



