"Thee Ferintosh! O sadly lost
Scotland laments frae coast to coast"
When the owner of Ferintosh, the famous Scotch Whisky, distilled by Forbes of Culloden, was bought out in 1784, Robert Burns immortalized the sad event in a poem.
Whisky, another gift that Scotland gave to the world, requires the Scottish climate, pure water, rich peat and hundreds of years of experience in the skillful art of distilling. The word itself is derived from the Gaelic "uisge Beatha" meaning the water of life. As time passed "Uisge" became "Usky" then eventually "Whisky". The oldest reference to whisky dates back to 1494, entered into the Scottish Exchequer Rolls.
The Isle of Arran is the home of "The Robert Burns" Arran single malt, which has been endorsed by The World Robert Burns Federation. It is a light and aromatic single malt, perfect for drinking prior to or during a meal, very fresh with no artificial colouring.
Scotch Whisky shipments to Canada are worth over £60 million a year, which represents about 20% of all Scottish exports to the market. The EU-Canada trade deal is welcomed by Scottish distillers, as Provincial Liquor Boards in Canada still control the import, sale and distribution of spirit drinks in Canada. The Liquor Boards continue to apply complex fees, to cover costs such as customs clearance. These "cost of service" charges are often higher on EU spirits than competitors, giving their domestic products preferential treatment. Although there is a impressive selection of Scotch Whisky in Canada, the industry still face a number of trade barriers.
