The first reference to whisky was in 1494 when Scottish Exchequer Rolls record that Friar John Cor purchased a quantity of malt “to make aquavitae”. It’s not a hard drink to make, and by 1777 Excise officers estimated that Edinburgh had eight licensed stills and 400 illegal ones. Today more than 2,500 brands of Scotch whisky, one of Britain’s top export items, are sold globally.