Whisky Galore at the Scottish Maritime Museum!
A number of Quaichshop blogs have described the close relationship between Scotland’s loving cup and fine Scotch whisky. We’ve spoken a lot about exciting new distillery ventures, particularly in Edinburgh. A number of other blogs have been on the subject of innovative distillery projects in Scotland’s Highlands and the Western Isles. However new projects, exciting as they are, are only part of the Scotch whisky story.
Many of you will be aware of the classic Ealing film “Whisky Galore!” and hopefully a number will have seen this timeless comedy, starring Gordon Jackson, Joan Greenwood and Basil Radford. Compton Mackenzie’s 1947 book and the subsequent Ealing film are based upon the fate suffered by the 1923 SS Politician which ran aground off the Isle of Eriskay in 1941. The ship was laden with goods which were intended to be sold to raise funds for the war effort, and the 800 tonne SS Politician set sail from Liverpool on the 3rd February 1941. Bound for Kingston, Jamaica, and New Orleans, it was brimming with motor cars, bicycles, cotton, medicines, tobacco and around £145,000 in Jamaican bank notes.
In June 1987, George Currie of Orkney, a North Sea diver, and his work colleagues went looking for the wreck after completing a subsea cable repair between South Uist and Eriskay. Their finds included an unlabeled bottle of blended whisky from the 1923 SS Politician‘s Hold Number 5. The bottle was one of 264,000 bottles stowed on board the unfortunate wartime cargo vessel. Until recently, the eighty year old bottle of whisky has been in Mr. Currie’s possession. Its contents are now thought to be undrinkable!
The Scottish Maritime Museum successfully bid for this fabled bottle of whisky, salvaged from one of Scotland’s most famous shipwrecks. The bottle has been acquired by the Museum with the support of the National Fund for Acquisitions at The Grand Whisky Auction. Although the original label on the bottle acquired by the Scottish Maritime Museum has been destroyed by submersion in seawater, the bottle production details suggest that the contents originated from a distillery owned by W & A Gilbey. Before 1941, W & A Gilbey owned Glen Spey, Strathmill and Knockando distilleries. The company later went on to form the basis of International Distillers and Vintners, which was eventually absorbed by Diageo.
The rare find will become part of the Scottish Maritime Museum’s nationally recognised collection of maritime heritage which is housed in a former Victorian shipyard engine shed in Irvine, Ayrshire, and on the site of the world-famous William Denny Shipyard in Dumbarton. The lot acquired by the Maritime Museum also includes a diving helmet worn by the diver George Currie, who recovered the historic whisky bottle, two bricks being carried as cargo on the ill-fated vessel and a poster from the 2016 remake of Whisky Galore! which featured Eddie Izzard, Gregor Fisher and James Cosmo. The bottle of whisky will initially go on show in the Scottish Maritime Museum’s Boatshop exhibition space where it will be free to view.
David Mann, Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, commented:
“This bottle of shipwrecked whisky may be small in size but the colourful story behind it provides us with a powerful and enthralling link with our cultural and social maritime past. Intact and in good condition, which is amazing considering 46 years submerged in saltwater, the bottle complements our nationally recognised collection of Scottish shipbuilding, boatbuilding, engineering and design perfectly. It will play a leading role in helping us tell the stories behind the collection and exploring our social and cultural relationship with the sea with visitors.”
Abigail McIntyre, Senior Curator at the Scottish Maritime Museum, adds:
“We are thrilled to add this bottle of whisky which has become so imbedded in Scottish island folklore to the collection.
“There are so many fascinating topics we can explore with our visitors through it, from island life during the war period and underwater archaeology and recovery through to challenging our understanding and portrayal of smuggling in Scottish waters.
“The wreck of the SS Politician had a profound effect on the life of the islanders of Eriskay, many of whom felt keenly the injustice of being prosecuted. As well as looking at the impact of the shipwreck generally, we will also explore maritime laws and their implications through this wonderful new artefact.”
Sounds like it would be well worth a visit for whisky aficionados!