[BITList] Fwd: Fw: Fwd: Little known bit of Naval History

[HUGH]

Colin,

It's a cold night, so I'll reply to the whisky story.

The USS Constitution sailing up the Firth of Clyde in 1798 would not have encountered a distillery, let alone one with 40,000 gallons of single malt lying around handily packaged for them.  The distillery in Campbeltown is the only one I've ever heard of in this area, and it didn't start till 1828, replacing an illicit still that, by its nature, couldn't have been all that big.  The weight of 40,000 gallons of whisky will be 400,000 lbs in old money, which I make about 130 tons.  And, as you point out, a helluva lot of casks.  All this they did without any of the natives noticing?  Aye, right.

Hugh.
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