Whiskey Wise
Prohibition in the US caused a popular tantrum that resulted in an era of decadence and disregard that still captures the public imagination. The New York Whiskey Club presents Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition”.
The excise tax on alcohol was such a significant contributor to the US economy that it seemed the pietistic efforts of the teetotaling Anti-Saloon League would remain in vain. However, the introduction of a nationwide income tax dissolved this dependence and paved the way for over a decade of merriment and mayhem.
The National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act, was passed into law in 1920 outlawing the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. As actual consumption was never illegal, the subsequent untaxed and inflated alcohol prices motivated immense investment in the party scene, giving rise to an era of celebration that appears in hindsight as a decadent public bender. Indulging their love of booze with such unanimous disregard for the law, the people reinforced the inevitable failure of Prohibition. Reinstated with their right to intoxicate, Prohibition ended in 1933, remaining to this day the only Amendment to the United States Constitution to have ever been repealed.
Cutty Sark celebrates this public victory by honoring one of Prohibition’s most notorious smugglers, Captain William S. McCoy. Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition” is a handcrafted, small batch Scotch blended from top quality grain and single malt whiskies. Matured in American oak casks and non‐chill filtered, this 100 proof whiskey gives a super smooth finish with lingering warmth and subtle hints of spice.
The MAN show during New York’s Men’s Market Week 2014 will be spotlighting this rare and refined Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition” whiskey for the first time at Le Baron in NYC.
Product Fact:
When most Prohibition alcohols were diluted to maximize profit, Captain William S. McCoy earned his honorable reputation as a rumrunner through consistently selling his merchandise unadulterated. This gave popular contemporary reference to the historical idiom “The real McCoy”, signifying something as being the genuine article.
Whiskey Tip:
Given the limited availability of ice during Prohibition years, whiskey was often drunk neat (without ice). Neat whiskey is best appreciated from a whiskey tumbler (also known as the old fashioned or low-ball) which contains a wide rim and a flat bottom, allowing the spirit to be appropriately agitated and capturing the aromas for nosing.
