Are The Dutch Responsible For The Creation Of Modern Scotch Whisky?

Forbes

15 hours ago

The thumbnail for the video upending the foundations of the history of Scotch whisky. The Liquid Antiquarian
Over two weeks ago YouTube channel The Liquid Antiquarian released a new video. At the time of writing, its total views count sat at just under 900. Yet the video contains a groundbreaking revelation based on hard historical research - that Dutch distillers are directly responsible for the creation of modern Scotch whisky as we know it, shattering traditional narratives about the water of life.
Co-hosted by whisky researcher and former managing director of Royal Mile Whiskies Arthur Motley and whisky writer and author Dave Broom, the channel is devoted to detailed historical research on Scotch whisky and other spirits. Broom and Motley don't approach whisky history as professional historians—Motley prefers the term 'antiquarian'—but instead as curious researchers with a deep love for the subject.
In their latest video, they make the bold claim that many of the methods used to make modern Scotch whisky were introduced by Dutch distillers, some of them who were working in Scotland in the early 18th century. Drawing from obscure archival material, the episode outlines how a group of Dutch experts, most of them doctors and chemists, helped improve and formalise distillation techniques in Scotland. These practices were then taken on by local distillers which then spread out across the country, directly influencing how whisky is made today.
A sketch/study by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer of an illegal whisky still. Hathi Trust and the University of Michigan
Most accounts of Scotch whisky's early development focus on local, often rural production. They tend to feature a romantic image of Scottish farmers using leftover grain after the harvest to distil small quantities of whisky in pot stills. These stories suggest a simple, pastoral beginning—whisky as an agricultural byproduct rather than a refined commercial product.
While this is certainly the case to a degree, what's missing in many of these accounts is any mention of the Dutch. The common misunderstanding is that Scotch whisky grew up isolated, slowly refined over generations by rural Scottish farmers. This was probably the case until the beginning of the 18th century, and very little is known about what these early 'whiskies' were like. 'There is no industry,' Motley explained to me. 'There's barely anything written about it [before the early 18th century]. We don't really know what it was like before, but it wasn't popular and it wasn't particularly commercialized as a product.'
In fact, the few references that exist suggest these spirits were likely inconsistent and rough, especially compared to imported rum and Cognac which emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries and were more widely consumed and appreciated at the time. The Dutch Influence on Scotch Whisky
The father of medical research and chemistry Herman Boerhaave. Amsterdam Museum
By the early 18th century, the Dutch were well established as distillation experts. According to Motley, this included distillates that could become whisky, 'They had all the expertise of distilling malt, and it was a thorough, rational process. They had worked out how to do it better than anyone else. And they had taken almost a scientific approach, there was a process to it, and they certainly weren't making it up as they went along.'
In their research, Motley and Broom uncovered one of the clearest examples of Dutch knowledge being shared with Scottish distillers. In a 1743 publication titled The Select Transactions of the Honourable Society of Improvers in the Knowledge of Agriculture in Scotland , a Scotland-based Dutch distilling expert named Henricus Van Wyngaerden answers technical questions from a struggling distiller called Groat. Here, Van Wyngaerden gives detailed instructions for how to produce a clean and refined spirit which includes ensuring a full fermentation, double distilling the wash, reusing 'faints' from previous runs, avoiding hops, and keeping bungholes sealed during maturation. These practices closely resemble how Scotch whisky is still made today.
Van Wyngaerden is a truly important figure for Scotch whisky. Arriving in the country in the 1720s, he appears to have acted as a consultant for landowners looking to establish distilleries. Also illustrating how widely Dutch distillation knowledge was spread, a 1736 article in the Caledonian Mercury also offered instructions for best practice distilling methods—again influenced by Dutch distillers—and noted that copies of these guidelines would be distributed to the Justices of the Peace in each Scottish county to be shared with rural distillers.
Another important Dutch figure mentioned by Motley is Herman Boerhaave, one of modern science's most important figures. A medical doctor and chemist who pioneered the concept of medical research as well as modern chemistry, his seminal Elements of Chemistry included detailed guidance on distillation. Though he never travelled to Scotland, Boerhaave had strong intellectual ties to the Scottish Enlightenment, and the University of Leiden where he was based had many links with Scottish thinkers. 'So one of the most famous men of science wrote down detailed instructions for effective distillation… which is miraculous stuff,' explains Motley.
Another English-based Dutch doctor, alchemist and distiller, William Y-Worth (probably pronounced 'Yarworth'), published 'The Compleat Distiller' in 1705. He was motivated by the poor quality of distillates he encountered in England. To counter the problem, Y-Worth provides detailed instructions not just on effective distillation but even how to build distillation facilities. A large portion of the book also consists of detailed recipes of different pharmacological and alchemical substances produced through distillation.
Together, these Dutch figures introduced consistency, quality control, and practical science to Scottish distillation. Prior to this, very few records exist about how distillation was done. 'Before that, there's not really any written records of that...this is a really careful, written down process,' says Motley .
Also, although many of the distilleries established with Van Wyngaerden's help disappeared from the historical record, their influence may have lived on in how distillation spread. The Dutch Legacy on Scotch Whisky Production
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer's iconic 1829 painting The Illicit Whisky Still. Wikipedia (sourced under a Creative Commons License)
The Dutch contribution to Scotch whisky included the standardization of core practices that are still central to production today. These include full fermentations without hops, controlled double distillation, the use of 'cuts' to isolate the cleanest portion of spirit, and careful maturation in sealed casks. Motley describes a few other techniques elaborated by Dutch distillers: 'Keeping the wash cool, distilling slowly, being careful of burning… taking a cut and understanding that the taste of it at the beginning and the taste of it at the end is very different to the taste of it in the middle. Being careful with fermentations'.
But these innovations were not consistently adopted across Scotland. According to Broom and Motley, the second half of the 18th century brought extensive social and political turbulence—including the Jacobite uprising—and heavy taxation on distillation stifled development. Government also heavily taxed the industry and introduced unwieldy regulations this drove a new wedge in the production of whisky.
So by the late 18th century, there was a clear division between Lowland distilleries, which were producing poor-quality spirit due these tricky conditions, and high quality Highland distillers, whose illegal whisky was highly sought after and whose running battles with excisemen have formed many a popular and romantic narrative within Scotch whisky's history.
Motley finds it ironic that this high quality illegal whisky was likely the result of Dutch knowledge spread by the ruling classes in the first place. With the 1823 Excise Act, illegal distillation was largely eliminated and clear guidelines on how whisky was to be produced and distilleries built were established. The stringent standards on production set by the Act weren't new, though it heralded a new era for Scotch whisky - the Dutch had provided this valuable information 100 years before then.
Understanding the history of Scotch whisky means recognising the role of these Dutch distillers (and doctors, alchemists and chemists). Their expertise helped move whiskymaking from inconsistent cottage production to a more methodical and replicable process—laying the groundwork for what would become Scotland's most iconic industry and a product enjoyed around the world today.