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Poteen - The Guid Ould Stuff
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Thessalonike The Tragic Queen Icelandic History The Althingi Byzantium before Constantine: The Greco-Roman City, 658 BCE - 330 CE Odin's lament A FATEFUL CHARIOT RACE: The STORY of PELOPS and OENOMAUS The Thanatos from Ephesus The Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara The Unas Pyramid and Surroundings. Mastabas in the Vicinity of Unas Pyramid Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep - Royal Manicurists and Prophets of Re. Horemheb and His Contemporaries Pepi I and His Consorts Pepi II - an Unusually Long Reign The Last Royal Tombs of the Old Kingdom Northern Saqqara - The Pyramids of Teti and Queens Northern Saqqara - The Mastaba of Mereruka, His Wife & Son Northern Saqqara - The Mastaba of Kagemni Benu of Iunu - The Prototype Phoenix The Ennead of Iunu I: Where Gods Were Born The Ennead of Iunu II: The Foundation for Religious Life History of Devon Northern Saqqara III: The Tomb of Ankhmahor Northern Saqqara IV: The Tomb of Akhethotep & Ptahotep Northern Saqqara V: The Mastaba of Ti Northern Saqqara VI: Early Dynastic & 3rd Dynastic Tombs Northern Saqqara VII: The Serapeum Northern Saqqara VII: Other Animal Burials Styles of Houses in Ancient Egypt I Lady of Philae, Lady of Abaton Styles of House in Ancient Egypt II Styles of Houses in Ancient Egypt III Aset in Festival Calendar of Festivals of Aset |
None can say for certain, just when the Irish first started distilling fermented mash to make "strong spirits". There are casual mentions of the practice from the time things first got written down by St. Patrick and his monks. Howsoever, the making of Poteen (also spelled Poitin, Potcheen, and Potain) went underground in 1661, when King Charles II introduced an outrageous levey on the production of distilled spirits throughout the United Kingdom. Not surprisingly, this tax was largely ignored by the Irish. In 1770, the Crown tried once more to clamp down on this spirited trade. By kingly writ of George III, the making of Poteen became illegal. With the flourish of a pen, most of the inhabitants of Eire became instant criminals.
This change in status (from tax evaders to outright outlaws) did little to slow what had become a major cottege industry. The pot-stills and barrels of fermenting mash or wash were moved from the house to the barn, to small shacks in the hills. Some set up operations in ancient cairnes and burial chambers. Others took their equipment to islands in the middle of lakes, the better to see the guards coming. One enterprising fellow even had his operation set up on a small boat on Lough Erne. For many years he was able to out-row the Gardai (Police) and thus evade capture.
Traditionally, Poteen is made from barley which was soaked for a day in a large barrel of water. The grain was spread on the floor near the fire to dry and ripen. When it first began to bud, it wad dried and ground, and put into the mash (or wash) barrel. Some brewers would add yeast, while others would let the natural yeasts do the work. After two to four weeks, the batch was ready for the still. The heady liquid was siphoned off and put into the pot. The fire was built up and the water was started running on the condenser coil. The first bit to come over contained all the fusel oils, which are highly toxic. For this reason, the first "noggin" was always dumped on the ground… for the Faerie Folk, it was claimed. The remainder of the batch was tapped off into bottles and tightly corked. These were then hidden about the place, hopefully in spots the tax-man was not likely to look.
When the potato was introduced to Ireland, it was soon discovered that this starchy vegetable could also be used to make Poteen. More recently, the "Water of Life" has been made from plain sugar. Most folk will tell you that these modern recipes do not have the flavor of the "real ould stuff". Having sampled both (in quantity), I can safely say they are right in their observation. The good stuff has a slight smokey tang from the turf fire and a subtly sweet aftertaste. At present, there are two companies officially licensed to produce Poteen; 