Whisky: The Medieval Elixir
Gone Medieval
History Hit
4.6 • 2.2K Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2024
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Did you know we have our medieval ancestors to thank for whisky? It wasn’t exactly a medieval invention but the process of making distilled alcohol and the idea that it might be fun to drink was.
In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor Janega finds out more from whisky journalist Matt Chambers about how we got from desalinating seawater in the Ancient period to enjoying a dram or two today.
This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Rob Weinberg.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code MEDIEVAL - sign up here.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I'm Peter Frankerpern and in our podcast Legacy we explore the lives of some of the biggest characters in history. |
| 0:08.0 | This season we're exploring the life of Cleopatra. |
| 0:11.0 | An iconic life full of romances, seages and tragedy. But who was the real Cleopatra? It feels like her story's been told by others with their own agenda for centuries. |
| 0:23.0 | But her legacy is enduring, |
| 0:25.0 | and so we're going to dive into how her story has evolved |
| 0:28.0 | all the way up to today. |
| 0:30.0 | I am so excited to talk about Cleopatra Peter. |
| 0:33.0 | She is an icon. |
| 0:35.2 | She's the most famous woman in antiquity. |
| 0:37.5 | It's got to be up there with the most famous women of all time. |
| 0:39.5 | But I think there's a huge gap between how familiar people are with the idea of her |
| 0:44.1 | compared to what they actually know about her life and character. So for Pyramids, |
| 0:48.5 | Cleopatra and Cleopatra's nose. Follow legacy now wherever you get your podcasts or you can |
| 0:54.6 | binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wonder E Plus. If you're anything like me, odds are you probably like the odd drink now and again. |
| 1:11.2 | And if you're even more like me, odds are you are partial to having a whiskey. |
| 1:16.0 | But did you know we have our medieval ancestors to thank for the water of life? |
| 1:21.0 | Okay, well, whiskey itself isn't exactly a medieval invention, but the process of making |
| 1:27.1 | distilled alcohol and the idea that it might be really, really fun to drink it was. |
| 1:31.6 | I'm Dr. Eleanor Janica and today on |
| 1:34.8 | gone medieval from history hit I'm speaking with Matt Chambers, |
| 1:38.0 | whiskey journalist and part of the team behind whiskey for everyone which |
| 1:41.8 | aims to demystify the world of whiskey about the history of |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.