The Stuff of Drams - A Blast from the Past Whisky Galore
The Stuff of Drams
A Blast from the Past Whisky Galore
When I was a boy I read everything that Compton Mackenzie wrote, I just loved his way with language and amongst my favourites was Whisky Galore, which was later made into an Ealing Comedy film and which lighted up many a dark or daft Sunday afternoon when the rain outside was making football unpleasant. The most heartbreaking line from the film was, “How can we have a wedding when there’s no whisky?” And indeed how can you have a wedding in Scotland with no whisky? Of course if you are teetotal you should look away now.
Real Life Story
It is based on a real life story of a merchant vessel grounding incident that occurred in 1941 during the Second World War on the Hebridean island of Eriskay. The cargo was 500 cases of whisky and ten shilling notes, 290,000 of them. The islanders managed to “salvage” quite a lot of the whisky and an unknown amount of the ten bob notes. Mackenzie being a genius turned this little news item into a gem of a story.
For In That Sleep Who Knows What Drams May Come
The ship was transformed into the S.S. Cabinet Minister and in the story it was wrecked off the islands of Great Todday and Little Todday whose thirsty inhabitants were slowly running out of whisky - what with the effects of the war and rationing. The locals though have an horribly joyless and officious little Englishman to deal with, Home Guard Captain Paul Waggett, who wants to confiscate their loot. Much fun ensures in the battle to retain the water of life, while many of the participants become a little befuddled by the glorious substance.
Gill Met By Moonlight
Since the 1940s film which featured a youthful Gordon Jackson, the permanently angry James Robertson Justice, Compton Mackenzie himself and the delightful Jean Cadell, grandmother of Hi-De-Hi’s Simon Cadell there have been numerous stage and radio adaptations which have become incredibly popular as the years have rolled by. And now there is a new film adaptation of Whisky Galore.
In the new movie, I have to call it that these days, Gregor Fisher plays Macroon — the canny and necessarily thirsty island leader who can’t live without a dram . It is his daughters who are to be married. The part of Paul Waggett has gone to super luvvie Eddie Izzard, whose greatest moment for me was The Lego Version of Star Wars. It seems they are down playing the broad comedy and making it wry rather than sentimental. I always say you can’t be too sentimental about whisky, but we shall see.
Have a Dram Date with Us
The film brings the Edinburgh Film Festival to a close on June 26 and will grace our cinema screens, televisions, iPads, tablets, mobile phones PlayStations a bit after that. I have to say it is long overdue, I hope the wait is worth it.
If you want to savour the glories of scotch in the comfort of your own home with Whisky Galore playing on the digital device of your choice, might I point you to our whisky lovers collection. I don’t want say that fine scotch tastes better out of a decent glass, but really it seems to, if you know what I mean?
