Whisky And Water

There's a long history of uisge beatha going down with ships - but raise a glass to those who "liberate" any sunken bottles

- EUAN DUGUID

I'VE always found the thought of old shipwrecks terribly sad - from running on the crest of a wave to languishing flat, still and deep, deep down.

The possibility, the hope and the adventure they once embodied - suspended forever, in the abyss.

But then there's the resurrection credentials of the salvage trade.

The water of life, on occasion, is raised from the most watery of graves to be enjoyed in the safe harbour of present-day terra firma.

In this column dive into a sea of shipwrecked whisky - focusing on the most flamboyant of comebacks.

Sir William Burrell, best known for the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, bought the SS Wallachia to ship goods to the British Empire. His vessel set off from Glasgow on September 29, 1895, complete with a potent cargo of whisky and beer.

But a heady brew of thick fog fermented and, as the crew slowly eased down the Firth of Clyde, a Norwegian steamship suddenly appeared. The vessels collided and the Wallachia sank within 25 minutes.

The cargo was thought to have been lost forever until it was discovered in 1977 by the Girvan Sub-Aqua Club, no less.

At the time of writing, the collection was going to auction - featuring what is thought to be one of only two decanters of Wilkinson's Famous Liqueur Whisky recovered from the wreck.

In 1941, the SS Politician ran aground close to the Hebridean island of Eriskay. And the ensuing Whisky Galore pillage by wily islanders has been turned into the eponymous film twice.