IT’S WHISKY IN THE JAR!

Bravado is often displayed by younger folk and Duncan McOwan was known not only for his bravado but also as a man who could handle strong drink in copious amounts. He was also a wee bit on the sly side and certainly no man's fool. One evening he went to the Tullybannocher farm on an errand which lay next to the distillery on the west side of Comrie. When his task was completed he went over to the workers bothy beside the distillery and there met a number of the workmen who invited him in for a wee Doch an Doris.

The conversation eventually turned towards the subject of alcohol and the amounts that could be taken at one sitting and of those who had recognised prowess in consumption. Duncan, who was no slouch in this area, was then challenged by several of the distillery workers who had started to boast that they could out drink any weavers. He said that in his opinion, he could easily outdrink any of the people assembled there so the gauntlet was picked up. To establish the rules fairly though he said that on his way to Tullybannocher he had had a gill of whisky with a friend at Clows public house and therefore it would be necessary for the distillery workers to drink about half a gill until they were all roughly at the same level and the starting point reached.

The distillery men agreed to this and all drank from a measured half-gill can. Duncan, seeing a tin container hanging on a nail on the wall, said that he always required at least a mouthful of water between glasses, otherwise his throat would burn. He then took the canister from the wall and filled it half-full with water and set it down on the table beside him. The contest then began in earnest and each glass when consumed was turned upside down on the table to ensure that all could see that it had been drained.

Duncan, after each glass of whisky, and before swallowing it, would raise the container to his lips and allow the whisky to dribble down into it and whilst the others got drunker he remained relatively sober. In a relatively short period of time the distillery men were finished and as they were unable to rise from the table Duncan declared himself the winner. To display this he took the can of water and spent whisky and sprinkled it over the heads of the distillery men dancing round them and singing, “If it wisnae for the weavers what would you do.” He then went outside and bumped into one of the farm hands explaining that he had drunk the distillery men under the table and now they were incapable of “biting their thumbs.” The farm worker looked inside the bothy and saw the heaped bodies lying across the table or on the floor. All were snoring their heads off. Duncan’s reputation as a man who could handle the “craitur” soared and it took him a long time to explain how he had achieved this notoriety!

Whisky Jug