For more information on the event please visit the I. Whisky Show website.

HMA Greg Dorey's speech
Welcome to the first Whisky Show in Budapest. Whisky is of major importance to the UK economy: it is one of our most famous exports. And it outsells every other noble spirit in world markets.

The name "whisky" comes from the Gaelic for "water of life". It has been distilled and enjoyed for 100's of years. In fact, the oldest historical reference to whisky comes from 1494. The gentry of London used to toast each other with brandy in the Regency period. But when a tiny phylloxera beetle devastated Cognac in the late 19th Century, they turned to whisky and many famous "Scotch" brands were born.

Whisky is a natural product – made from just water, cereals and yeast. And distillers in the UK are working to make the production of whisky as green as possible – through energy saving schemes, water conservation and recycling. So you can feel virtuous about drinking it too.

And there are few if any rules about how to enjoy whisky. With or without water. With or without ice. Straight or in cocktails. In tumblers or any other type of glass. In China they mix it with cold, green tea. Please experiment and you will find that there are many, many variations on the "water of life", all distinctively different.

Whisky has inspired numerous poets, most obviously Scotland's Petofi, Robert Burns. He called it "John Barleycorn" and urged “Then let us toast John Barleycorn, Each man a glass in hand; And may his great posterity, Ne'er fail in old Scotland!" It features in the writings of great authors like Robert Louis Stevenson; in the paintings of Landseer and Wilkie; and it's the main subject of a famous old British comedy film, "Whisky Galore".

I congratulate the organisers of the Budapest Whisky Show. I am sure it will become a much-anticipated annual tradition and yet another close tie between Britain and Hungary. Please take time to become familiar with the culture of whisky and enjoy the noble spirit with responsibility. As they say in Scotland - Slainté! Cheers! Egészségünkre!”

Source: British Embassy