Cite Estreicher, pages 129–130. Consult Brumont’s underlying cargo-register research for a detailed primary-source discussion.
Estreicher identifies the early sixteenth century as the start of commercial distillation for human consumption and reports that Bordeaux notarial registers document a spirits shipment to Picardie in 1513, followed by shipments to the Netherlands in 1515 and Ireland in 1517.
No counterevidence reviewed here; the claim is deliberately limited to the Bordeaux documentary sequence summarized by Estreicher.
Verified on 2026-09-02 against the complete attached official Cambridge PDF, pages 129–130.
Use “documented from Bordeaux” and identify the source as a secondary review of notarial-register research. Do not claim that 1513 was the first commercial spirits transaction anywhere in the world.
The complete reviewed essay explicitly identifies a commercial transition and supplies dated shipping examples. The wording preserves the documentary sequence without treating it as an uncontested global invention claim.
Used and link-verified on the public history page “Before American Whiskey — Fermentation, Distillation, and Transatlantic Knowledge” on 2026-09-02. Retain the recorded qualifications in future revisions.
Claim
Commercial spirits shipments are documented from Bordeaux beginning in 1513.
Evidence judgment
The complete reviewed source explicitly identifies the early sixteenth century as the commercial transition and provides a dated sequence from Bordeaux notarial registers.
Boundary
This establishes a documented Bordeaux sequence, not global invention or absolute commercial priority.
Drafting guardrail
Use “documented from Bordeaux beginning in 1513.” Attribute the register analysis to the scholarship summarized by Estreicher.
Readiness decision
Ready for Drafting with Moderate evidence and High confidence.