1494
Strong surviving documentary evidence of grain-spirit production, often overstated as the invention date of whisky.
Scotland
A Scottish Exchequer entry records malt supplied to Friar John Cor to make aquavitae.
Date: 1494
The History of Bourbon and Other American Whiskies / 
The Scholar’s Corner
What happened
A 1494 Scottish Exchequer entry records malt supplied to Friar John Cor to make aquavitae.
Why it matters
The record is a major surviving documentary anchor for the history of grain-spirit production.
Evidence and its limits
The linked notes explain the supporting evidence and its historical context.
What this does not establish
The 1494 record demonstrates production at that time; it does not establish when whisky was invented.
Connections
This milestone supplies European whiskey context before the story moves to colonial North America.
Citations and further reading
Return to the story
- Lesson:
Before American Whiskey - Research timeline: The Scholar’s Corner