2015年经济学人 威士忌 我的来自英国

 

Whisky

威士忌

Mine's an English

我的来自英国

Taking on one of the world's most powerful brands

承担一个世界上最强大的品牌

WITH its lofty peaks, peaty water and the steady drip of rain on heather, Bassenthwaite seems an ideal place to make whisky. The nearest Scotch¹ distillery is just 60 miles away. But when the Lakes Distillery, which has just been given planning permission, bottles its first casks of single malt in a few years' time, strict EU rules will make it something quite different. It might look like Scotch and taste like Scotch, but the dram will be English.

凭借着高耸的山峰、泥炭水和石楠花获得的稳定的降雨量，特湖似乎是一个生产威士忌的绝妙之地。最近的苏格兰酿酒厂也只有60公里远。但是几年后当刚被授权的湖区酿酒厂把纯麦芽威士忌进行瓶装时，严格的欧盟法规让事情发生了变化。这些威士忌也许看起来和尝起来像是苏格兰的，但是这一部分可能会更像英格兰的。

“It was a stroke of genius coining ‘Scotch' for a drink that can be made successfully anywhere,” says Andrew Nelstrop, a Norfolk farmer who in 2006 opened England's first new distillery for more than a century. With the help of a former Laphroaig distiller—a contribution more crucial than any amount of peat or rainfall—St George's Distillery now sells its English Whisky Company single malts to supermarkets in England, distributors overseas, and even in Scotland. In December Adnams, a Suffolk brewer², will bottle whisky that has been sitting in casks for three years—the time it takes for the European Union to recognise fermented³ cereal mash⁴ as whisky. The London Distillery Company in Battersea is soon to start barrelling a single malt aimed at young urbanites.

来自诺福克郡的农民安德鲁说到，“在势必会畅销的饮料瓶上印着苏格兰三个字的举动真是神来之笔”，他在2006年经营着英格兰的第一家酿酒厂，这个酿酒厂已经有100多年的历史了。得力于比任何泥炭和降水量更关键的拉弗格蒸馏器，圣乔治的酿酒厂现在把英国威士忌公司的纯麦芽威士忌销售到英格兰超市、海外经销商、甚至到苏格兰。在11月，萨福克的啤酒制造商亚当那姆斯将对储存在木桶有三年之久的威士忌进行瓶装，这三年正是等待欧盟认可糖化发酵谷物为威士忌的过程。位于巴特西的伦敦酿酒公司将迅速开展对以年轻都市人为目标市场的纯麦芽威士忌进行桶装的工作。

When that happens, England will have roughly the same number of whisky distilleries as it did in the 19th century. The reasons they closed are murky⁵: a scarcity⁶ of equipment as Scottish whisky took off probably played a part. But the resurgence⁷ of English whisky is no mystery. Global demand is surging. In emerging economies it is the high-status tipple⁸ for a burgeoning⁹ middle class. Growth is strong even in mature markets like America. Over the last decade exports of Scotch have risen by 87%, reaching 4.3 billion ($7 billion) in 2012.

如果这种情况发生，英格兰将基本拥有与19世纪同等数量的威士忌酿酒厂。当年他们倒闭的原因至今仍不清楚：苏格兰缺少酿酒设备很可能是重要原因。但是威士忌的东山再起将是必然的—全球需求量正在不断上升.在经济迅速发展的时代，威士忌是为越来越多的中产阶级所提供的高级饮酒。这个增长趋势甚至出现在市场相当成熟的美国。过去十年来，苏格兰的出口量上升了87%，在2012年达到43亿英镑（70亿美元）。

Progress on free trade could drive sales much higher. In India, which drinks almost as much whisky as the rest of the world put together, tariffs¹¹ of 150% have long put imported whisky beyond most drinkers' reach. But with the EU hoping to win a tariff¹⁰ reduction under a free-trade agreement with the subcontinent, imbibers of cheap domestic brands such as Bagpiper¹² and Antiquity¹³ may soon be able to enjoy whiskies made in, or close to, Scotland.

自由贸易政策的进步促成了更高的销售量。在印度这个威士忌消耗量能和其他所有国家加起来媲美的国家，150%的关税一度使大多数消费者消费不起进口威士忌。但是随着欧盟希望在这个次大陆赢得自由贸易协议下的关税减让，之前饮用国内如风笛手和古物这些廉价牌子的消费者很快就可以享受来自苏格兰或苏格兰附件地区的威士忌。

1 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

2 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

3 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

4 mash   

n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情

参考例句：

• He beat the potato into a mash before eating it.他把马铃薯捣烂后再吃。
• Whiskey,originating in Scotland,is distilled from a mash of grains.威士忌源于苏格兰，是从一种大麦芽提纯出来的。

5 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

6 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

7 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

8 tipple   

n.常喝的酒；v.不断喝，饮烈酒

参考例句：

• My favourite tipple is a glass of port.我最喜欢喝的酒是波尔图葡萄酒。
• Scotch drinkers around the world tend to associate their favourite tipple with success and achievement.世界各地喝苏格兰威士忌的人，往往把他们最喜欢的这种烈酒，与成功和成就联系在一起。

9 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

10 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

11 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

12 bagpiper   

n.吹风笛的人，风笛手

参考例句：

• Maybe I'll follow the sweet sound of the bagpiper playing along 16th Street. 也许我会顺着16街吹奏出的风笛甜美的声音走过去。 来自互联网

13 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。