As a warm-up to our whisky dinner in November, we dipped our toes into the spirit world to discover some amazing claims about the health benefits of Uisge Beatha or the Water of Life as whisky was originally known.

Of course if any of the claims below do catch your fancy, don’t overindulge to make up for lost time..  Moderation is good in all things.

Since its creation, whisky has been credited with curing a variety of ailments. The famous historian Raphael Holinshed said in his 1577 book, ‘The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland that:” Being moderately taken, it slows the age, cuts phlegm, helps digestion, cures the dropsy, it heals the strangulation, keeps and preserves the head from whirling, the tongue from lisping, the stomach from womblying, the guts from rumbling, the hands from shivering, the bones from aching…and truly it is a sovereign liquor if it be orderly taken.”

Now that does seem a bit over the top but even nowadays there are many claims about the positive powers of whisky.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is not alone is saying that whisky can help with weight loss. It has no fat and very little sodium. It has also been shown that moderate intake increases energy and decreases the craving for sugar.

Whisky’s blood thinning properties means a dram or two can help to lower the chance of blood clots and therefore strokes.

Many centenarians swear by Scotch as the key to their long life and research has found that middle-aged and older adult moderate drinkers had a lower overall mortality rate than heavy drinkers or even non-drinkers.

The one answer we all want to know is can a drop of whisky help with the common cold? In fact scientists say the classic hot toddy, a heady mixture of whisky, honey, lemon juice and hot water, can alleviate the symptoms.

The hot water of the toddy helps to relieve nasal congestion and the whisky helps with the sniffles by dilating  the blood vessels a little bit, making it easier for your mucus membranes to deal with that infection.