Paul John (whisky) evaporation during aging, known as the angels' share, is also higher in India, at 10–12% per year, than in Scotland, where the annual evaporative loss is about 2%. This leaves a hogshead with only 150 bottles left in it, after three years, compared to around 350 in a Scotland. Michael John describes it this way, "Whisky matured at these temperatures simply cannot be aged for the kind of time expected with Scotch, even trying to mature our whisky for just 10 years would leave barely a bottle of liquid in the barrel. Fortunately, the heat actually speeds up the maturation
Scotch whisky as long ago as 1494, as documented in the "Exchequer Rolls", which were records of royal income and expenditure. The quote above records eight bolls of malt given to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae (Latin for "water of life," = "uisge beatha") over the previous year. This would be enough for 1,500 bottles, which suggests that distillation was well-established by the late 15th century. Whisky production was first taxed in 1644, causing a rise in illicit whisky distilling in the country. Between the 1760s and the 1830s a substantial unlicensed trade originated from the Highlands, forming a