In the 15th century, Bruges had a very good trading relationship with Scotland and imported a lot of Scottish wool. It was a flourishing trade and this brought Bruges a lot of wealth. There was a neighborhood full of Scottish merchants.
In 1467 the Scottish Parliament forbade trade with Flanders and the Scottish merchants had to leave Bruges. Anselm Adornes then traveled to Scotland, at the head of a diplomatic mission, representing Bruges. The negotiations with the Scottish King and the Scottish Parliament were successful. At the end of the 15th century, the Scottish merchants left Bruges and no whisky was distilled until 2019… Then Thibaut De Meyer started distilling spirit and letting it mature into whisky.
It is believed that whisky was made in Scotland and Ireland as early as the 4th or 5th century, but it was King James III who officially recognized whisky. Whisky was a strong drink enjoyed on special occasions by all walks of life in Scotland. It is also plausible that whisky was distilled at home even in Bruges. However, there is nothing about it in the city archives. This is probably due to the fact that no taxes were levied on it. Even in Scotland, no taxes were levied on this drink until 1644.
