Drambuie Liqueur

Drambuie derives from the Gaelic for yellow drink, rather than ‘an dram buidheach’ – the drink that satisfies. Scotland has numerous hills called Ben Buie and many lochs called “”Loch Buie.”” Jim Murray, a writer on whisky, has written a guide to whisky which mentions DRAMBUIE, but with no connections to either the MacKinnons or Bonnie Prince Charlie. His entry on Talisker Whisky – the only malt whisky which is produced on Skye, states that around 1892, a liqueur made by John Ross, the owner of the Broadford Hotel on the island of Skye, was becoming popular. On April 24, 1893, Ross applied for and obtained the trade mark for a liqueur which he called ‘DRAMBUIE’. Here Murray says that Drambuie in Gaelic means “”the dram that satisfies.”” A relation of Ross was quoted from her 1965 unpublished memoirs: “”I remember helping to peel the lemons and he (Ross) used loaf sugar – pure cane sugar, Talisker whisky and saffron.