Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie

Penguin, 1999, 298 p, plus 4 p Glossary of Gaelic Expressions.

 Whisky Galore cover

One of the 100 best Scottish Books and also in the Herald’s “100” best Scottish Fiction Books.

The Second World War has brought hard times to the islands of Great and Little Todday. Supplies of whisky are running out as priority is given to exporting to the US to help pay for the war. Incomer Sergeant-major Odd has returned to the island from war duty to marry Peggy, George Campbell has just surprised himself by proposing to Catriona but dreads telling his mother the news. Captain Waggett worries the local Home Guard, of which he is in charge, are slacking too much and that morale on the islands has become dangerously defeatist.

The fog-induced wreck of the SS Cabinet Minister with its cargo of high-grade whisky changes everything. Suddenly all the men become bonhomous, Peggy’s father agrees to the wedding occurring soon and a fortified George tells his mother to come to terms with his plans or leave for her sister’s on the mainland.

The phrase “whisky galore” (uisge beatha gu leòir) appears even before the wreck as the locals yearn wistfully for a normal delivery. In the glossary of Gaelic expressions Mackenzie notes that gu leòir (as “galore”) is almost the only Gaelic phrase to pass into English so nearly like the original.

Gentle fun is poked in different directions. The text tries to render the muted plosives and fricatives of native Gaelic speakers, crumple for “grumble”, “Chust efferything iss a tisaster.” Sergeant-major Odd’s English speech patterns are signified by “r”s appearing at the ends of words in which they have no place (Africar, Burmar and Indiar) and his inability to pronounce Gaelic words such as rèiteach is repeatedly emphasised.

Structurally the novel is a bit of a mess. The fulcrum of the novel is the wreck but too much time is spent establishing and entrenching the situation before it. The wreck itself occurs off-stage, as does all its plundering. Too many characters’ individual stories are followed in too little depth and the book dribbles away with the experiences of Odd’s mother, whose first appearance is only in the second last chapter, on attending the wedding.

It is all light-hearted stuff to be sure and will undoubtedly have provided some leaven in those dark post-war still rationed days when the novel was first published in 1947 but it represents whisky as only a benign influence, none of its ravages receives even the briefest mention. In a Scotland then, as now, with alcohol too often a blight on too many lives, that is gilding the lily more than a touch.

But this is to criticise the book for something it was never intended to be. This is pure entertainment and written as such. No deep enduring message, except perhaps the continuing allure of Western Isles scenery, is to be drawn from it. Though he would probably have been delighted at the thought I doubt even Mackenzie would have expected it to appear on a list of 100 best Scottish books.

Pedant’s corner:- lay down (lie down – this was in Sergeant-major Odd’s dialogue though and will be a deliberate representation of his speech; his mother also refers to a “lay in bed”,) dimunitive (diminutive – ditto so perhaps a deliberate misspelling by Mackenzie,) mcvements (movements,) if I’d only have know in time (known,) “a man with a white walrus moustache from Inverness” (moustaches come from Inverness?) for goodness’ sake (goodness’s,) “‘I though it would be’” (thought,) portentious (portentous,) ringmarole (rigmarole – but it was in dialogue,) toothe-paste (elsewhere is tooth-paste,) “dropped in Snorvig, Each with his” (each,) wating (waiting,) Coloenel (Colonel,) “would probably had said” (have said,) Miss Cuffins’ (Miss Cuffins’s,) I’l (I’ll – but in a letter so may have been an intentional error by Mackenzie,) St Enoch’s station (it was St Enoch,) Caberfèidh (had previously been spelled [unusually] Cabarfèidh,) ready for to start (no need for that “for”,) ‘I never like a place so much in all my life’ (liked.)

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