Welcome Whisky Back Again strathspey

By Niel Gow

Also known as Welcome Whiskey Back Again, Welcome Whisky Back Again, Whiskey Welcome Back Again.

There are 5 recordings of this tune.

Welcome Whisky Back Again has been added to 3 tune sets.

Welcome Whisky Back Again has been added to 35 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Two settings

1
X: 1
T: Welcome Whisky Back Again
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:D<G G>B A>GA>B|G>D E>G D<B, A,2|
D<G G>B A>GA>B|G>D E>G D<B, G,2:|
B<d d>e d>B A>G|B<d d>e d<B A2|
B<d d>e d>B A>G|G>D E>G D<B, G,2|
B<d d>e g>d e>d|g>d e>d B<d A2|
B>g A>=f G>A B>G|G>D E>G D<B, G,2||
2
X: 2
T: Welcome Whisky Back Again
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmin
K:Bbmaj
|:[B,F]>B B>d c>B c<d|B>F G<B F<D C2|B,>B B>d c>B c<d|B>F G<B F<D B,2:|
d<f f>g f>d c<B|d<f f>g f<d c2|d<f f>g f>d c<d|B>F G<B F<D B,2|
d<f f>g f>d c<B|d<f f>g f<d c2|d<f c<d B>c d>c|B>F G<B F<D B,2||

Eight comments

Niel Gow?

This is a Niel Gow tune originally recorded in B flat entitled “Whiskey welcome back again”. Was whisky spelled the Irish way back then? It appears to have been according to the written version in “The Gow Collection of Scottish dance music”.
the tune was written to celebrate the fact that the distilling of whisky was permitted once again in 1801. The more famous tune “Farewell to whisky” was written when distilling had been previously banned. cheers. 🙂

Whoops!

I meant to say “oiginally *written* in B flat”. It might well have been recorded in this key but not by Niel Gow, 🙂

Re: Welcome Whiskey Back Again

It was recorded by Winston Scotty Fitzgerald on an LP. Paul cranford later transferred it to CD named Classic Cuts.

Re: Welcome Whiskey Back Again

“The Gow Collection Of Scottish Dance Music” referred to by the OP was published by Oak publications in the USA. As stated, the word is spelt “whiskey” in both the book and the index.
However, the same tune is also in “The Athole Collection”, published in Scotland, and it has the tune as “whisky”, both as a title and in the index.
For a tune by a Perthshire fiddler, which of the two are you going to believe ?
Incidentally, I was in Birnam, across the river from Dunkeld last weekend and they have finally got round to erecting a life-size statue of Niel Gow on a piece of ground to the left after you cross the bridge to head north on the A9.

Re: Welcome Whisky Back Again

Quite a number of Scots words had alternative spellings back in the 18th-19th century., but yes, I usually do cringe when people write about Scotch whiskey.
I once got taken to task by a very prim and proper Scots lady when I sent her the draft programme for a concert we were going to perform on “her”premises, including a few works by Niel Gow: “you should know it’s NEIL” she said. I responded by sending her a picture of his tombstone! (+ a link to his biography).

Re: Welcome Whisky Back Again

Hi Trish, interesting! I hope she believed you after you sent her that!

Re: Welcome Whisky Back Again

She did! No further dispute!

Re: Welcome Whisky Back Again

Of course, there were other records of Niel’s details too such as the biography. It just wasn’t the case that the undertaker or stonemason was having a bad day.
😉