The McNicoll Clan
From the misty Highlands to the lands of the Eastern Townships, the McNicoll clan weaves a new chapter, sowing its roots, faithful to our heritage and building a future for generations to come. Today, Martin McNicoll has set himself the mission of creating the world's finest whisky far from the land of his Scottish ancestors, in the township of Potton, Quebec.
They are brave, fearless, accustomed to the harsh climate and a small loss if they were to lose their lives there.
Why not use these papists wisely?
- Letter from James Wolfe to his friend, Captain William Ricksen, in 1751.
This was the suggestion James Wolfe made to his staff in 1755. To create a regiment composed of young Scots, idle, hungry, with no future and no combat experience, because the Scots had been disarmed since the defeat at Culloden in 1746.
On July 1, 1757, more than a thousand men and women stood on the quayside in Cork, Ireland, hoping to be chosen. But why consort with the hereditary enemy? Simply to earn a few pennies, have two meals a day, and the promise of a plot of land if they were victorious. There was no future for them in Scotland.
On the other hand, they were proud to be led by officers who spoke their language, Harrow. In addition, they were granted the right to wear kilts, to hear the bagpipes again, and to own weapons.
James Wolfe had authorized three wives per company of 80 soldiers. A lottery was held, and my ancestors Duncan and Catherine McNicol received their tickets to join this new regiment, the 78th Fraser's Highlanders. The other wives remained on the quayside, watching their husbands sail toward an unknown destination.
Cannon fodder, yes, that's what the British Admiralty had in mind, but they didn't count on tenacity, pugnacity, resilience, and above all, all those intrinsic qualities that even frightened Hadrian's Roman troops. The 78th Regiment of Fraser's Highlanders became the spearhead of the British troops and earned the praise of the authorities.
They fought at Louisbourg, Quebec, Sainte-Foy, and were stationed at Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud and Deschambault. At the end of the conflict in 1763, my ancestors had four children whom they had transported from Fort Stanwick in New York State to Deschambault.
Released from their commitments, they followed Colonel John Nairne to a new destination and a new environment: La Malbaie. Once again, they adapted to local customs and traditions, a new language, a new religion, and above all, a climate much more hostile than that of the Highlands.
My ancestors gave birth to a multiple lineage of farmers, lords of Murray Bay, masters of porpoise hunting and new and intrepid pioneers who took the road to a new kingdom, that of the Saguenay.
Martin McNicoll's blood runs through all the qualities his ancestors passed down to him, and it is with the same resilience and tenacity that he wants to pay homage to his ancestors by creating this whisky with Scottish accents.
Guy McNicoll
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