Take clear water from the hill And barley from the lowlands Take a master craftsman's skill And something harder to define Like secrets in the shape of coppered still Or the slow silent magic work of time
Whisky you're the devil in disguise At least to some that's the way it seems But you're more like an angel in my eyes Catch the heady vapours as they rise And turn them into dreams
Bring home Sherry casks from Spain Sanlucar de Barrameda And fill them up again With the spirit of the land Then let the wood work to the spirit's gain In a process no one fully understands
Whisky you're the devil in disguise ...
For the spirit starts out clear But see the transformation After many patient years When at last the tail unfolds For the colours of the seasons will appear From paleless yellow to the deepest gold
Whisky you're the devil in disguise ...
When you hold it in your hand It's the pulse of one small nation So much more than just a dram You can see it if you will The people and the weather and the land The past into the present is distilled