The strange case of Capone's whisky
Leon Schoyan’s whisky find was every diver’s dream. Jim Leggett reports on how Prohibition era Scotch found its way back home
Dazzling sun shafts pierced the gloom where, 20 feet below the surface of the Detroit River, diver Leon Sehoyan groped his way towards a pile of grimy gunwales. Pursuing his summer weekend hobby of searching out old bottles he swam toward the wreck.
âIâd found hundreds of bottles in the river over the years, old beer, soda, even glass baby bottles, but nothing like this.â Leon recalled how heâd stumbled upon a genuine rumrunnerâs booze boat.
Hardly recognisable in the mud the old hull and her rusted engine piques Leonâs excitement.
âRight away I suspected Iâd found a Prohibition era rumrunner. When next I saw a couple wooden boxes still sealed and full of very old Scotch whisky, I knew Iâd found a Mother Load.
âVisions of high speed chases, revenue agents in hot pursuit, shooting wildly trying to stop this boat popped into my mind. I imagined ghosts of Al Capone, Elliot Ness and clandestine smuggling as I explored the wreck. Then I brushed silt away on one box; writing on the box, a British Royal seal and the legend; Alexander & MacDonald Leith NB Purveyors to the House of Lords âI figured Iâd come across a treasure stash of bootleg Scotch, cases of the precious stuff were scattered near the wreck. I wrestled a case up to the surface, hoisted it aboard my boat then pried off the lid. Adozen dark green bottles glinted in sunlight for this first time in 80 odd years.â No whisky connoisseur will ever turn down the chance to sample a rare Scotch .....
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By Jim Leggett
Section : Whisky History
Page number : 52
