A Ramble Round the Globe is a 1894 book by Thomas Dewar detailing his journey around the world publicizing Dewars Scotch Whisky

Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...

. The book is at least purportedly Dewar's journal, written solely for his friends who "wanted to know 'all about it.'"

Dewar's travels

Dewar's trip was motivated not only by a desire to market his brand, but also by medical imperatives: Dewar had been battling a persistent cold that had been growing worse, and his doctor suggested that a warmer climate could rid him of this threatening cold.

The journey departed from the Speyside region of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and embarked for Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, then traversed America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, advertising in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, and San Francisco. He then took to the sea and found himself in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, and Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. The writings both praise and chastise his surroundings as he traverses through the very differing cities around the world.

The journey was a success. Upon his return Dewar's was on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific. Whisky was little known, let alone drank outside of Scotland at the time, and Sir Thomas Dewar played a large role in changing this to bring the Dewar's brand to homes around the world.

A Ramble Round the Globe: Revisited

The 1894 book was revisited by Malcolm Greenwood, another Scotch Whisky enthusiast, in his 1999 A Ramble Round the Globe: Revisited. Inspired by the original book, Greenwood decided to trace Dewar's footsteps and travel around the globe in order to re-examine the places and cultures Dewar visited over a hundred years earlier.

The book is written in journal style, divided between entries labeled "MG" for Malcolm Greenwood or "TD" for Tommy Dewar. The style shows how the sites have changed or remained the same between 1894 and 1999.

External links

• Full text of A Ramble Round the Globe on Google Books