Am Politician, Isle of Eriskay

Am Politician celebrates the loss of the ship SS Politician, an 8000-ton cargo ship which left Liverpool on 3rd February 1941, bound for Kingston, Jamaica and New Orleans with a cargo including 264,000 bottles of whisky.

On 5th February the ship ran aground between Eriskay and South Uist (all on board survived) and before sinking a few days later much of the cargo was salvaged by the island's inhabitants.

Compton Mackenzie's 1947 novel 'Whisky Galore!' celebrated the salvage and its aftermath, which was immortalised two years later by an Ealing Comedy film of the same name.

An interesting footnote to the tale, that is not recorded in book, film nor any other online source, is that among the many and varied items of the Politician's cargo were dozens of push-bikes. For decades after WWII, these were still to be seen plying the lanes of South Uist and Eriskay!

Am Politician was recently (May 2018) bought from the proprietors of the nearby Polochar Inn by local business partners Angus MacAllister and couple Julia and Stephen Campbell.

No real ale as of latest survey in June 2018, but plans to trial RAIB from various local breweries.

[Update 19 Sept 2022: Report of Belhaven Best and Isle of Skye Gold and Red (not RAIB) on, but will disappear in Winter].