London, Aug 10 (ANI): With the cost of fuel going up day-by-day, crafty islanders have discovered a unique way to keep their wheels running - fuelling cars with whisky.
The locals of Islay have been running their cars on nothing but whisky, a fine example was Donnie MacKinnon, 66, who was seen tipping a full gallon of Lagavulin Scotch into his six-litre 1978 Rolls Royce.
When MacKinnon started the motor, thick smoke poured from the exhaust and the engine rumbled, but the vintage motor went on smoothly.
"Anything to try and cut the cost of running your car is worth it," the Sun quoted MacKinnon as saying.
"I've got a 1936 Armstrong Siddeley in the garage that I'm going to try next.
"Vintage whisky seems to work best on older cars. I put nothing but the best in mine," he said.
The idea to use whisky had come up when MacKinnon and his pals Roland Worthington-Eyre and George Middleton were chatting about the soaring cost of petrol and diesel, which has hit 128p and 145p respectively on Islay.
As per the law on the island, people are allowed to distil whisky for personal consumption without paying tax."We are known as Whisky Island with seven working distilleries," the undertaker and gamekeeper stated.
"If our idea can be refined properly we could have everyone here running cars on it," he added.
Worthington-Eyre had filled up his 1970 Morris Traveller with a 70cl bottle of Scotch and topped it up with a 16-year-old Lagavulin malt.
"I must admit I had my doubts, but it actually works," the 59-year-old said.
"We're experimenting at the moment. It's far from perfected but we're working on it," he said.
A 50-gallon barrel of whisky costs over £2,000 before tax. Petrol would be much cheaper at around £300.
But Middleton, 54, says islanders could get around this because people are allowed so much whisky for personal consumption and they could distil their own "home brew".
"We know whisky makes cars go. The question now is will we be allowed to distil our own - and instead of drinking it, just pour it into our vehicles," he said.
"It's all about cost, but with the way things are going whisky may end up being cheaper than petrol.
"Islay gives a lot to the Exchequer every year and we get very little back in return. Surely the Chancellor could grant us some leeway to develop whisky fuel," he added.
Engine expert John Cooper, from Glasgow University, last night agreed whisky does work as fuel.
"It is not as refined as petrol and diesel but it will work," he said. (ANI)
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