The Saucy Mary story originates in the Isle of Skye in northwest Scotland in the 10th century. Mary was a Norse princess married to Scottish clan chief Findanus Mackinnon in the village currently known as Kyleakin. They owned a fortress known then as Dunakin (known now as Castle Moil), and from the fortress the two laid a heavy chain across the narrow sound between the "Misty Isle" and the Scottish mainland and demanded a heavy toll from ship captains passing through.
Locals suggest Mary was known as "saucy" for more than levying a toll on passing ships. Legend has it that Mary used to reward the ship captains for paying her exorbitant toll by flashing the ships from the turret of Dunakin fortress as they passed through the sound.
We passed through Kyleakin on a Scottish Highlands trip we took in March 1999, days after we got engaged in London. Naturally, the name stuck in our heads after that memorable trip, and seemed a fitting moniker for our home-brewing venture.
