I should have read my post before adding it. The song says "And little Sir John and the nut brown bowl and his brandy in the glass," and if you Google "barley brandy" you find lots of recipes for barley wine and that can be distilled into a barley brandy, as brandy is distilled spirits made with wine. As for the political aspects, I don't doubt you folks are right about some of that.
I should have read my post before adding it. The song says "And little Sir John and the nut brown bowl and his brandy in the glass," and if you Google "barley brandy" you find lots of recipes for barley wine and that can be distilled into a barley brandy, as brandy is distilled spirits made with wine. As for the political aspects, I don't doubt you folks are right about some of that.