Whiskey production in early 20th-century America was not one of the easiest crafts. Many producers were forced to produce it under harsh conditions, far from cities, high in the mountains, with primitive stills and with great fear of being fined and punished by the authorities. This is how "jar whiskey" was born, produced in moonlight and without barrel aging. Hence its name, Moonshine whiskey. It is colorless, rough in taste, similar to vodka with a rather high alcohol content. It bore no resemblance to today's delicious distillates, but it was sought after and sold easily, leading to quick profits and even quicker pursuits by the authorities.
Criminal groups and the mafia took control of the import, production, and distribution of the "Water of Life," but strong opponents of alcohol consumption emerged in society, and in 1920, the government imposed what was known as Prohibition. During these not-so-dry years, consumption indeed decreased, but the state lost significant tax revenue, crime increased, and society became increasingly discontent. Prohibition dealt a heavy blow to the production of American whiskey brands, as well as those imported from Ireland and Scotland.
As with every government ban, there were industries that took advantage of loopholes in the law and began to earn not-so-dry dollars.
One of the legal channels for selling and consuming was through pharmacies and hospitals.
Pharmacists began issuing prescriptions, prescribing the use of alcohol—whiskey—for medical purposes. The records were astonishing—400 prescriptions issued in one day by a single doctor, and over 200,000 prescriptions in a year. One of the few whiskeys that managed to be sold through pharmacies was the Scottish beauty from Islay, Laphroaig, which even today has a medicinal taste and aroma, with strong iodine and medical characteristics due to its smoky character, and its green bottle suggests a medical rather than alcoholic inclination.
Besides pharmacies, some establishments also experienced a booming growth in cocktail sales, thanks to skilled bartenders who expertly masked alcoholic flavors, and service was either unrecognizable by the authorities or the authorities were also "treated" to keep quiet.
Cruise ship companies began offering wealthy Americans voyages that left American waters, and whiskey consumption became legal in large quantities.
Many righteous Americans "found" faith in God, due to the permitted sale of alcohol during church holidays and even directly from the church. Pastors became favorites, much like monks in Ireland centuries earlier.
Not everyone was on the winning side, because during the 13 years of whiskey drought, over 10,000 people died from consuming poor-quality spirits with high methanol content.
Prohibition taught a significant portion of the population moderate habits, at least temporarily, but after 1933, a boom in production and imports began, which we will discuss in our next articles.
There is no and will be no prohibition on our website, where you can find a small part of the American whiskey world, which you can also taste at Caldo whiskey bar – www.caldo.bg.
