# What happened with American whiskey after Prohibition ended? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-american-whiskey-after-prohibition-ended/92747 "2001-11-11T08:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bossk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Bossk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bossk)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-american-whiskey-after-prohibition-ended/92747/1 "2001-11-11T08:11:35Z")
I’m assuming that Jim Beam and Jack Daniels weren’t allowed to keep their wares fermenting in barrels during Prohibition. Did the poor Americans who were forced to live through Prohibition then–gasp–have to drink Canadian blended or scotch for another 3 or 4 years until their delicious, delicious bourbon aged? This keeps me up at night. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-american-whiskey-after-prohibition-ended/92747/2 "2001-11-11T10:41:40Z")
I gotta say BossK, you do come up with some thought provoking threads… Anyway, as I understand it, Whiskey was still manufactured for “medicinal purposes”, much like pot is today. While I don’t have a specific cite, I will actually take a couple of more minutes that the local government is paying me, and see what I can find. * * * Plato? Aristotle? Socrates? Morons! ~Only 14 1/4 hours until I am hanging with Better Than Ezra! ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-american-whiskey-after-prohibition-ended/92747/3 "2001-11-11T10:46:16Z")
Damn I am good! I remembered reading that “medicinal purposes” thing somewhere…It was covered by our own Cecil Adams [here](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/maltarwine.html). * * * Plato? Aristotle? Socrates? Morons! ~Only 14 1/4 hours until I am hanging with Better Than Ezra! ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-american-whiskey-after-prohibition-ended/92747/4 "2001-11-11T12:41:37Z")
Seems that there was also a provision concerning wine. You could produce and even sell a certain amount of it, since it was considered a foodstuff. Italian-Americans in particular were upset by Prohibition, and needed some sort of provision to keep this staple going. I think you were able to transport and sell a certain amount of wine, but I’m not sure about that. Much of it had to do with Roman Catholics being pissed off about having their ceremony interrupted—though the Prohibition Party never did care much about what or how the Catholics felt. Beer, despite its medicinal and theraputic effects on me, was right out, from what I understand. ---
**Author:** ![BlueMoonofKentucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@BlueMoonofKentucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMoonofKentucky)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-american-whiskey-after-prohibition-ended/92747/5 "2001-11-11T14:18:01Z")
From the [Jack Daniel’s](http://www.jackdaniels.com/oldno7/facts.asp#number12) website > [@](#): > > \*\* 10. What did the distillery do during Prohibition? > > From 1910 through 1937, Jack Daniel Distillery was prohibited by law from producing spirits in Tennessee. Tennessee went “dry” a full ten years before the rest of the country, and stayed “dry” for several years after national Prohibition was repealed. Mr. Daniel died in 1911, and bequeathed the distillery to his nephew, Lem Motlow. > > Lem moved distillery operations to St. Louis, Missouri and Birmingham, Alabama in those early “dry” years, but these attempts were not successful without the pure, iron-free cave spring water in Lynchburg that makes Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey unique. Lem also branched out into real estate and mule trading during Prohibition. The distillery buildings in Lynchburg also changed over time, due to a fire and expansions over the years. > > You may also find it of interest to learn that Jack Daniel Distillery was also “dry” from 1942 through 1947, as the U.S. Government banned all whiskey making for the duration of World War II. While the Government lifted its ban in 1946, a provision remained allowing only inferior grades of grain to be used. Lem Motlow, unwilling to compromise the quality of the whiskey, refused to resume operation until 1947, when the restriction was lifted and the finest grains were made available again. > \*\* There was also a **lot** of, shall we say, _cottage industry_ in appalachia at the time 😃 Keep on shine’n