Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics Nov-Dec 2015

Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.

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www.beveragedynamics.com DRY NATION, NEW DEAL Long before 1920, temperance movements existed in America. Ten states went dry around 1850, though all but one (Vermont) quickly repealed these laws. At the turn of the 20th century, temperance again gained steam. The alcohol industry was growing larger. Insuffi ciently regulated, it gained a reputation for being uncivil, especially among women. Temperance supporters were more outspoken and effective than alcohol's defenders, and succeeded in gaining the ears of politicians. By 1910, an estimated 45 percent of America was already dry. When America entered WWI in 1917, national measures to conserve supplies included banning distillation of alcohol beverages. Three years later, Prohibition passed. America was offi cially dry. This crippled the alcohol industry. But it also gave rise to the Roaring '20s, with bootleg booze and bathtub gin. The spike in alcohol-related crime, and the common disregard for the temperance law, both led to the 20th Amendment, which repealed Prohibition in 1933. That same year, as part of the New Deal, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked the recently legalized alcohol companies to write their own fair trade codes. This, in turn, led to the formations of the Distilled Spirits Institute, a predecessor of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), and the Federal Alcohol Control Administration, which later became part of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). BIRTH OF A BOTTLE By the mid-1800s, several alcohol brands had attained name-brand recognition. This marketing accomplishment was owed in part to the rise of beverages being sold in recognizable bottles. Among the pioneers in this technique was Adolphus Busch. Marrying into the Anheuser family and inher- iting their brewery, Busch pioneered railcar refrigera- tion, which allowed bottles of his Budweiser beer to be shipped nationwide. This helped establish Budweiser as America's fi rst national beer brand. Widespread bottling — and branding — came into whis- key in 1870. Old Forester was the fi rst to sell their whiskey only in sealed bottles. The goal was to assure the public of the contents within. At that time, whiskey retailers often blended together spirits shipped to them in casks before selling this mix to cus- tomers. You never quite knew what you were getting. Long before 1920, temperance movements existed in America. Ten states year anniversary 19 3 5 - 2 015 November/December 2015• Beverage Dynamics 35 MODERN MOMENTS In the 1970s, there was an unsuccessful push to move America onto the metric system. However, in 1979, DISCUS and the ATF agreed to measure bottles of distilled spirits using the metric sizes still in use today. More recently, in 2005, the wine industry scored a 5-4 victory in the U.S. Supreme court, when it was found unconstitutional to ban vineyards from shipping to out-of- state customers.

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