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While you might be sipping a glass of fine whisky today but that was not always the case. Alcohol, a beverage that by nature is intoxicating, has a rich and deep history. Scientifically, alcohol is called ethanol which breaks down in the body to release endorphins which in turn give us the feeling of euphoria (in lesser quantity) and drowsiness (in medium quantity) and intoxication (in higher quantities).
Fermented beverages have been around for a long, long time. In older times, fermented grain, fruit juice and honey were used to create alcohol. There is evidence that alcohol existed in early Egyptian civilization and even in China in 7000BC. In India, there is evidence indicating that there existed alcohol around 2000BC and 3000BC. It was called sura and was a form of distilled rice. The Egyptians are also credited for the development of the beer. Babylonians, in fact, worshipped a wine goddess to celebrate the magnifico of liquor.
In Greece, liquor that was popular was called mead. It was made from honey and water. But with time, alcohol became important for its medicinal purposes. And the law was often created to decrease its usage as its negative impacts were realised. There were also cultures around the world that praised the men that could have a clear head and continue moderate drinking.
Around 1600 AD, Britain passed ‘The Act to Repress the Odious and Loathsome Sin of Drunkenness’. They also started taxing heavily on liquor to curb its usage. But once gin gained popularity, alcohol consumption was at an all-time high. The neighbouring regions of Ireland Scotland became popular for their fine whisky.
In America, alcohol consumption spread when the English migrated to the region. At the time, the English presumed the water to be unsafe to drink so they drank alcohol in its stead. The country, too, went through the same process of liquor taxes and bans. But they too, sooner or later, loosened the laws for liquor production and consumption.
