Asked by: Yris Avgustoff
Asked in category: food and drink, non alcoholic beverages
Last Updated: 7th May 2024

Why did whiskey replace rum as the American drink?

Because the West Indies' sugar supply was disrupted during the Revolutionary War and whiskey became the dominant American drink, whiskey took over rum. It was possible to produce whiskey in North America without the need for any trade. All that was needed were cereal grains.



This begs the question: When was whiskey considered the backbone for the US economy?

The whiskey industry was given a boost by the removal of the controversial whiskey tax in 1802, which President Thomas Jefferson did. Whiskey was a part of American daily life. Many people drank it at meals and ended each day with a few shots.

Also, find out why spirits became such a staple in colonial America. The colonies had no source of alcohol when they were established. Therefore, colonists had to drink water. Because it was cheap, rum quickly became a popular drink in the colonies. Molasses was used for rum production.

Also, learn what American colonists drank.

Like most colonists before them, the Founders enjoyed adult beverages. Colonial Americans consumed three times the amount of alcohol as modern Americans, mostly in the form beer, cider, or whiskey.

How much did colonists consume?

The United States government released data in 1790 that showed that the annual alcohol consumption per capita for anyone over 15 was thirty-four gallons (including cider and beer), five gallons (distilled spirits) and one gallon (wine). Americans believed alcohol was good for their health.