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I don't think your comment on whiskey fits in with your thesis. Whiskey is the answer to "what should we do with all of this left over grain?" throughout the We

• defen 12y ago
  To expand on this, distillation also solves the logistical problem of "how do we transport fruit (e.g. apples) hundreds of miles without the use of trucks, refrigeration, or pesticides?". Answer: we turn it into applejack!
  • maxerickson 12y ago
    It's interesting to me that "freeze distillation" is a cromulent term. I guess the analogy isn't that horrible.
• dredmorbius 12y ago
  Whiskey production in the US exploded following expansion over the Cumberland Gap past Appalachia. See, e.g., http://www.whisky.de/archiv/beginner/bourbon_hist.htm http://www.whisky.de/archiv/beginner/bourbon_hist.htm The routes were overland (rivers have a hard time crossing mountains), this was pre-railroad (let alone highway). There was significant grain production, that couldn't be moved feasibly by other means. I was specifically addressing the case within the U.S., not the rest of the world, though yes, you're generally correct. Fermenting (and sometimes distilling) grains, fruit, potatoes, etc., is a way of storing surplus production in a form that's resistant to rot or other decay.
  • scott_s 12y ago
    I still don't see what that has to do with what I see as your thesis: Your "sophisticated drinks" are an ad-man's creation. I pointed out US whiskey because the circumstances of its existence were not manipulated by marketers, but was the "natural" consequence of the limitations of the time. Further, that fits in with whiskey throughout the Western world, so the US is not unusual.