The Volstead act or Prohibition act took effect in 1920. In several states in America laws were already set up in an attempt to halt the use of alcohol. These laws were in place ahead of the 18th amendment (Volstead act, Prohibition act) was passed before congress.

New York was the first state to possess any such laws passed in 1697. This law basically stated that saloons and alcohol consumption facilities have to close on Sunday. Sunday for most religions is meant to be considered a day of rest and prayer rather than drinking. In Georgia around 1735, the government passed its 1st state wide ban on alcohol. The ban endured only seven years and was a complete failure.

In 1851, they tried once again to instill a prohibition on alcohol in Maine, this time it worked even better than they had hoped. By 1855, a dozen other states joined Maine in becoming what is known as a "dry state."

Following the Civil War in 1880, women of all ages joined the "dries". It wasn't long before the temperance movement had become a power to be noticed. The conservative Woman's Christian Temperance Union, WCTU, was formed and the Prohibition Party began gaining steam.

By 1900, greater than 50% of the continental United States was dry. The prohibitionists believed they had the alcohol ban secured and there was not any possible way for anyone to get alcohol in a dry state. Regrettably for the dries, the US Postal Service unintentionally provided a loophole. Because the USPS was managed by the federal government not the state government, liquor could be ordered and shipped by a wet state. This maddened the dries. In 1913, an Interstate Liquor Act was approved. This act effectively made it illegal for anybody to mail liquor to any dry state in anyway. The results was actually a step backwards for those trying to keep liquor out because it gave rise to much more illegal ways of getting the alcohol as liquor distilleries were now in league with organized crime.

In 1917, the 18th amendment was drafted rendering it illegal to purchase, send or produce liquor. This wouldn't sit well with a lot of states. The amendment was debated in congress for an additional 2 years. In 1920 Thirty-three states had declared themselves dry which meant a major victory for the prohibition party.

January 29, 1919. The 18th Amendment was ratified making all hard liquor with an ethanol content more than 80 proof (40%) be disallowed. Legally, it banned the production, selling, or transporting of such alcoholic beverages. This was backed by many people since they thought that only hard liquor was to be banned and that it would be okay to have a glass of wine with food or a beer after work. Even so, it wasn't until 12 months later, the Volstead Act (prohibition act) was approved. The Volstead Act completely banned all alcohol that had greater than 1 proof (1/2%) of alcohol. This essentially banned all styles of alcoholic beverages, except for non-alcoholic beers. After the 18th amendment was ratified, the Volstead Act was brought into the light by the Prohibition enthusiasts. For almost all of the prohibition supporters who only wanted a little wine or the odd beer believed they had been tricked since they wound up with absolutely nothing after the act was passed.

One group that no one thought of were the veterans of World War 1. These soldiers felt very betrayed coming back home from battling in the war. The majority of them had been stationed in France and came to know how a moderate quantity of alcohol could enhance the quality of life. Returning home and learning that the dries had won an absolute victory over alcohol compounded the bitterness of the veterans disdain. The fatal mistake with prohibition was to ban all varieties of alcohol. Eighty percent of the Prohibition Party supporters got out of the party. Prohibition continued for 13 years in the United states until in 1933 the 21st amendment was passed to officially end the ban on alcohol. 

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Scotch whisky demands a boat load of time to produce. This can be a tedious process that can last for several years. Having said that, if it's crafted in the correct way, the end product is one that is certainly worth the wait. 

1st, the barley is submerged in tanks of water for roughly three days. The dampness causes the barley to get started with the germination process. When germinated, the barley will be transferred to the malting area of the distillery where it will be placed into drums often known as the malting floor.

The aim of the germination process is to transform the starch in the grains into fermentable sugar. The yeast will metabolize the sugars creating alcohol in the fermentation phase. Turning the barley regularly makes sure the temperature will stay consistent. Wooden shovels referred to as sheils are used to turn the grains on a traditional malting floor. The grains will die if the temp gets above 71 degrees F. This would in turn stop the whole process as the starch won't be converted to fermentable sugars. 

The grain is then kiln dried to stop the germination process and the continuation of sugar consumption. Typically, a traditional kiln is a building standing 2 stories tall with the top perforated allowing all heat to escape. The ground floor contains peat bricks that are burned. During this process the grain is dried and soaks up the peat smell and flavour. The pagoda roof design on a distillery is among the most distinct element. Today, a good many distilleries purchase all their malt from a malting company. On the other hand, there remain a small selection that remain traditional and do it all themselves.

The grain is milled into grist and blended with water in mash tubs. The combination is heated to 60 degrees. Throughout the mashing period the water is changed at least 4 times to remove sediment. The byproduct of the mashing is named wort. The wort has to be cooled down prior to mixing with yeast. This huge container is never filled entirely as the wort froths a good deal because of co2. By the time two to three days have passed, the yeast is wiped out by the alcohol it produced. The final product of this cycle is referred to as wash. It has 5 to 8 percent alcohol.

The stills where the wash is put are created from copper and are regulated to a special shape which allows for proper distillation to take place. Distillation is usually completed 2 times, however, many companies do it three times or more. Just after the whole process is complete the distillate is put into barrels made normally of oak, for a no less than 36 months. Then again, many Scotch whiskies are aged for considerably longer.

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