Gin Craze

Daniel Defoe commented: "the Distillers have found out a way to hit the palate of the Poor, by their new fashion'd compound Waters called Geneva, so that the common People seem not to value the French-brandy as usual, and even not to desire it".

No licenses were needed to make spirits and distillers could have smaller, simpler workshops than brewers, who were required to serve food and provide shelter for patrons.

[3] Economic protectionism was a major factor in beginning the Gin Craze; as the price of food dropped and income grew, consumers suddenly had the opportunity to spend excess funds on spirits.

[citation needed] As consumption increased, a campaign for more effective legislation began to emerge, led by the Bishop of Sodor and Man, Thomas Wilson, who, in 1736, had complained that gin produced a "drunken ungovernable set of people".

This Act lowered the annual licence fees, but encouraged "respectable" gin selling by requiring licensees to trade from premises rented for at least £10 a year.

Landowners could afford to abandon the production of gin and this, coupled with population growth and a series of poor harvests, resulted in lower wages and increased food prices.