Food - Drink
How Bourbon Distilleries Aided The US During World War II
By NATASHA BAILEY
After the United States joined World War II many industries had to pitch in to assist in the war effort, but what most people don't know is that bourbon distilleries heavily contributed as well. These distilleries stopped churning out the booze and started producing medicine, specifically penicillin.
Anyone who's ever studied war knows that disease is as deadly as anything else on a battlefield and at the time, the U.S. wasn't producing enough penicillin, so the government War Production Board converted bourbon distilleries in the U.S. into factories. Luckily, many of the industry's tools and machinery were applied to medicine production.
However, alcohol production was still necessary for the war effort as it was used to manufacture ammunition and also essential for synthetic rubber, which the U.S. would have normally received from the South Pacific, but was made inaccessible by the Japanese. They also produced high-proof spirits, which were good for making things like antifreeze and antiseptic.