Growing international demand for Scotch whisky is reportedly causing some to fear that there may be a shortage. Some Scottish distilleries, meanwhile, shut down last year, causing production to slow. Back in Scotland, a host of new commercial distilleries were founded as family and "illegal" distilleries went dry. In this new phase of whisky history, the notable events became distillery foundings, partnerships and lawsuits - rather than uprisings, rebellions, and wars. Legal courts, rather than royal, held sway.
For example, in 1880 Colonel John Gordon Smith went to court on the use of the name Glenlivet. The court held that he was the only one entitled to use the label 'The Glenlivet', all others had to use a prefix. In 1906, the Islington Borough Council brought up the famous 'What is Whisky?' case. Basically, this was a question of using malt versus using grain in the production of whisky. The magistrate's court decided in favor of malt. However, a 1908 Royal Commission on Whisky decided that a blend of grain and malt also may be considered to be Scotch whisky.
Another black period in the history of whisky (and all spirits) was the U.S. Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. While Prohibition put a damper on (legal) whisky, it seems to have helped make the fortune of Joseph P. Kennedy. A legit liquor distributor before 1920, sources attribute a good chunk of his change to being a bootlegger in partnership with organized crime during the Prohibition era.
Another major shift in the 20th century was the growing importance of advertising. In the U.S., the liquor trade association voted for a voluntary ban on radio in 1936 and then television in 1948. Seagram's broke that practice in 1996 when it aired its TV commercial for Crown Royal. Nowadays, many whisky distillers and distributors use the web on the Internet to connect with lovers of single malt whisky.
