Gin
English-produced, or non-French-produced, spirit was promoted with the accession of William of Orange to the English throne. The Gin Craze, as it became known, started by being popular amongst politicians and royalty, then bloomed until by 1743 England was drinking 2.2 gallons (10 litres) of so-called gin per person per year. The name "gin" was a catch-all for a wide variety of grain-based distillations, usually extremely strong and adulterated with impurities and additives. Blindness among drinkers was not infrequent. It was cheap, dulled the cold and the misery of slum dwelling, and remained popular. Laws in 1736, 1743 and 1751 addressed taxes, licences (for what had initially been unlicensed) and terms of trade. However, not until 1751 did the laws, and an accompanying rise in the price of grain, start to have an effect.
