Prohibition in the United States
Research shows that prohibition reduced overall alcohol consumption by half during the 1920s, and consumption remained below pre-Prohibition levels until the 1940s, suggesting that Prohibition did socialize a significant proportion of the population in temperate habits, at least temporarily. Rates of liver cirrhosis "fell by 50% early in Prohibition and recovered promptly after Repeal in 1933." Criticism remains that Prohibition led to unintended consequences such as a century of Prohibition-influenced legislation and the growth of urban crime organizations, though some scholars have argued that violent crime did not increase dramatically, while others have argued that crime during the Prohibition era was properly attributed to increased urbanization, rather than the criminalization of alcohol use. As an experiment it lost supporters every year, and lost tax revenue that governments needed when the Great Depression began in 1929.
Old Forester
Until Prohibition in the United States began in 1920, Old Forester was the leading brand produced by Brown's company. Since then, other brands acquired later by the company, such as Early Times (purchased in 1923, which became America's best-selling bourbon and maintained high sales for 30 years), and Jack Daniel's (purchased in 1956 and as of 2007 the best-selling whiskey of any kind in the world), have become its leading products.