December 5, 2024, marked Repeal Day, the 91st anniversary of the repeal of the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages and their import into, or export from, the U.S. and all its territories.
When Prohibition ended, there was a struggle to prevent the corrupt, saloon-dominated, freewheeling era of “rotgut whiskey” and “bathtub gin” from making a comeback. The federal government adopted a three-tier system that permitted each state to develop a structure of checks and balances that provided safe alcohol to the consumer, as well as a simple method to collect tax revenue.
In Washington state, Governor Clarence Martin signed the Steele Act on January 23, 1934, which established the Washington State Liquor Control Board (later renamed the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board in 2015). Governor Martin charged the board with controlling public access to alcohol by restraining competition. They accomplished this by regulating the legal manufacture and distribution of alcohol and by licensing its sale in restaurants and hotels.
Under the Steele Act, the saloon disappeared as businesses were prohibited from advertising using the words bar, barroom or saloon. Initially, taverns could sell beer—and later wine—by the glass. Hard liquor was not permitted to be consumed in public. The board was empowered to license grocery stores to sell packaged wine and beer, but hard liquor could only be sold through state-owned liquor stores. However, the high taxes assessed for legal liquor meant the distillation of illicit spirits continued as people balked at the costs. The new liquor regulations also failed to deter the efforts of local roadhouses, whose missions had always hinged on evading local law enforcement to provide their customers with a good time.
From 1934 to 1939, Northwest Distilleries Inc. (17233 Westland Avenue North, Seattle) opened as the first legal distillery in Washington state post-Prohibition. The state’s craft distillery revolution did not begin until Dry Fly Distilling opened; it was instrumental in the passage of House Bill 2959 “concerning craft distilleries,” in 2008, which led to our current craft distilling boom.
While this date is no longer widely celebrated, you can still find fully immersive Prohibition-era experiences. Visit Smith Tower and travel back to the Roaring ‘20s—follow the stories of celebrated bootlegger Roy Olmstead; his engineer Al Hubbard; his wife and accomplice, Elise Olmstead; and his crooked attorney Jerry Finch. Then head up to the Observatory Bar for a celebratory cocktail.
In honor of Repeal Day, 2BAR Spirits in Seattle will host a special Happy Hour on Thursday, December 5, and Friday, December 6, 2024. Also on December 5, Copperworks Distilling Co. will be offering a Prohibition presentation at their Kenmore location.
Some distilleries, like Pursuit Distilling Co. in Enumclaw, serve Prohibition-inspired cocktails year-round. Their offerings include classics like the Bee’s Knee, the Scofflaw, the Clover Club, the Boulevardier, the Negroni and the Gin Fizz.
Cheers to Repeal Day!