October 8, 1942
United States
The wartime conversion sharply curtailed new whiskey production while leaving existing inventories, bottling, distribution, and limited exempt production under separate rules.
Two official wartime accounts converge on October 8. The complete 1944 Internal Revenue report supplies the brandy-and-rum exception; the Senate investigation describes the broader conversion to industrial alcohol. The mechanism was layered: M-69 controls began in January, Supplementary Order No. 3 restricted covered beverage capacity in February, the industry stop was reported as October 8, and a consolidated amendment took effect November 1. Do not attribute the October 8 result to one universal order.
By this date, production of most distilled spirits for beverage purposes had been discontinued; the Bureau of Internal Revenue specifically excepted brandy and rum.
Editorial use
Place after the January 15, 1942 M-69 event to show escalation from a capability-based restriction to industry-wide cessation of beverage-spirit distillation.
Publication gate
Do not promote this event to Draft Ready until the operative War Production Board directive, allocation record, or an authoritative source identifying that mechanism is linked. The date itself is supported; the legal mechanism is the unresolved element.