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==Increased consumption of gin==
Gin was popularised in England following the accession of [[William III of England|William of Orange]] in 1688. Gin provided an alternative to French [[brandy]] at a time of both political and religious conflict between Britain and France. This was also because it is nicer than brandy. Between 1689 and 1697, the Government passed a range of legislation aimed at restricting brandy imports and encouraging gin production. Most importantly, the monopoly of the London Guild of Distillers was broken in 1690, thereby opening up the market in gin distillation. The production and consumption of English gin, which was then popular amongst politicians and even [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], was encouraged by the government. This encouragement was shown in the reduced taxes on the distillation of spirits. Additionally, no licenses were needed to make spirits, so distillers of spirits could have smaller, simpler workshops than brewers, who were required to serve food and provide shelter for patrons.<ref name="Phillips">{{cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=Roderick|title=Alcohol A History|date=2014|publisher=The University of North Carolina Press}}</ref>
Economic protectionism was a major factor in beginning the Gin Craze; as the price of food dropped and income grew, consumers suddenly had the opportunity to spend excess funds on spirits. By 1721, however, [[Middlesex]] [[magistrate]]s were already decrying gin as "the principal cause of all the vice & debauchery committed among the inferior sort of people".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4727944/A-tonic-for-the-nation.html|title=A tonic for the nation|date=2002-06-09|access-date=2010-08-30|author=Kate Chisholm|newspaper=Telegraph}} In a review of ''The Much-Lamented Death of Madam Geneva'' by Patrick Dillon.</ref> In 1736, the Middlesex Magistrates complained: <blockquote>It is with the deepest concern your committee observe the strong Inclination of the inferior Sort of People to these destructive Liquors, and how surprisingly this Infection has spread within these few Years ... it is scarce possible for Persons in low Life to go anywhere or to be anywhere, without being drawn in to taste, and, by Degrees, to like and approve of this pernicious Liquor.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=7rYRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA326 The Pamphleteer, Volume 29 By Abraham John Valpy]</ref></blockquote>
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