WWII (1939)

Wheat purposed for whiskey was re-purposed to war efforts:
 

• Other parts of the United Kingdom had a more mixed experience. Scotland’s prestigious single malt whiskey distilleries were caught in a national argument about the value of distilled spirits in a time of grain rationing. One minister allegedly claimed, “The nation needs food — dollars mean food, and whiskey means dollars.”

• Last to join the melee was the United States, prompted by the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor in late 1941. Wartime rationing began almost immediately, and would eventually include most consumer products except eggs and dairy. The world was well aware of the Unites States’ industrial capacity at this point, and the total war mentality led to its massive shift towards wartime production. On January 2, 1942, less than a month after Pearl Harbor, the manufacture of new cars was banned as auto factories began producing military vehicles. Included in the economic adjustments were whiskey distilleries, whose facilities were repurposed to produce industrial alcohol for torpedo fuel. Though the Department of Agriculture mandated that 15 percent of beer and 30 percent of cigarettes be allocated to servicemen, the decision to turn whiskey production over to the war effort demonstrates the scope of America’s commitment to the idea of industrial buildup as salvation.

https://warontherocks.com/2015/06/a-farewell-to-sobriety-part-two-drinking-during-world-war-ii/