During the Prohibition, one way the black market made their alcohol was to use ‘denatured’, industrial alcohol as the base– the kind used in paints and solvents and then had their own chemists “renature” the alcohol to make it drinkable again.
Alcohol in paints and cleaning products (a.k.a denatured alcohol), contains various ingredients that smell or taste putrid and usually induce vomiting. This is done so that companies selling these industrial products get to avoid the high taxes that come with manufacturing and selling normal, consumable alcoholic beverages
I am the type to say "During the Prohibition, one way the black market made their alcohol was to use ‘denatured’, industrial alcohol as the base– the kind used in paints and solvents and then had their own chemists “renature” the alcohol to make it drinkable again.
Alcohol in paints and cleaning products (a.k.a denatured alcohol), contains various ingredients that smell or taste putrid and usually induce vomiting. This is done so that companies selling these industrial products get to avoid the high taxes that come with manufacturing and selling normal, consumable alcoholic beverages"