The rectification industry in Poland under the operation of the State Spirits Monopoly (1924-1939)

Abstract

During the fifteen years of the State Spirits Monopoly the Polish rectification industry evolved significantly. First, the efficiency and output of rectifying plants improved, as under the pressure of the Monopoly they had to become suppliers of high-quality rectified spirit which was used for the production of all the alcohols subject to the monopoly. More importantly, however, it was undergoing crucial structural changes. Small, poorly-equipped rectifying plants, as well as rectifying sections of agricultural distilleries, were gradually liquidated, being un-suited to new economic conditions. New state-owned rectifying plants were opened and the concentration of production, although it was not achieved in the 1920s, was at least sped up in the 1930s, which led to altering the structure of rectification in a way advantageous to Polish industry. The process of concentration, difficult for many plants, introduced a new speciality to Polish industry, namely alcohol dehydration. The growing demand for spirit-based fuels increased the sales of rectified spirit in the 1930s by a dozen or so million litres per annum and provided employment in two and later three large plants, which further modified the picture of the rectification industry in the late 1930s.