At the onset of WW1, whisky production was restricted in order to divert the use of barley. Moreover, the British Prime Minister - Lloyd George - was a temperance movement fundamentalist and with Government backing, Prohibition in Britain was close. In 1915, a compromise resulted in The Immature Spirits Act. To curb consumption the act decreed that whisky had to mature for at least two years. The following year this was raised to three years. Although this restriction was initially met with anger, this later helped the Scotch whisky industry in selling whisky across the world. Distilling ceased completely in 1917 and only industrial alcohol was produced. Duty was doubled and a fixed price imposed. Prohibition in the US, paired with a World recession meant that many of the distilleries that had reopened after the war had to close again - some for ever.