The Profit and Loss of the Idea to Make and Sell Alcohol

Who profits from alcohol, and how far does the loss reach? The price of a bottle reveals neither. Behind it stands a network of producers, family fortunes, investors, celebrities and businesses that earn from making, selling and treating the consequences of drinking. Its costs reach people who never bought the product, and living systems that had no choice. This paper investigates the profit and loss of the idea to make and sell alcohol as one connected account. It follows ownership, financial interests and influence, then asks who bears the consequences and what remains outside the accounts. It examines what happened when protecting public health threatened commercial gain: who knew, who acted, and who kept the public waiting. Every figure is graded for the strength of its evidence in the endnotes. Paper 3 of 3 in The Alcohol Series.