Alcohol in Norway

Regulations have governed the serving of alcohol since the Middle Ages. These were often more stringent in rural areas than in the towns. Around 1300 it was decreed that there should be taverns within every half-day’s distance to provide travellers with refreshment. People who lived near these taverns were not permitted to drink there, but were allowed to buy alcoholic beverages for private consumption.

Taverns
In 1596 the mayor of Oslo was given the exclusive privilege to serve and sell wine and beer to the public from the cellar of the Town Hall. This was intended to combat the ‘improper’ serving of alcohol from the premises of tailors, shoemakers and smiths. Throughout the following centuries a few taverns in Christiania (Oslo until 1624) were given the privilege of serving alcoholic beverages by now including spirits, which were introduced to Norway during the 1500s and soon became popular. These establishments catered mainly for the well-to-do. More humble taverns on the outside of the town provided for the workers, ‘Watering holes’ along main roads into town increased substantially in number while access to sprits in rural areas was gradually restricted. Farmers on their way to market were regular customers. Many of these ‘taverns’ were private homes, often without authorisation to distil, - let alone serve spirits.

The display (from the Museum of Cultural History) shows a scene that might have taken place on the outskirts of Christiania in the 1820s. A single woman earns a living for herself and her children by distilling, selling and serving spirits. In this period people flocked to the growing town looking for work and the demand for spirits increased sharply. In the country, distillation was traditionally women’s work and many used their skill as a means of making ends meet in the town. Alcohol abuse led to an active movement to limit the consumption of spirits. In 1848 further legislation was adopted. This aimed to restrict home distillation by ruling that authorised kettles had to hold at least 100 litres.