Were there ice-cold whiskey vending machines in the 1950s?

Question

This image has been making the internets circuits:

usually with the caption: An ice-cold whisky dispenser, sometimes found in offices. (1950s).

Were there really such things? It seems photoshopped to me.

here is a photo of a man using the same machine http://www.topfoto.co.uk/imageflows/preview/t=topfoto&f=1096169 — DavePhD, Feb 06 '16 at 19:30

score 12 · Accepted Answer · edited Feb 06 '16 at 20:57

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The caption is not true, but it's a real photo -- of a prototype.

Actual caption: "At the Second Automatic Vending Exhibition in London, a woman helps herself to a vending machine-mixed whisky and soda. February 15, 1960"

There's also a photo of a beer vending machine taken in that era.

As my Google Scholar search for "alcohol vending machine" came up dry, I can only guess that neither of these ever became particularly common in the West, but this kind of device that pours your beer or whisky for you is widely available in airport lounges, and you can occasionally find alcohol vending machines in Japan.

edited Feb 06 '16 at 20:57

Community

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answered Feb 06 '16 at 14:38

Avery

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Beer vending machines can be found in Japan at least (well, at least up to 2008 the last time I was in that part of the world, though the government was making an effort to get them out of places where they might encourage drunk-driving). – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Feb 06 '16 at 18:58
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Came up dry, eh? I see what you did there. – Michael Wolf Feb 09 '16 at 20:08

Were there ice-cold whiskey vending machines in the 1950s?

1 Answers1