The end of the 19th century saw a marked increase in whisky sales and production. This boom was created by the effective marketing of blended whiskies (introduced in the 1850s) but was sparked off by ill-fortuned Brandy production. Blenders acquired malt distilleries and new distilleries shot up in Speyside in the 1890s. In 1899 the whisky boom collapsed - bankers and investors had financed almost everything to do with whisky without asking questions - creating false demand and overproduction.