Why is it illegal to distill your own Whiskey
I am a huge whiskey fan. I'd love to be able to try distilling my own. Any reason why it is banned? I assume there is a fire risk with a distiller and raw alcohol.
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quote:Originally posted by sharpshooter039
you can still make your own wine and beer, it is fermented and not distilled.Now with that said you can find mini still's all over the net for under 100 bucks just google making your own wiskey,,dumb law where you can make any liquor for your own use as long as it is not distilled..
I brew my own beer now. I just like whiskey so much.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubsloverI brew my own beer now. I just like whiskey so much.
Just distill a small batch at home and don't tell the BATF/ATF.
Ever do some work for cash and not pay taxes? Did you feel an irresistable urge to call the IRS?0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hunter Mag
quote:Originally posted by cubsloverI brew my own beer now. I just like whiskey so much.
Just distill a small batch at home and don't tell the BATF/ATF.
Ever do some work for cash and not pay taxes? Did you feel an irresistable urge to call the IRS?
Having an illegal distillery is much worse than a little tax evasion.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubslover
quote:Originally posted by sharpshooter039
you can still make your own wine and beer, it is fermented and not distilled.Now with that said you can find mini still's all over the net for under 100 bucks just google making your own wiskey,,dumb law where you can make any liquor for your own use as long as it is not distilled..
I brew my own beer now. I just like whiskey so much.
I have a friend who looked into this. He discovered
1: There is no law against owning distilled alcohol for which you cannot produce a commercial bottle,
2: There is no law against owning a still (who knows when your municipal water source will become unreliable, forcing you to produce your own safe drinking water?), and
3: If the gov't can show that you're using the still to produce the alcohol, then you've got serious problems. Otherwise, not.
My friend never finished building his still. He makes beer, wine and port. And to make the port he just drives to Oregon and buys Everclear with which to fortify the wine.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hunter Mag
quote:Originally posted by cubsloverI brew my own beer now. I just like whiskey so much.
Just distill a small batch at home and don't tell the BATF/ATF.
Ever do some work for cash and not pay taxes? Did you feel an irresistable urge to call the IRS?
Having an illegal distillery is much worse than a little tax evasion.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubslover
quote:Originally posted by Hunter Mag
quote:Originally posted by cubsloverI brew my own beer now. I just like whiskey so much.
Just distill a small batch at home and don't tell the BATF/ATF.
Ever do some work for cash and not pay taxes? Did you feel an irresistable urge to call the IRS?
Having an illegal distillery is much worse than a little tax evasion.
Well don't tell everyone you know then. Well I gues it's too late now...[;)]
It's all over a public message board now.0 -
just make the booze and don't get liquored up and blab about it. 0 -
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Just do whatever you want, for gosh sake. "Ohhh Nooooo! It's ILLEEEEEEGALLLLL!" Please give it a rest! "Proof tax" my ass! You'd be nuts to pay it.
If you intend to shoot your mouth off to anyone who will listen or go into business selling the stuff, then you are going to have a problem. How much of this can you drink in a year, still function and have a liver? Not that much. It would be fun to experiment, making different varieties of spirits.
By the way.....POP QUIZ TIME!!:
What is the difference between whisky and whiskey?0 -
Damn right. It was a rare thing. Why poison your customers? Doesn't make sense. Typical BS.
quote:Originally posted by lt496
quote:Originally posted by Locust Fork
Weren't there people going blind from making their own liquor at some time.....at least I remember hearing something about that. I think it has a lot more to do with the safety issues than the taxes. A bottle is just too easy to buy when you compare the work it would take to make your own. I think most people would pass on all the work and pay the taxes...even if there weren't any risk involved.
Having grown up in the Appalachians, with hillbilly roots, I disagree. My disagreement isn't based on "I remember hearing something" about the issue.
The issue of "bathtub gin" and such crap which sometimes caused blindness, cropped up after prohibition, primarily due to unskilled, opportunistic and crooked profiteers, trying to make a quick buck in the illicit spirits trade.
Folks back where I am from have been distilling excellent corn squeezins and other grain alcohol for many a generation. Scots/Irish ancestry is a fine thing.[;)]
The fed would like you to believe that it is merely concerned with your safety. Do YOU believe them?0 -
quote:Originally posted by Wolf.
By the way.....POP QUIZ TIME!!:
What is the difference between whisky and whiskey?
The education level of the dude who made it?0 -
I still can't believe that a Hillbilly figured out how to make it.[:D] 0 -
Any so-called law banning private distillation of whiskey for personal consumption has no merit. The government can only make laws concerning commerce. The BATFE may have a 'rule' banning it and they may even attempt to enforce it, but if it ever went to a higher court they would loose. Limiting a self-distiller to 200 gallons a year was an arbitrary rule put in place to give them a cut off mark when deciding if someone was distilling for consumption or profit. If I want to make whiskey on my property for my own use then I will do so without the slightest consideration of what some government agency thinks about it. If they want to arrest me and risk having their over-reaching rules exposed for the groundless drivel they are, then come and get me. 0 -
Made a lot of whiskey over the years(and rum, brandy etc.).
Easy to do . I used a gas hot water heater burner with it's attendant thermostat & found it has the perfect temp range.
Made the cooker from 2 SS washing machine tubs welded top to top.
Held 25 gals. of mash. Puker was a SS coke concentrate can.
IMNSHO- It's not illegal to make it, it's illegal to get caught.
[^]barto[^]0 -
quote:Originally posted by bigdaddyjunior
Any so-called law banning private distillation of whiskey for personal consumption has no merit. The government can only make laws concerning commerce. The BATFE may have a 'rule' banning it and they may even attempt to enforce it, but if it ever went to a higher court they would loose. Limiting a self-distiller to 200 gallons a year was an arbitrary rule put in place to give them a cut off mark when deciding if someone was distilling for consumption or profit. If I want to make whiskey on my property for my own use then I will do so without the slightest consideration of what some government agency thinks about it. If they want to arrest me and risk having their over-reaching rules exposed for the groundless drivel they are, then come and get me.
Amen Brother!0 -
if you do it wrong, you can make poison. 0 -
It is not illegal to make whiskey for your own comsumtion. something like 2 gallons a year. Just cant make it and sell it without all the licenses and gubment BS.
http://www.home-distilling.com/0 -
http://www.ttb.gov/faqs/genalcohol.shtml#g1
Spirits
You cannot produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for some of the criminal penalties.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these requirements are paying excise tax, filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a separate building(other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19.
Spirits may be produced for non-beverage purposes for fuel use only without payment of tax, but you also must file an application receive TTB's approval, and follow requirements, such as construction, use, records and reports.0 -
quote:Originally posted by bigdaddyjunior
Any so-called law banning private distillation of whiskey for personal consumption has no merit. The government can only make laws concerning commerce. The BATFE may have a 'rule' banning it and they may even attempt to enforce it, but if it ever went to a higher court they would loose. Limiting a self-distiller to 200 gallons a year was an arbitrary rule put in place to give them a cut off mark when deciding if someone was distilling for consumption or profit. If I want to make whiskey on my property for my own use then I will do so without the slightest consideration of what some government agency thinks about it. If they want to arrest me and risk having their over-reaching rules exposed for the groundless drivel they are, then come and get me.
Let me know how that turns out. I'll accept a collect call from you so you can do so.[;)]0 -
Making your own ethanol is more expensive than it's worth for running an engine. Having said that - it's a good excuse to just drink the batch after a little aging[:D][:D]
It's already been said that this does not cause blindness if done properly.
The Reflux design still, using a food grade stainless boiler and all copper reflux stack, condenser, and collection system works extremely well - uh - I've been told.0 -
Best whiskey I ever drank was moonshine. Many years ago. Knew the distiller, quality equipment and ingredients. That stuff was smooth and didn't take but a couple of drinks to have the warm fuzzies.[:D]
Back in the 30's, my grandpa was known far and wide for making the best whiskey. Refused to "pay" the sheriff, so he got busted. Spent a year in the pen.0 -
Here's an old thread about moonshine you might be interested in.
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1462790 -
I knew a couple of Swedish guys, they both had engineering degrees.
They told me that they had a nice stainless steel still. They told me that, due to taxes, that liquor was extremely expensive in Sweden. They said that many Swedes run their own stills.
They said that it is not diffcult in Sweden to buy extracts which you put into your moonshine, to flavor it, so that it will taste like whiskey, scotch, etc.
I can't recall exactly but I believe they said that these home stills were legal.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Gotteskrieger
just make the booze and don't get liquored up and blab about it.
But if'n ya made it yoself, 'n got liquored up, wonnu HAVE to blab 'bout it?
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A friend of my FIL had a small still he used for personal consumption. I believe it was more of a hobby than anything else. It was a very nice stainless stell setup probably had about a 10-15 gallon cooker. He had me tasting his different batches. As mentioned above he had some made with corn, wheat, apples and a couple other flavors. Needless to say after 4 or 5 "Tastes" I was feeling no pain. 0 -
in the late 70s i contacted batf about making shine to use in gas engines. you could get a permit for $$$(forget amount)to make it, but the paperwork was not worth it, not to mention having an atf agent showing up at your house any time he wanted 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ramtinxxl
But if'n ya made it yoself, 'n got liquored up, wonnu HAVE to blab 'bout it?
He'll probably get a ticket for reckless crawling with attempt to walk.0 -
quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
quote:Originally posted by Ramtinxxl
But if'n ya made it yoself, 'n got liquored up, wonnu HAVE to blab 'bout it?
He'll probably get a ticket for reckless crawling with attempt to walk.
And surely get tasered for resisting arrest0 -
So many misconceptions, so little time.
Prohibition is what CAUSED folks to try their hands at producing alcohol in their bathtubs (doing so before or after prohibition makes zero sense), thus causing blindness when the lye or clorox was added to make the deadly poison Methanol taste better.
It IS legal to make as much as 500 gallons for your own consumption per year, and if you make wine as well; you can make another 500 gallons of that. I have a neighbor that gives me his mash for my chickens-about 250 lbs at a time!
There's no need for a BATFE mullet to "inspect" your premises; they are not chemists, and have no idea what to look for. If your still is located outside; nobody has a right to wander into your house.0 -
My dad made plenty. Never let me go with him dang it. I have seen a few stills. Most were really nasty. Some would rival the legal boys. Back in the day it was just about the only thing a poor farmer could do to earn cash. Guv-ment wanted the cash= TAXES. They didn't care about your health, just as with tobacco-money is the real issue. Granddad made beer and wine--really good stuff. Oh for some locust beer and dandelion wine! I don't drink enough to try home brewing, have to stick with Shiner Bock and Makers Mark, with a little Wild Turkey now and then.
Unless something has changed recently it is not legal to distill your own alcohol under Federal law. I would do some research before trying it, when they catch someone they just about take everything they have.0 -
Supposed to be: If it is Whisky, it was made in Scotland, if Whiskey, made elsewhere... 0
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