Is it legal to make moonshine for personal use?

Today, people make artisan moonshine out of a sense of nostalgia and preference for taste. These can be sold in liquor stores or brewed just for personal use. However, distilling alcohol at home, even for personal use, is illegal under federal law.

Can I make moonshine at home for personal use?

But federal law trumps state law, and to the feds, distilling at home for personal consumption is illegal, period. "If you distill without permits, you're looking at roughly a dozen felonies," says Tom Hogue, spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. "It's not something you want to be doing."

Can you make moonshine without selling it?

You can own a Still without a permit as long as it's not for Alcohol production for human consumption which would then be illegal. However, if the still is clearly being used for laboratory purposes or to distill water and / or other substances, possessing a still appears to be legal.

How much alcohol can you make at home?

Today, federal rules say a household with two adults can brew up to 200 gallons of wine and the same amount of beer each year. (A few states have their own laws prohibiting the practice.) The 1978 law didn't legalize moonshining, though; you still can't brew spirits for private consumption.

Is moonshine illegal in the US?

The production of moonshine — or really any spirit — without a license is prohibited by the U.S. government and is very much illegal. Although you might see “moonshine” sitting on your local liquor store shelves, it's not exactly the most accurate moniker for a bottled brand.

Is It Legal? Making your own liquor

Is it illegal to make your own alcohol?

Across the US and most parts of Europe, distilling is against the law. There are many reasons that governments choose to prevent its citizens from making their own alcohol. In fact, even buying or owning any type of still (the vessel used to distil spirits) is illegal in many countries.

Where is moonshine legal in the US?

In contrast to Florida, some state's home distilling laws allow “legal” moonshining, even though it's considered illegal federally. Those states include Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

What's the easiest alcohol to make?

The easiest alcohol to make is probably mead. Making mead is very straight forward but it is not the fastest alcohol to make. If you want to make alcohol that you can enjoy fast, beer is probably the way to go for you. Wine and spirits generally have longer fermenting processes than beer.

What is illegal moonshine?

Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. Moonshine. Type.

Can you make hard liquor at home?

Home Distilling. While individuals of legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal or family use, Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home (see 26 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5042(a)(2) and 5053(e)).

Is store bought moonshine the same?

No real moonshiner accepts store-bought as the real thing.” Sarah LeRoy, of Piedmont Distillery in Madison, North Carolina, is familiar with the argument. “I've heard people say our products are not real moonshine,” she says. “But that's based on a technical definition of illegality.

What percent alcohol is moonshine?

Moonshine usually has an ABV of 40% but can sometimes be as high as 60%-80% ABV. Alcohol content can be converted to proof by multiplying it by two. So, 40% ABV is 80-proof. The distilling process is the key to a spirit's alcohol content.

Is it legal to make moonshine for personal use in California?

No, it is not legal to distill alcohol in California without a permit. However, several commercial distillers permits are available. Distilling alcohol intended for human consumption, without a permit, is illegal in the State of California.

Can I make whiskey at home?

It is illegal to make your own liquor at home, regardless of what you may have seen on the Discovery Channel. Stills are perfectly legal, and you can even use them as long as you aren't making alcohol. That means you can make essential oils, perfume, or distilled water without a permit.

Can moonshine make you blind?

If you're drinking moonshine, yes. Although alcohol that's properly manufactured and regulated does not by itself cause blindness, people sometimes do go blind from drinking bootleg beverages. One common concern with moonshine is lead poisoning, which has been linked to blindness.

What proof is moonshine?

On average, a proof moonshine could range somewhere between 100 to 150 proof. When you convert that alcohol by volume, 150 proof is equivalent to 75% alcohol by volume.

At what proof do you stop distilling?

When the Distillation Process Ends. Experienced commercial distillers generally run their stills until the alcohol from the wash has reduced to somewhere around 10-20 proof. It is not worth the time and energy to distill further to separate the little remaining alcohol from the water.

Why do they shake the jar of moonshine?

Discovery broke down the science of what, exactly, the moonshiners are looking for when shaking their jars of whiskey. "When shiners shake a jar of moonshine to check the proof, they're observing the size of the resulting bubbles and how long they take to dissipate," a video on the topic explains.

Can you drink moonshine straight?

Definitely! Moonshine is traditionally sipped straight, right out of the jar. You can also drink it in shots.

How long does it take to make moonshine?

As you can see, the process of fermenting and distilling moonshine is quite time-consuming. In general, you can expect it to take between 1-3 weeks to make moonshine, as the mash must ferment and the distillation process must be continued until the final shine is safe for consumption.

Can you make alcohol with just water sugar and yeast?

Kilju can be produced by fermenting sugar, yeast, and water, but kilju made exclusively from sugar, yeast, and water was illegal in Finland before March 2018; therefore, grain, potatoes, fruits or berries were used during fermentation to avoid legal problems and to flavor the drink.

Is it cheaper to make your own alcohol?

Making your own wine is much cheaper than buying bottles from the grocery or liquor store. Once you cover the upfront costs of all the supplies and equipment you'll need to get started, making additional batches can cost as low as $3.00 per bottle.

Is vodka a moonshine?

While vodka is legal in most countries, moonshine is a term that describes distilled spirits with extremely high proof that aren't legally accepted in most states. Based on their alcohol content, moonshine is stronger than vodka because it has higher alcohol-proof.

Is it legal to make moonshine for personal use in Georgia?

In the state of Georgia it is legal to own a still as long as the still is not used to distill spirits or to manufacture moonshine. A still can be owned and operated to distill water, essential oils, vinegar, etc. As long as the end product is not ethanol.

Is it legal to make moonshine for personal use in Louisiana?

State Overview state laws

Louisiana defers state laws to the federal laws, which means it should be legal to own a still if it is not used in the manufacture of moonshine and using a still for distilling water, manufacturing essential oils, etc. should be legal. The manufacture of distilled spirits is illegal.