Is making ethanol illegal?

It's perfectly legal to own a still, and you can even use it, as long as you're not making alcohol – so, you can make essential oils without a permit, or perfume, or distilled water. Making ethanol for fuel use at home is also legal, provided you obtain a permit from the TTB.

Is it illegal to make your own alcohol in the US?

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.)

Is illegal moonshine still being made?

But It's Still Illegal : The Salt : NPR. Making Moonshine At Home Is On The Rise. But It's Still Illegal : The Salt Let's be clear: Making spirits at home with plans to drink it remains against federal law, folks. Even so, more and more people appear to be taking up home distilling as a hobby.

Why is moonshining illegal?

So why is moonshine still illegal? Because the liquor is worth more to the government than beer or wine. Uncle Sam takes an excise tax of $2.14 for each 750-milliliter bottle of 80-proof spirits, compared with 21 cents for a bottle of wine (of 14 percent alcohol or less) and 5 cents for a can of beer.

Can you distill alcohol at home?

Home made spirits and liqueurs are as easy to produce as any other home brewed drink. Using similar equipment to wine making you can produce high quality, high alcohol drinks which are almost indistinguishable from their commercial counterparts and at a fraction of the price.

Is It Legal? Making your own liquor

Can I make moonshine at home?

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.)

How much will a 5 gallon still produce?

General Alcohol Yields

You can generally assume that your alcohol still will produce a final batch that is about 20% of the size of your copper still's pot. For example, the average run in a 5 gallon still can be expected to produce about a gallon or a gallon and a half of moonshine.

Is moonshining 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.

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 distilling illegal United States?

According to federal law, it is legal to have a still for decoration, distilling water, distilling essential oils, etc. The still does not need to be registered with anyone and no permits are needed as long as it is being used for the aforementioned purposes.

What alcohol is illegal in the US?

High strength grain alcohol is quite the contentious spirit category in the US as a total of 13 US states have now outlawed the substance. Most recently, Maryland banned the sale of grain alcohol bottled at 95% abv or above, with lawmakers hoping to reduce instances of sexual assault and binge drinking.

Is distilling alcohol legal in Texas?

Home distilling alcohol in Texas is illegal because it does not pay taxes. From the 1862 Revenue Act established during the American Civil War, homemade spirits and tobacco products are subject to taxes.

Is Everclear legal?

Everclear 190-proof is legal in many US states, with the exceptions of California, Hawaii, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington. In some of these states, lesser proof versions are permitted for sale and consumption.

Is Everclear considered moonshine?

What's the Difference Between Everclear and Moonshine? Both Everclear and Moonshine are unaged spirits; however, Everclear is made from grain and Moonshine from corn. Everclear is a brand name of a neutral-tasting, very potent grain alcohol. Moonshine is a general term used to describe illegally produced corn whiskey.

What is the highest legal proof of alcohol?

High-proof alcohols can legally go up to 192 proof in the United States. The strongest liquor you'll find on a shelf in the United States is the Polish vodka, Spirytus, coming in at 192 proof or 96 percent alcohol. For reference, this is an even higher alcohol content than Everclear, which contains 95 percent alcohol.

Are moonshiners legal?

The days of prohibition are long behind us, yet moonshine is still illegal. Hit Discovery series “Moonshiners” documents the lives of modern bootleggers, Tim and Tickle, who run moonshine businesses in spite of the law.

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.

Where is moonshine legal in the United States?

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 proof do I need to 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 is the first bit of moonshine toxic?

Methanol Toxicity

Methyl alcohol (methanol) is the bad stuff that could be found in moonshine (or any distilled spirit for that matter). Pure methanol is very dangerous and it is definitely able to cause blindness and even kill people.

Can you drink the heads of moonshine?

Once the distiller makes the first cut, the heads are generally either disposed of or redistilled in able to collect more alcohol from them. After the distiller has decided that the quality of the incoming distillate is good enough to keep for drinking purposes, they will cut to “hearts”.

Why is my moonshine low proof?

The low proof of your distillate was also because of the low alcohol content of your wash. The alcohol content of the wash was low because you did not use a recipe that included nutrients for the yeast to live on.

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.

Is moonshine illegal in Texas?

State law in Texas makes moonshining a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. But the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission doesn't seem to chase after home hobbyists as aggressively as the feds do.

Can you make 200 proof alcohol?

To produce pure, 200 proof alcohol, we use a molecular sieve, so extract the last 5% of the water. The pure alcohol is transferred to storage tanks and ready to be shipped. After the alcohol is removed, the water and corn solids is called stillage.