Beer is ok brewing but I want my own whiskey.

I've been curious about this as well.

BTW still enjoying your gig? Haven't seen too much from you on the FB

From 2014...

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/01/21/264573592/making-moonshine-at-home-is-on-the-rise-but-its-still-illegal

I quit Facebook lol. Yep still punching holes in the sky and loving it! How's the hoowah treating ya?

Hmmm

From what I understand there is no legal way to distill your own whiskey. But with the advent of ethanol can you you make your own fuel?

If so if you mixed some fuel and Dr Pepper would it be ok

Buy an empty charred oak cask and fill it up with grain alcohol

I always thought it was legal to distill, just couldn't sell it with out the tax stamp

I believe you can make a limited quantity for "fuel" but not for human consumption.

I haven't looked into this in years, but it used to be that the head of a household could legally make "x" number of gallons per year for personal consumption, it was illegal to sell it...I don't remember what the amount was but for whatever reason 25 gallons is what is coming to mind

Similar to the way home rewing used to be, there is a lot of equipment out there for sale that comes with very detailed instructions on what NOT to do, because you would get liquor, and that would be illegal, wink wink.

It's getting pretty common these days. If you're not advertising and selling it, you'll be fine.

If youre trying to make good whiskey doesnt that require aging? Most of the whiskeys I enjoyed were aged ten years at least (or at least thats what the maker claims). Just curious.

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To answer the question, is moonshine legal in Texas, The Texas state moonshine laws and the federal laws say that one can produce ethanol fuel by way of distillation after obtaining the legal permit from TABC. The federal law also requires the producers to obtain the permit for producing alcohol fuel. Bottom line: moonshining is legal only with Federal and state permits. Also, moonshining is not legal in dry cities or dry counties.

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... moonshinelawsdirectory.com

I've heard that Texas state jails offer a course on how to make alcohol that does NOT leave you blind.

BrazosDog02 said:

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.... and fixing your Glock to be fully automatic...

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What have you heard about how someone might go about something of this nature BrazoDog?

My dad is a lawyer focused on Federal cases that grew up in backwoods Tennessee. According to him, it is illegal to make moonshine and sell it. It is not illegal to make it for you own consumption and gifts(no financial gain). It is call moonshine when you sell it.

Of course, he could be telling me this because he indulges in a couple of his friends gifts or he thinks he could win that case.

Damn revenue agents.

I don't know the legalities first-hand but I do have a friend who will tell you it's illegal. He's into home-brewing beer and decided to make his own moonshine. As I recall he went through the brewing supply shop which also sells "water distilling" kids so you can make your own distilled water and with almost no tweaks allows you to distill shine too.

Anyway, he had made a few batches (I think he said he had about 100 quart-sized jars) and one day received a visit from both local law enforcement and a federal officer of some sort- this was in Tampa, FL. Evidently they had been checking up on the records of the shop where my friend purchased his still and they were checking up on people.

As I recall the story (we were well into some very good rum at the time) the officers weren't real friendly but they didn't have a warrant so they couldn't search the house and the still at that time was inactive and actually boxed up in the garage. My friend also had almost all of his moonshine stored in his father's boathouse so before the officers got a warrant he trashed the still, went to his dads and poured out the bottles into Hillsborough Bay.

And this is a dude who is a history teacher and coach at the Jesuit high school in Tampa who has a trust fund and lives in a very pricey part of Tampa and his father lives on Davis Island which is the oldest of the old money in Tampa.

Corn's great if you wanna be broke
If you wanna make money
You gotta grow smoke

In a direct quote from a friend of mine in the FBI, "The ATF are a bunch of buzz-kills"

Straight from TTB's website:

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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)). Producing distilled spirits at any place other than a TTB-qualified distilled spirits plant can expose you to Federal charges for serious offenses and lead to consequences including, but not necessarily limited to, the following:
[ol]

Within title 26 of the United States Code, section 5601 sets out criminal penalties for activities including the following. Offenses under this section are felonies that are punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each offense.

• 5601(a)(1) Possession of an unregistered still.
• 5601(a)(2) Engaging in business as a distiller without filing an application and receiving notice of registration.
• 5601(a)(6) Distilling on a prohibited premises. (Under 26 U.S.C. 5178(a)(1)(B), a distilled spirits plant may not be located in a residence or in sheds, yards, or enclosures connected to a residence.)
• 5601(a)(7) Unlawful production or use of material fit for production of distilled spirits.
• 5601(a)(8) Unlawful production of distilled spirits.
• 5601(a)(11) Purchase, receipt, and/or processing of distilled spirits when the person who does so knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that Federal excise tax has not been paid on the spirits.
• 5601(a)(12) Removal or concealment of distilled spirits on which tax has not been paid.

Under 26 U.S.C. 5602, engaging in business as a distiller with intent to defraud the United States of tax is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Under 26 U.S.C. 5604(a)(1), transporting, possessing, buying, selling, or transferring any distilled spirit unless the container bears the closure required by 26 U.S.C. 5301(d) (i.e., a closure that must be broken in order to open the container) is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each offense.

Under 26 U.S.C. 5613, all distilled spirits not closed, marked, and branded as required by law and the TTB regulations shall be forfeited to the United States. In addition, 26 U.S.C. 5615(1) provides that unregistered stills and/or distilling apparatus also will be forfeited.

Under 26 U.S.C. 5615(3), whenever any person carries on the business of a distiller without having given the required bond or with the intent to defraud the United States of tax on distilled spirits, the personal property of that person located in the distillery, and that person's interest in the tract of land on which the still is located, shall be forfeited to the United States.

Under 26 U.S.C. 5686, possessing liquor or property intended to be used in violation of the law is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Such liquor and property is also subject to the seizure and forfeiture provisions in 26 U.S.C. 5688.

Under 26 U.S.C. 7201, any person who willfully attempts to evade or defeat any Internal Revenue Code tax (including the tax on distilled spirits) has committed a felony and shall be fined up to $100,000, imprisoned for up to 5 years, or both, plus the cost of prosecution.

Under 26 U.S.C. 7301, any property subject to tax, or raw materials and/or equipment for the production of such property, in the possession of any person for the purpose of being sold or removed in violation of the internal revenue laws may be seized and shall be forfeited to the United States. In addition, any property (including aircraft, vehicles, and vessels) used to transport or used as a container for such property or materials may be seized and shall be forfeited to the United States. Further, 26 U.S.C. 7302 adds that it is unlawful to possess any property intended for use, or which has been used, in violation of the internal revenue laws; no property rights shall exist in any such property.

[/ol]

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https://www.ttb.gov/spirits/home-distilling.shtml

TX AG 88 said:

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No illegal to make it. Just a limit on the quantity and can't sell it

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This is irresponsibly inaccurate, and as soon as I saw the thread title, i came in to dispel it (knew it would be here.)

Unless you are a licensed distillery, it is illegal to distill ONE DROP of vodka, whiskey, or any other ethanol for consumption. One drop.

You CAN get a license/permit to distill ethanol for fuel. However, to remain legal every drop must be used for fuel, and I believe logs must be maintained to account for it.

You can brew beer and make wine for personal consumption. Distilling alcohol is a different ballgame altogether under our laws.

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And even homebrew beer cannot be greater than 18% abv.

All this...and if y'all just would have read the first response.

Edit...sorry the second response