All this makes me wonder... how much money the TV producers are paying the local LEO's and the Feds to look the other way on "Moonshiners." It seriously cannot be that hard to find a TV crew and the guys on the show and follow them to their stills...

All I can say about that is the producers "claim" that it is real...

Let me say this up front....I have inside knowledge of the industry given I work for a distiller.

As many have already said, distilling spirits in one's home is illegal (though it is legal in New Zealand).

Also, the TTB tax on distilled spirits is $13.50 per proof gallon...and the Feds are all about getting their money.

That show is bogus. No one in their right mind would pay the kind of money they imply is paid for a few gallons of Moonshine. Go to any liquor store that sells a 100 to 128 proof un-aged White Whiskey and you'll pay roughly $25...which is around $125 per gallon. Seeing them pay thousands of dollars for a few gallons is just not accurate.

Distilling is really not that difficult. As the 'Heads' begin to flow, one just needs to make sure you draw enough of that off before saving the 'Hearts.' (The Heads contain Methanol, which is poisonous).

And for what it's worth, much of the Distilled Spirits in the United States are manufactured by large Ethanol producers in the Midwest. The Bourbon guys make their own, but the clear stuff (Gin, Vodka, White Whiskey) in large part is made elsewhere.

For all those hung up on the still, "I have heard" it is pretty easy to build a small one out of a crock pot. "It could potentially be enjoyable" but like reloading 9mm it is just not worth it.

There is more too it but it is not worth it when you can buy vodka cheap and run it though a Brita filter a few times, then flavor it.

CTGilley said:

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"It could potentially be enjoyable" but like reloading 9mm it is just not worth it.

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That's all based on volume.....

True. I knew that was coming and I probably should have compared it to .22lr.

GottaRide and I wanted to make a still for a high school chemistry project & were shot down. We could have done it and it would have been glorious. However, since GR's Dad was both an LEO and ordained minister we might have been wise to keep it on the down low.

Wow didn't realize this thread would get this many responses. I guess I'm going to have to use some investing or just wait till I retire and maybe it'll be legal by then lol. Gig 'Em!

jamaggie06 said:

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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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That's what we've all been led to believe. I recently went on a tour of Whitmeyer's Distillery here in Houston and Travis told us that his juice is aged only 10 months in the barrel. He claims that our Houston heat and humidity age it so much quicker. Said he left some juice in the barrel for a longer period of time and the angels got it all. Nothing but sludge left in the barrel. Whitmeyer's Barrel Strength that he sells at the distillery is pretty good juice.

CTGilley said:

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For all those hung up on the still, "I have heard" it is pretty easy to build a small one out of a crock pot. "It could potentially be enjoyable" but like reloading 9mm it is just not worth it.

There is more too it but it is not worth it when you can buy vodka cheap and run it though a Brita filter a few times, then flavor it.

---

If you can Tig weld I hear a stainless steel keg makes a great still with an electric element installed in the bottom and a few other parts. Not that I would know anything about that...

aggiemike89 said:

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jamaggie06 said:

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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.

---

That's what we've all been led to believe. I recently went on a tour of Whitmeyer's Distillery here in Houston and Travis told us that his juice is aged only 10 months in the barrel. He claims that our Houston heat and humidity age it so much quicker. Said he left some juice in the barrel for a longer period of time and the angels got it all. Nothing but sludge left in the barrel. Whitmeyer's Barrel Strength that he sells at the distillery is pretty good juice.

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You could also "reverse" the process for small batches. Age it in a glass jar with some charred sticks of Oak or what have you - its all about the surface area and time spent aging (well, also evaporation which you can also control). Again, not that I would have any experience in that sort of thing.

DifferenceMaker Ag said:

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TX AG 88 said:

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Quote:

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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.

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it's pretty difficult to ferment to that level of abv anyway. You'd have to freeze distill, which isn't technically distilling, or your using champagne or some yeast, which might not be considered beer anymore.

Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

62strat said:

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DifferenceMaker Ag said:

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TX AG 88 said:

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Quote:

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

---

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.

---

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

---

Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

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If you are volatilizing enough ethanol to reach the LEL you are doing it all wrong....

aggiemike89 said:

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jamaggie06 said:

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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.

---

That's what we've all been led to believe. I recently went on a tour of Whitmeyer's Distillery here in Houston and Travis told us that his juice is aged only 10 months in the barrel. He claims that our Houston heat and humidity age it so much quicker. Said he left some juice in the barrel for a longer period of time and the angels got it all. Nothing but sludge left in the barrel. Whitmeyer's Barrel Strength that he sells at the distillery is pretty good juice.

---

If using 10 or 15 gallon barrels yes there is more loss due to the thinner staves allowing for higher evaporation. Buffalo Trace has images of how much booze is left in the barrel at X age. At 20 years there's only 1/5 the barrel left. It's really crazy.

As for distilling yourself. I brew a ton, and making enough distillers wort to get to any final product worth a damn I'd a crazy amount of work. And if making neutral spirits, it's simply not worth theb tme. I'd love to do it, but in don't have the time or will power for all that nonsense.

aggiemike89 said:

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jamaggie06 said:

---

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.

---

That's what we've all been led to believe. I recently went on a tour of Whitmeyer's Distillery here in Houston and Travis told us that his juice is aged only 10 months in the barrel. He claims that our Houston heat and humidity age it so much quicker. Said he left some juice in the barrel for a longer period of time and the angels got it all. Nothing but sludge left in the barrel. Whitmeyer's Barrel Strength that he sells at the distillery is pretty good juice.

---

Whitmeyers uses (pretty sure anyway) smaller barrels - 15 or 20 liter I think. Ages faster than the standard 52 gallon barrel, but ages different. You dont get the long term exposure to sugars and tannins with small barrels that you do with bigger ones.

I have heard Whitmeyers barrel proof is pretty good, especially for the age. My guess is that the short aging is part of their long term process to get good maturity at some point. Here in Houston you will need to use climate control to get real aging thpugh as you need the hot-cold cycles to expand and contract the wood. One reason why KY is so well suited for whiskey is their weather.

Lester Freamon said:

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62strat said:

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Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

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I'm sure this is the reason the Fed$ are so touchy about it.

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I was being a bit facetious, but in reality, it's the whole methanol thing.

Feds don't care about taxing personal consumption homebrew, so why would they care about personal consumption distilled spirits?

Whenever I think of home distilling, this is what pops into my head:



Anyone else?

62strat said:

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Lester Freamon said:

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62strat said:

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Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

---

I'm sure this is the reason the Fed$ are so touchy about it.

---

I was being a bit facetious, but in reality, it's the whole methanol thing.

Feds don't care about taxing personal consumption homebrew, so why would they care about personal consumption distilled spirits?

---

I just have a hard time believing this. Liquor is one of the most regulated and lobbied industries in the country, I can't see where it is something as silly as methanol and the .00000001% of an explosion, more likely politics. Just my opinion.

I have direct knowledge of moonshine economics.

$20 for a quart mason jar of XXX.

Well done.

schmellba99 said:

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62strat said:

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Lester Freamon said:

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62strat said:

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Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

---

I'm sure this is the reason the Fed$ are so touchy about it.

---

I was being a bit facetious, but in reality, it's the whole methanol thing.

Feds don't care about taxing personal consumption homebrew, so why would they care about personal consumption distilled spirits?

---

I just have a hard time believing this. Liquor is one of the most regulated and lobbied industries in the country, I can't see where it is something as silly as methanol and the .00000001% of an explosion, more likely politics. Just my opinion.

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But how hard is it to say, 'you can do it home, but you can't sell it, and you can't make more than x amount'? Just like beer and wine.

62strat said:

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schmellba99 said:

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62strat said:

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Lester Freamon said:

---

62strat said:

---

Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

---

I'm sure this is the reason the Fed$ are so touchy about it.

---

I was being a bit facetious, but in reality, it's the whole methanol thing.

Feds don't care about taxing personal consumption homebrew, so why would they care about personal consumption distilled spirits?

---

I just have a hard time believing this. Liquor is one of the most regulated and lobbied industries in the country, I can't see where it is something as silly as methanol and the .00000001% of an explosion, more likely politics. Just my opinion.

---

But how hard is it to say, 'you can do it home, but you can't sell it, and you can't make more than x amount'? Just like beer and wine.

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You do recall that this is the same government that churns out well over 80,000 pages of new regulations every year?

62strat said:

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DifferenceMaker Ag said:

---

TX AG 88 said:

---

Quote:

---

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

---

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.

---

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

---

it's pretty difficult to ferment to that level of abv anyway. You'd have to freeze distill, which isn't technically distilling, or your using champagne or some yeast, which might not be considered beer anymore.

Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

---

Absolutely correct. However, I once brewed a batch of Imperial Stout that measured 13.7% abv just playing around. It was almost undrinkable.



Almost.

Lester Freamon said:

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62strat said:

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Distilling is illegal at the residential level because it's dangerous. You can pretty much blow up your house.

---

I'm sure this is the reason the Fed$ are so touchy about it.

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They're getting ready to ban turkey fryers as we speak.