Fwd: Counterfeit Spirits (YOU WILL BE CAUGHT)

[woodsmoke]

Hi everyone,

Only my second post here, and I'm sorry to be resurrecting an old thread, but I've been struck by the similarities between the dislike you guys have of ludicrous laws & taxes that we here in the UK are crippled by...........

I've only very recently discovered the delights of home distilling, but the process absolutely fascinates me almost to the point of enthrallment.

The irony to me is, that while careful & responsible home-distillation of ethanol can produce a very fine end product, the process is deemed illegal & all sorts of scientifically-flawed rubbish is touted as the reason why we need to be 'protected' from ourselves........'methanol', 'aldehydes', explosions, etc........I wonder why this has become a concern over the years when back in the day even your own George Washington issued troops a ration originating from his own still, I believe? Just another revenue stream that's jealously guarded by those who have wars to pay for, I wonder?

Progress thus far though (and I'm firmly still just a 'rookie', as you guys would term it), has shown me that the end product is a serious step up from what Mr Smirnoff, et al can produce.

Wonder if I could send him a sample of how it should be, & put a compensation claim in for all the unnecessary suffering he's caused me?

[bentstick]

That is why I practice this hobby, I am tiered of following the herd on what is " good, great " drink according to the masses. I have never been one to conform to everyone elses ideologue of what is " NORMAL" Just call me AB for short.

[Resasi]

Having spent about 23 yrs in Saudi I found this activity to be a fascinating hobby and a point of pride to be able to produce premium wines beers lagers spirits and liqueurs that one's friends enjoyed and trusted.

There were of course many who made to sell. These varied in quality and generally followed the old axiom you get what you pay for, and more often than not you didn't even get that. They also were actively hunted by the authorities who pretty well knew that almost 99% of the expatriates in the country made their own booze. Point was they left you alone IF you didn't sell, kept it at home, or within the compound and didn't go around town in an inebriated state.

I would have to believe the same of most authorities. When the activity goes over the boundaries of being a simple home hobby, or a bottle or two to some friends, then as the title says, someone somewhere will let it be known, and they will trace it back to where it is coming from.

[Samohon]

Correct... Hence the title of the thread, 'If you sell Counterfeit Spirits you will be caught'...

Dont sell and Dont tell... Fly well below the radar and you should be OK... at least for today...

[thumper50]

It's ashame you can't get a 10 gal. leeway for distilled spirits in the US! Even if you had to register, it would be a simple and a way for the government to monitor the system.
My daddy sold illegal liquor and his daddy did too. I have another profession to make money with but i love to carry on the tradition of making it( in small amounts) .

I've spoke to a few revinuers and they told me they will look the other way if the still is a home use only, but don't quote him on that ; ) they can get you if they want to.

Keep the tradition alive and legal.

[whiskeystill]

Fake vodka is being sold in the UK and authorities there give out specific signs so consumers would know if a spirit is counterfeit - these could also apply anywhere else:

1 It's cheap
If the price of vodka is too good to be true, it's probably fake.

2 It has high levels of methanol
Usually, one needs to open a bottle to definitively know if a spirit is fake. Methanol quantity is determined through testing.

3 Incorrect duty stamp
Sometimes, the labels on counterfeit bottles copy the original label and have spelling mistakes and missing information. Also, the trademark information is wrong.

4 It's being sold in a van

Counterfeit spirits are being sold by a 'man in the van' who knocks on doors and offers alcohol at extremely cheap prices. Consumers are being advised to stick to buying alcohol in established stores and wholesalers.

[midwest shinner]

Although I definitely don't agree with the gov't on a good number of things(the high taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to name a couple) it sucks that people can't just enjoy the craft and make some drinks for themselves, they've got to make it about the money. Its a sad state of affairs...

[nondrinker]

The first hyperlink in the letter is not valid. I think I found the same information in the following link. It is mildly interesting but in a scientifically sterile format.

http://photon.st-and.ac.uk/manipulation ... shok_3.pdf

[seaguy]

Any of yall been in a liquor store lately? I was over in Charleston and I was amazed at all the legal moonshine for sale. Even had different fruit flavors added to them. I wonder if these stupid "Shiner" reality tv shows got that started. Jesus H. Anything to make a dang buck