The law and the reality - how is distilling law enforced?
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:01 am
In the jurisdiction I live, home distilling is strictly forbidden. The law mandates up to 6 months of prison for minor cases and up to 2 years of prison for "producing" hard liquor. There is even a passage in the law that makes prison mandatory for producing and selling high proof alcohol. Owning a still is actually punishable by up to 6 months of hard time. Wine and beer making is completely legal though, as long as you don't sell it.
Despite this, home distilling has been very common even if illegal since 1845. The height of the popularity was back in the 60s and 70s when price was more of an issue, since alcohol is heavily taxed. Lately, with the growing economy, the price has come to mean less and less, and the distillers that are still stilling do it for the quality more than the economy. On the other hand the popularity of brewing and wine making is at an all time high at the moment and I believe this has also come with a renaissance for the home distillers. Hard to say though, since we don't talk. There is probably two tiers to the distillers though. You've got the kids using low temperature condensation stills (plastic fantastic) to get their hands on some alcohol or to make it on the cheap, and you've got us old farts who see this as an artsy hobby more than a source of booze.
Following the home brewing bonanza - brew-shops are popping up all over. And in any of these shops you can also buy activated charcoal, alcometers, refractometers, turbos, speciality yeasts, glucose etc. Most everything you need but the apparatus itself. Based on a quick survey in my local supplier of "wine"-making equipment, they had 2 different brands of alcometer, 6 different types of activated charcoal, 8 different types of yeasts (turbo and others marketed specially for "neutral taste") - none of these really fit for use in brewing or winemaking - so this caters to the distillers.
It goes without saying that as long as you keep your head down, the law doesn't bother us distillers. Don't tell, don't sell is the mantra. If you don't sell, and do not provide to minors the risk is really miniscule, regarding the law. That doesn't put much a damper on the illegal market though. My guess is that it wouldn't take more than a few hours to find a local supplier of rot-gut neutral if you got dropped naked in any location in my country.
There is the old joke, adapted by locals to fit any small community:
A new man is stepping off the train in the small town where he is soon about to start his new job. A bit abashed he asks the station attendant: 'If there, possibly, would be possible to acquire some ..... distilled products... in this town?" - "Well....!, the station attendant says, "Do you see that red house over there? The one on the right side? With the uniformed police car on the outside? - That is the sheriff's house - and he does NOT sell."
So, how is the situation where you live?
Despite this, home distilling has been very common even if illegal since 1845. The height of the popularity was back in the 60s and 70s when price was more of an issue, since alcohol is heavily taxed. Lately, with the growing economy, the price has come to mean less and less, and the distillers that are still stilling do it for the quality more than the economy. On the other hand the popularity of brewing and wine making is at an all time high at the moment and I believe this has also come with a renaissance for the home distillers. Hard to say though, since we don't talk. There is probably two tiers to the distillers though. You've got the kids using low temperature condensation stills (plastic fantastic) to get their hands on some alcohol or to make it on the cheap, and you've got us old farts who see this as an artsy hobby more than a source of booze.
Following the home brewing bonanza - brew-shops are popping up all over. And in any of these shops you can also buy activated charcoal, alcometers, refractometers, turbos, speciality yeasts, glucose etc. Most everything you need but the apparatus itself. Based on a quick survey in my local supplier of "wine"-making equipment, they had 2 different brands of alcometer, 6 different types of activated charcoal, 8 different types of yeasts (turbo and others marketed specially for "neutral taste") - none of these really fit for use in brewing or winemaking - so this caters to the distillers.
It goes without saying that as long as you keep your head down, the law doesn't bother us distillers. Don't tell, don't sell is the mantra. If you don't sell, and do not provide to minors the risk is really miniscule, regarding the law. That doesn't put much a damper on the illegal market though. My guess is that it wouldn't take more than a few hours to find a local supplier of rot-gut neutral if you got dropped naked in any location in my country.
There is the old joke, adapted by locals to fit any small community:
A new man is stepping off the train in the small town where he is soon about to start his new job. A bit abashed he asks the station attendant: 'If there, possibly, would be possible to acquire some ..... distilled products... in this town?" - "Well....!, the station attendant says, "Do you see that red house over there? The one on the right side? With the uniformed police car on the outside? - That is the sheriff's house - and he does NOT sell."
So, how is the situation where you live?