# Distilling for personal use...



## davel (Mar 18, 2021)

I looked it up and got a little confused about the law passed in 2018.  Can I legally distill alcohol for personal consumption at home?  It says you can get a free permit to distill fuel alcohol.  Don't like how they left that one open for interpretation.
Thanks for the info!


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## JustUs4All (Mar 18, 2021)

Not legally.


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## dwhee87 (Mar 18, 2021)

What about if you want to make your own hand sanitizer?


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## JustUs4All (Mar 19, 2021)

You can get a permit for that purpose.


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 19, 2021)

No. Not without a whole lot of red tape and permits to operate a licensed distillery. Distilling whisky in any amount for any reason is a felony.


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 19, 2021)

dwhee87 said:


> What about if you want to make your own hand sanitizer?


You will be in the same cell with the feller who made esophagus sanitizer.


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## Hillbilly stalker (Mar 19, 2021)




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## nc dawg (Mar 19, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> You will be in the same cell with the feller who made esophagus sanitizer.


Oh hill you kill me..


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 19, 2021)

nc dawg said:


> Oh hill you kill me..


Grew up with a lot of relatives who made hand sanitizer....


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## nc dawg (Mar 20, 2021)

yeah, i got some close family members who worked in the "shipping" of said hand sanitize.


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## HughW2 (Mar 20, 2021)

Another example of govt overreach.  Why is it home beer and wine making is all the craze and yet a micro distillery will get you locked up by the revenue agents? Crazy.

For that matter how much trouble would you get into in most states if you got caught with some marijuana growing in your basement with a grow light?  
Twisted goofy world we live in.


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## greg_n_clayton (Mar 21, 2021)

You can't even own the still !!


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## davel (Mar 21, 2021)

greg_n_clayton said:


> You can't even own the still !!


Actually the law states you can own a still and it can be any size. You are allowed to distill all sorts of things except drinking alcohol for some reason.


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## greg_n_clayton (Mar 21, 2021)

davel said:


> Actually the law states you can own a still and it can be any size. You are allowed to distill all sorts of things except drinking alcohol for some reason.


Tell that to a local guy here that just bailed outta jail a few months ago for possession of one !!


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## greg_n_clayton (Mar 21, 2021)

davel said:


> Actually the law states you can own a still and it can be any size. You are allowed to distill all sorts of things except drinking alcohol for some reason.


I know of 2 in the last year !


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## davel (Mar 21, 2021)

greg_n_clayton said:


> Tell that to a local guy here that just bailed outta jail a few months ago for possession of one !!


He was arrested for the quantity of liquor he made not the still. Look it up a still is not illegal. Making liquor to drink is apparently.


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## greg_n_clayton (Mar 21, 2021)

davel said:


> He was arrested for the quantity of liquor he made not the still. Look it up a still is not illegal. Making liquor to drink is apparently.


I am telling you the charge was possession of a still apparatus on the jail inmate list ! It wasn't running and they had no likker.


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## davel (Mar 21, 2021)

I just looked it up and found this:
In the state of Georgia it is legal to own a still as long as the still is not used to distill spirits or to manufacture moonshine. A still can be owned and operated to distill water, essential oils, vinegar, etc. As long as the end product is not ethanol.


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## davel (Mar 21, 2021)

If you are referring to the guy in Eatonton he had a bunch of barrels of moonshine.


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## Shadow11 (Mar 22, 2021)

Most deputies around here don't mind if you make a little to drink or share with buddies. Not saying there may not be some dip stick that will get you, but most of them have more important things to go after.


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## Dustin Pate (Mar 22, 2021)

Shadow11 said:


> Most deputies around here don't mind if you make a little to drink or share with buddies. Not saying there may not be some dip stick that will get you, but most of them have more important things to go after.



It ain't the local deputies that I'm worried about. lol


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 22, 2021)

Dustin Pate said:


> It ain't the local deputies that I'm worried about. lol


Yep. The feds will spent $10,000,000 to make a case on somebody making $100 worth of likker.


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## Fletch_W (Mar 22, 2021)

What about freeze distilling apple jack?


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 22, 2021)

Fletch_W said:


> What about freeze distilling apple jack?


It doesn't require a still.


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## Shadow11 (Mar 22, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> Yep. The feds will spent $10,000,000 to make a case on somebody making $100 worth of likker.


I wouldn't doubt that one bit, but still, I don't think even the fed's priorities are that messed up, now a days, with all of the crimes that are taking place in 2021. 

Thirty plus years ago, sure. They didn't have anything better to do. Things were still halfway decent back then. It's not the same anymore. There are way too many "bigger" things for them to be doing.


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 22, 2021)

Shadow11 said:


> I wouldn't doubt that one bit, but still, I don't think even the fed's priorities are that messed up, now a days, with all of the crimes that are taking place in 2021.
> 
> Thirty plus years ago, sure. They didn't have anything better to do. Things were still halfway decent back then. It's not the same anymore. There are way too many "bigger" things for them to be doing.


They're still raiding around here. Shot a guy a couple years ago near here when they came to raid his still. The IRS and ATF are always serious. You don't have to believe me, think what you want. I've known a lot of folks in my life who went to prison for it, though.


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## Para Bellum (Mar 22, 2021)

greg_n_clayton said:


> Tell that to a local guy here that just bailed outta jail a few months ago for possession of one !!



Nope.  Not in GA.  Legal to own a still.


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## Shadow11 (Mar 22, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> They're still raiding around here. Shot a guy a couple years ago near here when they came to raid his still. The IRS and ATF are always serious. You don't have to believe me, think what you want. I've known a lot of folks in my life who went to prison for it, though.


Wow. That's hard to believe, but I can believe it. Those guys are about as nuts as nuts can get.

Back to the original poster... I've tried making BlackBerry wine before. If you use enough sugar, you can get it fairly strong. I've never tried making moonshine, but I've tried it a few times. Too strong for me. Seems like a lot of work also. 

Making wine is a lot of work too. What I hated the most was the filtering process. It took a lot of hours to propearly filter it. I decided after try number 2... I was done. It had a high alcohol volume, if that's what you want, but no thanks for me.


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## C.Killmaster (Mar 22, 2021)

HughW2 said:


> Another example of govt overreach.  Why is it home beer and wine making is all the craze and yet a micro distillery will get you locked up by the revenue agents? Crazy.



Beer/wine folks got enough of a lobby to get the law changed.


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## blood on the ground (Mar 22, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> You will be in the same cell with the feller who made esophagus sanitizer.


 That's a good one!


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## specialk (Mar 22, 2021)

Shadow11 said:


> I wouldn't doubt that one bit, but still, I don't think even the fed's priorities are that messed up, now a days, with all of the crimes that are taking place in 2021.
> 
> Thirty plus years ago, sure. They didn't have anything better to do. Things were still halfway decent back then. It's not the same anymore. There are way too many "bigger" things for them to be doing.



making a few gallons every now and then in your garage for you to sip on ain't gonna' get you in trouble if you don't put your business on the street.  But NCHB is correct, if you try and mash in a few hundred gallons every month to sell for profit then you going to get a ride to the big house!!


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## Shadow11 (Mar 22, 2021)

specialk said:


> making a few gallons every now and then in your garage for you to sip on ain't gonna' get you in trouble if you don't put your business on the street.  But NCHB is correct, if you try and mash in a few hundred gallons every month to sell for profit then you going to get a ride to the big house!!


Right. Everyone knows someone that makes a little bit.

There isn't going to be many ppl getting into any kind of trouble for making a little drink for home use, like nchb said. It's the same thing with marijuana now days. Almost no one gets in trouble for having a little marijuana on them anymore. It's the large quantities that they look for, but they are mostly looking for the bad stuff like meth labs and such.


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 22, 2021)

Shadow11 said:


> Right. Everyone knows someone that makes a little bit.
> 
> There isn't going to be many ppl getting into any kind of trouble for making a little drink for home use, like nchb said. It's the same thing with marijuana now days. Almost no one gets in trouble for having a little marijuana on them anymore. It's the large quantities that they look for, but they are mostly looking for the bad stuff like meth labs and such.


They will bust you for a little bit if they hear of it. The key is to keep your mouth shut about it, something that a lot of folks seem incapable of.  If you're not selling it or talking about it, it's unlikely anybody will ever know about it.


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## Hillbilly stalker (Mar 22, 2021)

Gotta be a little extra careful around county election time


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## davel (Mar 22, 2021)

Metro Trout said:


> Nope.  Not in GA.  Legal to own a still.


Thank you


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## greg_n_clayton (Mar 23, 2021)

Metro Trout said:


> Nope.  Not in GA.  Legal to own a still.


Two men stand charged with possession of a moonshine steel apparatus and possession and use of drug-related objects.  The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office reports that on May 29, 2020, an investigation was opened and arrests were made.  Arrested on the charges were 33-year-old Samuel Mark Hopkins of Tiger and 38-year-old Sean Ostas of Tiger.  They were booked into the Rabun County Detention Center on the two charges.

I guess it was false arrest as far as the still ??


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## Mexican Squealer (Mar 23, 2021)

Don’t think it becomes a crime to own one till you make likker in it...


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## greg_n_clayton (Mar 23, 2021)

Mexican Squealer said:


> Don’t think it becomes a crime to own one till you make likker in it...


Why the Hades would anybody want one if they ain't gonna use ! There is another one before that one. But he has kin on here....so ain't posting that article from the local paper.


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## davel (Mar 23, 2021)

It doesn't say they were arrested for just the possession of the still...I'm sure there is more to it than that.
You can own a still to distill other things besides likka. Read my previous post about legal in Georgia to own a still.


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## Para Bellum (Mar 23, 2021)

greg_n_clayton said:


> Two men stand charged with possession of a moonshine steel apparatus and possession and use of drug-related objects.  The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office reports that on May 29, 2020, an investigation was opened and arrests were made.  Arrested on the charges were 33-year-old Samuel Mark Hopkins of Tiger and 38-year-old Sean Ostas of Tiger.  They were booked into the Rabun County Detention Center on the two charges.
> 
> I guess it was false arrest as far as the still ??



Yes.  False arrest.


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## little rascal (Mar 23, 2021)

It’s the crack heads and druggies you sold it to. When they get caught they rat you out for a better deal. You gotta be real peculiar who you gonna sell to. If I make some aint nobody gonna know, even the wife. That way they aint in the know. Used to u could make it and if caught, misdemeanor. If caught distributing,


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 2, 2021)

davel said:


> It doesn't say they were arrested for just the possession of the still...I'm sure there is more to it than that.
> You can own a still to distill other things besides likka. Read my previous post about legal in Georgia to own a still.


In a lot of places, there are restrictions on the size and capacity of a still that you can legally own for other than liquor-making purposes. Often around a gallon capacity or so.


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## davel (Apr 2, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> In a lot of places, there are restrictions on the size and capacity of a still that you can legally own for other than liquor-making purposes. Often around a gallon capacity or so.


Actually,  Georgia does not specify the size of the still.


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## specialk (Apr 2, 2021)

https://www.google.com/search?q=moo...WSc98KHZGyCskQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=629


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## GeorgiaGlockMan (Apr 29, 2021)

https://www.ngstillco.com/

I wanted one of these but a buddy that builds lines for the BIG liquor company  talked me out of it.

Fwiw - I used to love making beer.


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## C.Killmaster (Apr 30, 2021)

davel said:


> It doesn't say they were arrested for just the possession of the still...I'm sure there is more to it than that.
> You can own a still to distill other things besides likka. Read my previous post about legal in Georgia to own a still.



It's a fine line if someone wanted to push the issue.  If you have a still and any other materials that could be associated with distilling (yeast, sugar, grain, etc.) you could be in violation of state law even if you didn't actually distill any alcohol.  These ancient laws need to go.

*§ 3-10-12. Raw materials or substances, fixtures, implements, or apparatus used or intended for use in unlawful distillation or manufacture of distilled spirits declared contraband; property rights in contraband; governing procedures for seizure and forfeiture*
(a) Any raw materials or substances, including, but not limited to, sugar of any grade or type, and any fixture, implement, or apparatus used or intended for use in the unlawful distilling or manufacturing of any distilled spirits are declared to be contraband.
(b) No person shall have any property right in or to any contraband specified in subsection (a) of this Code section.
(c) Whenever any item used or about to be used as specified in subsection (a) of this Code section is found or discovered, whether in transit, in storage, or at a site of unlawful distillation or manufacture, by any law enforcement officer, it shall be subject to the following dispositions:
(1) When found or discovered at a site of unlawful distillation or manufacture, it may be summarily destroyed and rendered useless by any law enforcement officer without any formal order of the court or, in the event any of the raw materials or substances are fit for human consumption or if any of the fixtures, implements, or apparatus are of any beneficial use to the educational authorities of the county for use in any of their educational programs, they may be delivered to the public schools of the county in which seized for use in the schools. When any of the foregoing items are delivered to a public school system, the officer delivering the items shall obtain from the appropriate school authorities an itemized receipt detailing all items delivered to the system and report such information as provided in subsection (g) of Code Section 9-16-19. In the event any of the foregoing items are destroyed by a law enforcement officer, the officer shall execute an affidavit of such fact in which all items destroyed shall be listed. The receipts and affidavits shall be maintained by the officer and shall be open to inspection by the public upon request; or
(2) When found or discovered in transit or in storage by any law enforcement officer, the items shall be seized by the officer and forfeited in accordance with the procedures set forth in Chapter 16 of Title 9.


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## ryanh487 (Apr 30, 2021)

Just like anything else,  do what you want,  don't tell the wrong people and don't post about it online. 

The ATF ain't gonna waste time on some random guy with a 2 gallon pot still that makes a few gallons a year, doesn't brag about it,  and isn't selling it.  But if they have another reason to visit you,  that charge will definitely be on the list. 

There are entire forums of hobby distillers you can find fairly easily on Google.


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## notnksnemor (May 1, 2021)

You can get a permit from the Feds to distill fuel alcohol.
It may still be illegal in some states.

https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/forms/f511074.pdf


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## Doug B. (May 15, 2021)

greg_n_clayton said:


> Two men stand charged with possession of a moonshine steel apparatus and possession and use of drug-related objects.  The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office reports that on May 29, 2020, an investigation was opened and arrests were made.  Arrested on the charges were 33-year-old Samuel Mark Hopkins of Tiger and 38-year-old Sean Ostas of Tiger.  They were booked into the Rabun County Detention Center on the two charges.
> 
> I guess it was false arrest as far as the still ??


I remember that! Actually there is a pretty good sized still that don't get used for anything in the old Persimmon schoolhouse.


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## Gbr5pb (May 15, 2021)

I might or might not have made a friend of a friend 2 apple brandy stills 30+ years ago when working in the cryogenic industry. One was about 5 gallons and the other maybe 20. Stainless steel copper lines and silver solder. Looked good and very clean. He sent me a a quart of very clear must have been 190 proof because it burnt all the way down.


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## greg_n_clayton (May 16, 2021)

ryanh487 said:


> Just like anything else,  do what you want,  don't tell the wrong people and don't post about it online.
> 
> The ATF ain't gonna waste time on some random guy with a 2 gallon pot still that makes a few gallons a year, doesn't brag about it,  and isn't selling it.  But if they have another reason to visit you,  that charge will definitely be on the list.
> 
> There are entire forums of hobby distillers you can find fairly easily on Google.


LOL....complete with video and detailed instruction !!


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## Hillbilly stalker (May 16, 2021)

Much like a turkey or fish.....keep your mouth shut and you probably wont get caught.


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## GTMODawg (Aug 2, 2021)

Shadow11 said:


> Most deputies around here don't mind if you make a little to drink or share with buddies. Not saying there may not be some dip stick that will get you, but most of them have more important things to go after.




This.  If you ain't selling it and only making a couple of gallons a year and don't do so in a tract house development how is the man gonna know???  He certainly don't want to know...he is too busy writing tickets and harassing folks on the side of the road to go about the county looking for some old boy with a small still making a couple of gallons of liquor a year.   The same is true of pot....who cares if you have a few plants on your place??? No one.  As long as they ain't coming to the house for other reasons the state ain't got the time, resources nor the inclination to be out and about looking for small stills and a couple of pot plants.  Now go in the business of selling either and you could find yourself in a heap o trouble....because you'll be stepping on the toes of some well heeled donors like big pharma and big alcohol....they are interested in limiting the competition and will insist that their muscle (the state) be utilized in keeping it as limited as possible....


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## GTMODawg (Aug 2, 2021)

Shadow11 said:


> . I've never tried making moonshine, but I've tried it a few times. Too strong for me. Seems like a lot of work also.



My grandpa taught me how to make liquor and it is waaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too much work and too expensive to do so for any reason other than tradition.  Its also barely fit for human consumption even when it is as good as it gets....there will be those who will debate this but if it weren't so clear liquors would be worth more than aged liquors whether they are bonded or not.  Making and consuming moonshine is all about tradition.  It is hard work, it is excessively expensive and even on a small scale represents some risk to one's being arrested, all for a product that wouldn't, at best, fetch more than a few bucks a pint at a liquor store were it bonded and legal. 

There is, however, a lot of value in tradition LOL.  Thus it is possible to for those bent on doing so to make a little money in traditional manners.  A lot of people are willing to pay $50 a gallon for liquor that wouldn't sell for more than $12 a gallon at best simply because it is hard to get, comes with some risk and is traditional.  I knew an old boy years ago who did just this with cheap bonded vodka LOL.  No one EVER called this son of a gun out even though most of his "customers" knew he was to dumb and lazy to build a fire, let alone operate a still.  They wanted to believe and thus they did....when word finally got out that this was what he was doing there were those who would not accept it...in fact there are still some who insist that he was indeed making moonshine.


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## GTMODawg (Aug 2, 2021)

greg_n_clayton said:


> Two men stand charged with possession of a moonshine steel apparatus and possession and use of drug-related objects.  The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office reports that on May 29, 2020, an investigation was opened and arrests were made.  Arrested on the charges were 33-year-old Samuel Mark Hopkins of Tiger and 38-year-old Sean Ostas of Tiger.  They were booked into the Rabun County Detention Center on the two charges.
> 
> I guess it was false arrest as far as the still ??




It seems that the state is accusing these gentlemen of possession of a moonshine still which is categorically illegal.  However, owning a still is not illegal. Plenty of legitimate reasons to own a still...distilling water, for example.  The state could only make an arrest like the one above IF they thought they had or could come up with enough evidence to prove that the suspects were indeed making liquor.  The state is prone to arresting folks and charging them with a pile of crimes knowing the suspect will cop to any real wrong doing when faced with defending themselves against an array of crimes.  These 2 were also arrested for possession and use of drug related objects.  I will bet a coca cola that those charges stick and the moonshine still gets dropped....


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