Of all the taxes we pay, one of the oldest and probably least thought about are the taxes on our liquor. Beers, wines, and all hard alcohol is taxed on the proof gallon. This tax started in 1790 as a way for the federal government to raise money to pay for the states debts incurred during the revolutionary war. The tax was biased in favor of larger commercial alcohol producers, and this caused many communities along the early western frontier to rise up in protest. Western Pennsylvania is generally credited with being the center of the emerging rebellion but states all the way down to Kentucky, in every town and hollow were up in arms over it. The conflict escalated and troops were dispatched to quell the uprisings, some rebels were arrested, but the government repealed the tax some months later, a victory at least in part for the citizenry. Taxes on alcohol were again imposed to pay for the war of 1812, and repealed after the war. Then during the civil war the liquor tax was in effect again, and has been to this day.
Taxes, we all agree bind us to the government, and make us producers of revenue for the government whether local or national, so it can do it's will. There are a few of us, probably not more than a few hundred across the country that have thrown off a link or two of the chain of taxes. We make our own alcohol. We are distillers.
First off, we aren't a bunch half toothed hillbillies in Appalachia. It is a stereotype started during prohibition, and remains to this day. Yes, the southern states area has a long and tremendous history with distilling and illegal alcohol production, but we have moved well past that. An electrician in California, and engineer in Utah, a doctor in Florida, and a retiree in Vermont, a nice diverse cross section of America. We are distillers.
Another misconception relentlessly pushed by the authorities during prohibition that homemade alcohol will make you blind. Badly made liquor will give you a headache and a stomach ache, but unless contaminants are purposely added, like methanol (wood alcohol) or solvents like toluene or acetone, home made ethyl alcohol (ethanol) has minimal by-products.
In this country, making your own beer and wine is perfectly legal. In fact one can make several hundred gallons per year. We take that natural process of fermentation, expand it to maximize the alcohol that is made, and use a device, a still to extract and purify it. The principle of distillation is the same one used to make gasoline from oil and make purified water. Fermentation to make beer or wine is legal, distilling is not.
After prohibition the possession of a still without a permit or bond, (a property tax as well) remained illegal. Moonshining in the classic sense declined till only a couple of still confiscations were being reported by the BATF in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Georgia, in the last few years.
Of the millions of gallons of alcohol that are consumed in America, less than 5 % is home made, it takes some skill and patience to make beer and wine that tastes good. There is even more skill involved in distilling, because there is machinery involved. Distilling is both an art and a science. An art and a science, but the principles and technique are not too complex for the average person to learn. Contrary to the stereotype, the stills that we use are carefully designed, efficient machines that are capable of producing 95% alcohol that rivals large scale industrial stills in purity. There are no rusty old pots with a copper pipe hooked up to a car radiator. They are made of food grade stainless steel and copper. We use principles of heat transfer and thermodynamics to design them.
The cost savings of making your own beer, wine or whiskey is considerable, it costs on average only 25% of retail to make your own. It is inexpensive because the raw materials, grain, sugar and yeast, cost practically nothing, a 50 lb bag of corn for $5, 25lb of sugar for $10 and a package of distillers yeast for $5 (the expensive stuff). A five gallon batch of mash (the cooked grain/sugar mix that is fermented) costs a maximum of $10 for absolutely everything included the energy required to heat the still. Five gallons of mash will make about 1 gallon or so of drinkable liquor. Many distillers are so good at it, they can copycat the taste of most whiskeys, gin, vodka, and liqueurs.
For most all of us this is a hobby, much like fishing, or photography. We spend a lot of time perfecting our craft, tinkering with our stills to get that last half percentage of alcohol out, and comparing notes with others in the groups. We take great care to make our alcohol is the cleanest and purest possible. We just have to keep quiet about it, we don't want the BATF visiting us. Although these days, most federal agents wouldn't recognize a still from a tree stump. It is unfortunate that in America, distilling is illegal, but we accept the risks. I personally like the fact that I have seen through the government disinformation about the so called dangers of distilling my own alcohol, and I can make something the government has no control over. I feel a little freer for it.
As a secondary benefit I have the capability to make my own motor fuel. Ethanol at 95% pure is an excellent power source for a vehicle, it burns cleanly and will produce close to the power of a gasoline engine. In an emergency situation, gas shortages, or just extremely high prices it is a very good backup fuel. I cannot use it directly in my car without some changes to the air/fuel mixture, but in a car with a carburetor this isn't too difficult. To our benefit amazingly, legislation passed by congress mandates flexible fuel vehicles. Ford's 2003 Taurus and Daimler-Chrysler's minivan models are capable of using an 85/15 ethanol/gasoline blend without modification at all. Residents of the mid-west have probably seen E85 pumps at filling stations.
As I have said, distilling is illegal. we do it regardless, I would not openly encourage others to take up the hobby, but the information is readily available on the internet. In some countries around the world distillation is legal, New Zealand leads the way, with legislation passed some 10 years ago, Australia also, and Sweden allows it as well. Other European countries allow it with permits, Germany comes to mind, but the European Union has generally made distillation illegal completely. They want to make sure they can collect every last Euro in tax.
Every few years a bill is brought to congress, to make small scale home distillation legal, but have all been tabled or thrown out. The arguments always being that uneducated people will be mixing up concoctions that will be lethal and bathtub gin makers will run rampant. This is all nonsense. With the law is it is today, nothing will really stop a malicious person from making poison. Allowing legal home distillation takes us, a small group outside the margins of legality, to be able to enjoy our hobby and craft openly. When distillation became legal in New Zealand and Australia, critics predicted many deaths from toxic alcohol, none of which happened. Nor did revenues from taxes collected on commercial alcohol production drop. What was gained was a small freedom for the individual.
So here we are, doing something we shouldn't do and loving every minute of it. Quietly slipped under the radar of the government, we make our stuff, and enjoy it in the privacy of our own homes. Why shouldn't it be legal? Does this argument sound familiar? I thought so.
And yes we still call it moonshine, we still proudly hold to the traditions of our fathers and grandfathers; and beware the revenuer that comes around our mountain, yer' in for a pack of trouble.
February 7, 2003
