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Can you make moonshine for personal use in Arkansas?
Distilling in Arkansas is illegal, even if it would be federally legal. Title 3 – Alcoholic Beverages 3-3-402. Manufacture, possession, and transportation.
Is moonshining illegal in Arkansas?
It is still illegal to produce moonshine (whiskey) without a license from the state or to use a private still to produce moonshine, just as it was when my great-grandfather was moonshining in the Ouachitas.
Can people make their own moonshine?
Moonshine has been having something of a renaissance. The colloquial term for clear, non-barrel-aged whiskey — and occasionally other home-distilled spirits — has sparked curiosity in a younger generation of drinkers, prompting books on DIY booze- making, and fancy whiskey brands touting “moonshine” in their name.
- There’s even a Discover Channel show, Moonshiners, which shines a spotlight on the American folk tradition of home-brewed craft whiskey.
- Still, if you’re thinking of taking up moonshine-making as your next hobby, you might want to think again.
- The production of moonshine — or really any spirit — without a license is prohibited by the U.S.
government and is very much illegal, Although you might see ” moonshine ” sitting on your local liquor store shelves, it’s not exactly the most accurate moniker for a bottled brand. Clear whiskey in the style of moonshine might be for sale, but technically speaking, moonshine is moonshine because it’s produced illicitly.
In fact, American bootleggers can face jail time for operating seemingly innocent home distilleries. The federal law states that breaking it can have offenders facing multiple federal felonies, including tax evasion, which can result in up to 10 years in prison on top of seizure and forfeiture of the land used for the illegal activity.
Some moonshiners in the Cumberland Gap. NPS
Do you need a license to serve alcohol in Arkansas?
Selling alcohol in Arkansas is voluntary. To serve alcohol in Arkansas, you must complete state-approved alcohol server training to earn your license.
Can I make my own whiskey in Arkansas?
The Moonshiner’s tale: Carrying on family craft It’s never been easier to make your own whiskey. Not that it has ever been hard. Fermentation is a natural process. All you need is a bit of the specialized fungi we call yeast. The Sumerians were brewing beer in 3200 B.C.; birds can become buzzed (or dangerously drunk) on fermented berries.
Once you figure out that water has a higher boiling point than ethyl alcohol, you can start to get fancy distilling hooch. These days you can buy copper stills off the Internet – $500 will buy a six-gallon still made of 22-gauge sheet copper and lead-free solder complete with “pot, thumper, worm and cap” that “produces so much more than just moonshine.
Use it to desalinate saltwater and purify freshwater; make essential oils, perfumes and antiseptics; make marinade for meats and poultry; and even manufacture ethanol fuel to run engines or heat your home.” The cost-conscious can get a three-gallon version for $100 less.
- While it’s legal to own your own still, it’s not exactly legal to make your own whiskey.
- You can make wine or beer at home for personal consumption, and distill ethanol for fuel if you obtain the proper permits.
- But any still setup for the production of distilled spirits must be registered with the federal government.
Production or distribution without having first received a permit and paying the mandatory taxes is illegal, even if you don’t plan on selling or otherwise distributing what you produce. Furthermore, Arkansas law makes it illegal to own, possess or transport a still without a state permit.
The same goes for a still’s component parts, like a cooling coil. State law prohibits producing liquor without a license or distributing liquor that has been illegally made. And this is serious: Violating the state’s liquor law is a felony. If they catch you making whiskey they can (and will) seize your still and auction it off.
So don’t try it at home. There’s a fairly good reason for the state to regulate alcohol distilling. When you have alcohol vapor in proximity to fire, there’s a potential for explosions. Plus, if you screw up, the whiskey you produce can be deadly. You don’t want to drink anything an inexperienced, incompetent or indifferent moonshiner has produced.
- Just because it’s easy to buy copper stills on the Internet doesn’t mean everybody goes to all that trouble.
- A lot of stills are still made from automobile radiator parts.
- A lawyer friend of mine remembers a long-ago client who woke up blind one day.
- When he went to the doctor, the doctor attributed it to drinking the methanol-heavy hooch he and his buddies had been making from a radiator still.
The residual antifreeze might have enhanced the taste – antifreeze is allegedly delicious, thanks to its main active ingredient ethylene glycol, a colorless and odorless syrup with a sweet taste that mixes well with soda, juice and other sugary beverages – but enough of it will kill you stone dead.
Why is Arkansas a dry state?
What happened: All counties in Arkansas were automatically considered wet when Prohibition ended in 1933. Then, Initiated Act 1 in 1942 gave counties the option of going dry, Scott Hardin, spokesperson at the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, tells Axios.
Can you legally make your own moonshine in Oklahoma?
1/1/2015 last updated
Oklahoma residents can own a still and use it to distill water, essential oils, etc. but cannot manufacture moonshine for personal use or sale. I was unable to find any information on fuel alcohol for the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma offers a distillers license for $1,000 per year and $905 fee.
- Distillery license There are several licenses you need to request to legally manufacture spirits.
- Below are the federal licenses only.
- Additional state requirements will need to be followed as well.
- You must submit a request for a license to manufacture spirits: TTB 5110.41 Basic permit,
- This license only allows you to produce spirits.
You also need a license for the distilling equipment / distillery: TTB 5100.24 Distilled spirit plant For manufacturing ethanol fuel you will need to submit a request for a TTB 5110.74 for a federal license,37-505. Manufacture, sale, possession, shipment, etc.
- Prohibited except as provided in act – Exceptions – Penalties.A.
- No person shall manufacture, rectify, sell, possess, store, import into or export from this state, transport, or deliver any alcoholic beverage except as specifically provided in the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.37-538.
- Penalties.A.
Any person who shall operate a whiskey still with intent to produce alcoholic beverages or any person who shall carry on the business of a distiller without having in his possession a valid and existing distiller’s license issued pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Act shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction be fined not less than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) nor more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or imprisoned in the State Penitentiary for not more than three (3) years, or both such fine and imprisonment.37-539.
- Search warrant – Seizure and destruction – Forfeiture and sale.A.
- A search warrant may be issued pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1221 through 1264 of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes, as amended, for the purpose of searching for, seizing, destroying or holding any alcoholic beverages possessed, sold, transported, manufactured, kept, or stored in violation of the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Act; for the purpose of searching for and seizing any apparatus, vehicle, equipment, or instrumentality used for, or intended for use in, manufacturing or transporting any alcoholic beverage in violation of the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Act; and all such property shall be forfeited to the State of Oklahoma.
Current federal laws allow citizens the right to own a still and operate it for non-alcohol production. This means legally you can:
Can you make moonshine in Louisiana for personal use?
1/1/2015 last updated
Louisiana defers state laws to the federal laws, which means it should be legal to own a still if it is not used in the manufacture of moonshine and using a still for distilling water, manufacturing essential oils, etc. should be legal. The manufacture of distilled spirits is illegal.
Louisiana ATC law book Louisiana ATC applications ATC website
I could not find any information about ethanol fuel licenses but there are several producers in Louisiana so licenses seem to be available. §71. Permits required; fees; exception Except as provided in Subsections B and C of this Section, before engaging in the business of manufacturing, supplying, or dealing in alcoholic beverages, all persons shall obtain from the commissioner, according to established rules and regulations, a permit to conduct each separate business and shall pay the commissioner a fee not to exceed the amounts provided for in the following schedule and in accordance with regulations promulgated pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act for each year the permit is valid:
(1)(a) In-state manufacturers – one thousand dollars for each establishment in the state. (b) Out-of-state manufacturers and suppliers who do not maintain an establishment in the state. (i) Manufacturers and suppliers who sell less than one thousand cases of their product in the state – two hundred dollars. (ii) All other out-of-state manufacturers and suppliers – one thousand dollars. (2) Wholesalers – two thousand five hundred dollars for each place of business in the state. (3) Retailers – (a) There shall be three types of Class A retail liquor permits: (i) Class A-General – two hundred dollars for each place of business in any city in the state and one hundred dollars for each place of business in a town, village, or unincorporated place. (ii) Class A-Restaurant – two hundred dollars for each establishment in the state. (iii) Class A-Special – two hundred dollars for each facility in the state.
§71.3. Microdistillery; retail sales for consumption on or off premises
A. Any person who has properly obtained a microdistiller’s permit as provided for in R.S.26:71, shall be authorized to engage in the distilling, making, blending, rectifying, or processing of any alcoholic beverage in Louisiana in a quantity not to exceed twelve thousand gallons during the licensed year. The holder of such permit shall also be authorized to sell the manufactured beverages at retail for consumption on or off the licensed premises, if the holder also has been issued a Retailer Class A permit.B. The provisions of this Section shall not authorize the holder of a microdistiller’s permit to sell the manufactured beverages at wholesale or to any wholesale dealer.C. The microdistiller shall not sell any alcoholic beverages for transportation off the premises to any other licensed alcoholic beverage retail dealer.D. Beverages produced by a microdistiller shall be taxed in the same manner and at the same rate as beverages produced by other manufacturers, as provided by law.E. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.26:149, microdistillers may reuse alcoholic beverage containers in connection with distilling and bottling operations.F. Prior to commencing distilling operations, microdistillers shall obtain approval from the state fire marshal.
There are several licenses you need to request to legally manufacture spirits. Below are the federal licenses only. Additional state requirements will need to be followed as well. You must submit a request for a license to manufacture spirits: TTB 5110.41 Basic permit,
This license only allows you to produce spirits. You also need a license for the distilling equipment / distillery: TTB 5100.24 Distilled spirit plant For manufacturing ethanol fuel you will need to submit a request for a TTB 5110.74 for a federal license, I was unable to find any specific laws or fines specific to still ownership, or the manufacture or transportation of moonshine.
Current federal laws allow citizens the right to own a still and operate it for non-alcohol production. This means legally you can: