How Much Moonshine Can You Legally Make In Wv?

Bill would allow West Virginians to legally make liquor at home Posted: Jan 25, 2022 / 11:00 AM EST Updated: Jan 25, 2022 / 11:08 AM EST CHARLESTON, W.Va. () — West Virginia lawmakers are considering a proposal that would allow people to make liquor at home for themselves and for family members.

According to West Virginia state law, it is already legal for people to make beer and wine at home. would allow people over the age of 21 to make up to 50 gallons of liquor at home in a year. If there are two or more people over 21 living in a household, families can make up to 100 gallons of liquor per year.

The proposal bans the sale of any liquor made at home. It passed the West Virginia House of Delegates on Monday and is now headed to the state Senate. A similar piece of was introduced last year during the state’s legislative session, but it failed. It passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

Is it legal to make moonshine for personal use in WV?

What is the Penalty For Selling Moonshine in West Virginia ? – Producing moonshine without a license in West Virginia is considered a misdemeanor and the person may be subject to a fine and/or jail time. : Is It Illegal To Make Moonshine In West Virginia ?

What is the code for moonshine in West Virginia?

521.14 POSSESSION OF MASH, MOONSHINE PROHIBITED.521.15 HARD CIDER.

Are there moonshiners in West Virginia?

By Katie Allie West Virginia is known for its mountains overhead, its coal underfoot and the people who live among its hills. If you’ve been lucky, some of those same people have welcomed you to their homes with a sip or two of moonshine, clandestinely distilled in the mountains by the light of the moon with recipes handed down for generations—until now.

• Gone are the days when folks were forced to practice their craft in secret.
• Today, you can get your hands on the legal version of West Virginia moonshine in artisanal distilleries all over the state.
• If you’re planning a trip in West Virginia, take a detour to one of these nine Mountain State distilleries, where you can sample years of fine-tuning, get advice on how best to drink the spirit and purchase a mason jar or two to take home and share with friends.

If you’re going with a group of people and would like a tour or tasting, it’s considered good manners to call ahead and let them know you’re coming. We can’t think of many better ways to spend a day in the mountains of West Virginia. Appalachian Distillery www.appalachian-moonshine.com Appalachian Distillery was born from the dream of two former West Virginia coal miners who have a family history of moonshine production.

1. This Ripley, WV-based distillery is making waves in the mountains with its variety of moonshine flavors, including Caramel Apple, Strawberry Lemonade and plain Straight Moon.
2. The distillery is open for tours and tastings Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
3. Stop by and see a production style based on how the old-timers did it, and pick up a bottle or two while you’re there.

Black Draft Distillery www.blackdraftdistillery.com Named in honor of the owners’ much-loved draft horse, Biscuit, this relatively new distillery has people in the Eastern Panhandle talking thanks to its high-quality, authentic moonshine. Don’t mistake it for the harsh White Lightning you may have passed around a campfire in days gone by, though, because, as the owners say, “This ain’t your college bathtub juice.” In fact, the distillery’s First Harvest Moonshine is made from local, non-GMO corn and blended with Berkeley Springs water.

This West Virginia spirits manufacturer is slowly expanding throughout the state and even into Maryland and Washington, D.C., and it’s definitely worth a visit to see the distillery’s inner workings. Black Draft Distillery offers free tours and tastings by appointment on Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Bloomery Plantation Distillery www.bloomerysweetshine.com Bloomery Plantation Distillery’s SweetShines offer a bit of a twist on the usual mason jar swig by using a moonshine base and expanding on it to create a host of mouth-watering flavors. From awarding-winning Black Walnut and Pumpkin Spice to the one-of-a-kind Ginger Shine and Chocolate Raspberry, Bloomery’s SweetShines can be sipped or used to mix a wide variety of cocktails.

The entire process is done by hand, from growing and zesting the lemons to chopping the ginger, picking the raspberries, making the syrups and creating the labels. Distillery hours are Monday and Thursday, noon-6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., with live music on the weekends from 6-8 p.m.

Forks of Cheat Distillery www.facebook.com/ forks-of-cheat-distillery Specializing in authentic, small-batch Appalachian spirits, Forks of Cheat Distillery aims to delve into the spirits market with the same level of quality and attention to detail as they have with their now-famous winery.

1. Their moonshine products include Peach and the ever-popular Apple Pie Moonshine, made with West Virginia apples.
2. In addition, they also have other high-end spirits available for sampling at their facility.
3. Tours and tastings of their wine and spirits are available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Hatfield & McCoy Moonshine www.drinkofthedevil.com Hatfield & McCoy Moonshine claims theirs is the very first authentic mountain moonshine ever legally produced by the Hatfields and the McCoys. Their small-batch, 150-year-old family moonshine recipe with 100 percent West Virginia-grown corn, distilled in copper kettles, is the stuff of legends, much like their names.

• They offer regular ‘shine that goes down well neat or mixed with other spirits in cocktails, as well as Peach, Blackberry Cobbler and the ubiquitous Apple Pie.
• If you stop in for a tour, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., they’ll show you how they do the whole shebang, right down to the hand-bottling and hand-labeling.

Isaiah Morgan Distillery at Kirkwood Winery www.kirkwood-wine.com/isaiah-morgan-distillery Things began for Isaiah Morgan Distillery in 2002 when Rodney Facemire obtained a license for the smallest still in the nation, and the rest, as they say, is history.

• Today, guests can take a tour of the distillery Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and get a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making moonshine.
• Sampling of the distillery’s Southern Moon, along with other whiskey, grappa and bourbon products, is also available.
• As a long-established part of the West Virginia tourism industry and located close to the state’s whitewater epicenter, it would be foolish to miss them on your next trip through.

Mountain Mama Moonshine www.facebook.com/kbcdistilling Fresh entrepreneurial blood on the Logan County business scene, Mountain Mama Moonshine is focused on its community and a quality product. Case in point: their Coal Black Cherry moonshine is specially bottled and labeled in tribute to local West Virginia coal miners.

1. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Mountain Mama Moonshine provides tours and tastings at their Man facility as well as an opportunity to explore their gift shop for some specialty goods.
2. If you find yourself in this part of the state, stop on by and help support a local production.
3. Pinchgut Hollow Distillery at Heston Farm www.hestonfarm.com/distillery One of the only makers of buckwheat whiskey in the country, Pinchgut Hollow Distillery makes a variety of moonshine-style whiskeys—Apple Pie, Honey Peach, Corn and Buckwheat—in addition to their premium and novelty whiskeys, like Ramp Shine and Rhubarb.

Since the distillery is part of the well-established 200-acre Heston Farm facilities, guests can participate in on-site activities, enjoy a tour or even reserve space to host a wedding or corporate event. The owner does most of the distillery tours himself, and guests can get a taste of Pinchgut’s goods in their tasting room Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

• RADA Brand Appalachian Spirits at Flying Squirrel Ranch & Farm www.flyingsquirrelranch.com/distillery Produced and barreled in small, 20-liter batches, RADA Brand Appalachian Spirits is the result of a true homegrown enterprise.
• Located at Flying Squirrel Ranch & Farm, the craft distillery may be small but takes enormous pride in its spirits, right down to the water used to distill its products.

In addition to RADA’s popular Howlin’ Shine, which is a blend of whiskey, apple brandy and spice, the distillery also offers generous tastings of all their spirits, from brandy to gin. Operating hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., May through November, and if you bring your own bottle, they’ll even fill it to the legal level on-site.

Is making moonshine illegal West Virginia?

This article is originally posted on the West Virginia Encyclopedia’s website and gives an excellent history of moonshine. Author attribution is listed below. The making of illegal or moonshine whiskey has a long history in West Virginia and elsewhere.

1. The word entered the English language about 1785 when white brandy was smuggled on the southeast England coast of Kent and Sussex.
2. Those who made or transported the beverage worked under moonlight to escape the law.
3. Moonshine is illegal because producers do not abide by state or federal laws regarding the licensure, manufacture, sale, and taxation of distilled spirits.

In West Virginia, field corn, soft creek water, and industrious farmers came together to make moonshine, sometimes also called mountain dew or white lightning. Moonshine is typically 100-proof whiskey, aged little or none, and was an important cash crop. From the mid-18th century, settlers from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England came to the mountains with distilling equipment and the necessary know how. They quickly adapted their Old World recipes to include American field corn. Whiskey was drunk in far greater quantities than today and used to barter for salt, nails, and taxes.

1. Some used it to buy property, and a good copper still and the condensing coil or ‘‘worm” had considerable value themselves.
2. On March 3, 1791, soon after the colonies became a nation, Congress imposed the first taxes on stills and whiskey.
3. Such laws caused the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, an uprising in western Pennsylvania and parts of present West Virginia.

The settlers, mainly Scotch-Irish, saw the tax as unfair. President Washington himself led troops to stop the rioting, and the federal government kept the tax in force for 11 years. Whiskey remained untaxed from then until 1862, except for three years following the War of 1812.

• About 1910, states began to enact state prohibition laws in anticipation of the great national drought soon to follow.
• West Virginia prohibition took effect in 1914.
• Then, from 1920 until 1933 the U.S.
• Government enforced nationwide prohibition, causing a dramatic increase in moon shining.
• Even when national prohibition ended, parts of the South remained dry.

In any case, some imbibers remained partial to clear mountain whiskey, and illegal distilling continued. After 1950, as local prohibition laws were voted out and economic conditions improved, the demand for illegal whiskey fell and production of moonshine declined.

1. Mountaineers traditionally used corn in making moonshine.
2. The first step was to sprout the corn, then crush the sprouted grain and mix with water.
3. This mixture, called mash, was fermented in open barrels.
4. If moonshiners had yeast and used it, the fermentation took up to four days; if they didn’t have yeast and if the weather was cool, fermentation took longer, maybe two weeks.

When fermentation was complete, the mildly alcoholic liquid, now called beer, was ready to distill or ‘‘run off.” The beer was heated in the still’s pot or copper kettle to the temperature, well below boiling, when alcoholic vapors rise from the liquid.

These vapors were condensed back to liquid in the worm, a coil of copper tubing which passes through a cooling water bath. Each batch was typically run off two or more times to get the maximum whiskey from the fixings. Illegal whiskey is still made and readily available to those who know where to look for it.

Homemade corn liquor is just about a thing of the past, however, since sugar is now usually substituted for most of the grain. Story credit: Sohn, Mark F. “Moonshine.” e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia.20 October 2010.

How long does it take to get a liquor license in WV?

The West Virginia liquor license process typically takes between 30 and 120 days, but if there are issues that come up throughout the process, it can go up to 175 days or longer.

What proof does moonshine have to be?

What Proof is Moonshine Usually? – With a reputation for being notoriously potent, moonshine is known for having a strong “kick” to it. When it comes to what proof moonshine is, the figure usually hovers around 150 proof, which is about 75 percent alcohol.

This number can vary and depends on a lot of different factors. In the United States, corn-whiskey is capped at 62.5 percent for it to be legally distributed and must be distilled to no more than 80 percent ABV, or 160 proof. Moonshine veterans can tell the proof of their moonshine by simply observing the bubbles that form after shaking a jar of moonshine.

Larger bubbles indicate a higher alcohol content, whereas smaller bubbles that disappear slowly indicate a lower alcohol content in the liquid. Those who have been making moonshine for years are even able to match the readings of a hydrometer by simply observing the moonshine and bubble patterns.

What proof does alcohol have to be to be considered moonshine?

What Proof is Moonshine? – Without going into specific details just yet, proof moonshine is a pretty strong concoction. It has high alcohol content, a glass or two is more than what you probably need. On average, a proof moonshine could range somewhere between 100 to 150 proof.

Is it illegal to make moonshine in Virginia for personal use?

It’s illegal to make moonshine for personal consumption. (You can, however, own and operate a still to process alcohol for fuel-with proper permits.) Making liquor may sound fun, but it can be deadly if not done properly.

What alcohol is West Virginia known for?

West Virginia has a long history of making moonshine in the hills.

Is it illegal to make moonshine in Virginia?

The days of illegal moonshine are long gone. Or are they? A visit to Franklin County is a visit to “the moonshine capital of the world” and “the wettest county in the world.” Nowadays distilling spirits is legal in Virginia, but that requires licensing and tax payments.

Franklin County Distilleries Twin Creeks Distillery Blue Ridge Institute & Museum Franklin County Historical Society

Is it illegal to make moonshine in Virginia for personal use?

It’s illegal to make moonshine for personal consumption. (You can, however, own and operate a still to process alcohol for fuel-with proper permits.) Making liquor may sound fun, but it can be deadly if not done properly.

Is it legal to make moonshine anywhere in the US?

Where is Moonshine Legal? – Even though there is a federal law against moonshine, there are several states that still allow it. it. In Alaska, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Missouri, you can produce moonshine for personal consumption only. Arizona requires a permit to produce your own moonshine.

Massachusetts mandates that moonshine is consumed on your own property only. Any transporting will be seen as an attempt to sell, which will result in steep fines. Missouri puts a 200 gallon per year on the amount of moonshine that can be produced. North Dakota has an interesting law regarding the production and consumption of moonshine.

State law makes it legal to produce personal-use moonshine with one limitation; people can only produce up to the federally allowed number of gallons. Since the federal law bans moonshine production, this means people could produce zero gallons.