2 ms·

Who is to say what you are distilling? Perhaps you are experimenting with ethanol production. Or perhaps you are developing perfumes. Or perhaps your still has

Who is to say what you are distilling? Perhaps you are experimenting with ethanol production. Or perhaps you are developing perfumes. Or perhaps your still has less than a liter of capacity. Or perhaps nobody is ever going to find your still if you aren't distilling enough to pull an Al Capone and try to skip out on giving the IRS their due :)

giantg2 5y ago
You can distill vinegar legally. You can distill ethanol as a fuel with the correct permits. Still size doesn't matter - any size for ethanol is illegal to operate without the proper permits. To me, the point of being able to share my creations would open it up to being discovered. Not to mention, it's pretty obvious that your not making fuel when aging in casks. I really don't feel like opening myself up to felony charges for making a few gallons. I also don't feel like creating a separate property (cannot distill spirits on a residential property) and a $10k bond (minimum allowed amount) to distill for personal use.
- moron4hire 5y ago
  While all technically true, functionally how would you ever get caught? All of the major beer microbreweries that got started in the 90s were started by people who were illegally homebrewing before homebrew laws were reformed in the late 70s. With something like marijuana, you have to first acquire supply from someone who has a very small chance of being a cop or police informant, yet I still know tons of people who smoke weed and have been doing so for years with essentially 0 fear of getting caught because they aren't running around, doing it in public. If people got caught for even 1% of the speeding we all do on the highway, we all would have lost our licenses years ago, and that's a violation that is being commited in public! But with a still, you can get everything you need on Amazon and nobody is checking up on it.
  - giantg2 5y ago
    "functionally how would you ever get caught?" Most people get caught because of some other issue. It could be that you needed a home repair, had guests over, etc and someone saw something and reported it. It could be that you're investigated for some other issue. It could be that someone posts something online or in a text and you're later investigated for something else. Yes, there's a very small chance of getting caught doing a number of things if you do it right. Even the overall murder solve rate (which includes non-prosecutions for weak cases or lacking evidence) is only about 70% in the US, and I imagine that many of the ones caught don't do it "right". But it's the value proposition that matters. Is it worth making a couple of gallons of alcohol that I could legally purchase for a few hundred dollars or less when there's a small chance of me going to prison for years and owing tens of thousands in fines and fees? Remember, we don't have a justice system, but merely a legal system. They would not hesitate to ruin my life and my family over a few gallons of illegally produced liquor, as they've done it to others.
    - moron4hire 5y ago
      Most of those who get caught. Most people don't get caught.
      - giantg2 5y ago
        Again, value proposition and risk tolerance. I don't care that most don't get caught. I care about the very small chance of a very strict, life ruining, punishment. Same with home insurance - low chance of needing it, but the cost of it burning down without it is very high.

giantg2 5y ago

You can distill vinegar legally. You can distill ethanol as a fuel with the correct permits. Still size doesn't matter - any size for ethanol is illegal to operate without the proper permits. To me, the point of being able to share my creations would open it up to being discovered. Not to mention, it's pretty obvious that your not making fuel when aging in casks. I really don't feel like opening myself up to felony charges for making a few gallons. I also don't feel like creating a separate property (cannot distill spirits on a residential property) and a $10k bond (minimum allowed amount) to distill for personal use.

moron4hire 5y ago
While all technically true, functionally how would you ever get caught? All of the major beer microbreweries that got started in the 90s were started by people who were illegally homebrewing before homebrew laws were reformed in the late 70s. With something like marijuana, you have to first acquire supply from someone who has a very small chance of being a cop or police informant, yet I still know tons of people who smoke weed and have been doing so for years with essentially 0 fear of getting caught because they aren't running around, doing it in public. If people got caught for even 1% of the speeding we all do on the highway, we all would have lost our licenses years ago, and that's a violation that is being commited in public! But with a still, you can get everything you need on Amazon and nobody is checking up on it.
- giantg2 5y ago
  "functionally how would you ever get caught?" Most people get caught because of some other issue. It could be that you needed a home repair, had guests over, etc and someone saw something and reported it. It could be that you're investigated for some other issue. It could be that someone posts something online or in a text and you're later investigated for something else. Yes, there's a very small chance of getting caught doing a number of things if you do it right. Even the overall murder solve rate (which includes non-prosecutions for weak cases or lacking evidence) is only about 70% in the US, and I imagine that many of the ones caught don't do it "right". But it's the value proposition that matters. Is it worth making a couple of gallons of alcohol that I could legally purchase for a few hundred dollars or less when there's a small chance of me going to prison for years and owing tens of thousands in fines and fees? Remember, we don't have a justice system, but merely a legal system. They would not hesitate to ruin my life and my family over a few gallons of illegally produced liquor, as they've done it to others.
  - moron4hire 5y ago
    Most of those who get caught. Most people don't get caught.
    - giantg2 5y ago
      Again, value proposition and risk tolerance. I don't care that most don't get caught. I care about the very small chance of a very strict, life ruining, punishment. Same with home insurance - low chance of needing it, but the cost of it burning down without it is very high.