Home Distillation of Alcohol

Summary
A collection of personal experience and useful resources I have found on the web & in the
discussion groups to further the fun & science of making homemade alcohol.

I'm still learning about the art of distilling - I've only been running for a couple of years now (since
'97), first using a Still Spirits 20L Reflux still to knock up neutral spirits, then moving up to a
"offset head" design to make it at 190 proof. I'm a Chemical Engineer by trade, with home brewing
as a somewhat limited sideline hobby - a dangerous combination.

Distillation is simply the collection of the ethanol (alcohol) that was made during fermentation. It is
the process of heating up the liquid so that it becomes a vapour, then condensing the vapour on a
cold surface & collecting it. This works due to the fact that the vapour will contain more alcohol
than the liquid it is boil off, because of the different physical properties of water and ethanol. We
can then make the vapour more pure by letting it be "stripped" of its water content by passing it up
through a packed column which has some condensed vapour running back down through it as
liquid. When the two pass each other, the vapour will absorb alcohol from the falling liquid, and the
liquid will take some of the water from the vapour. Distilling doesn't "make" the alcohol, nor turn
some of it "bad", or into something that will blind you; its only collecting the alcohol that was made
during fermentation.

The following pages will guide you on how to prepare the sugar feedstock, distill it, then dilute, age
& flavor it. They also cover how to make a still and where to buy them.

There's two ways to go with home distillation;

 Use a wash of just sugar, water, nutrients & yeast to distill a tasteless & odourless vodka,
using a REFLUX still. This is then flavoured using either essences or fruits (see the links
about Liqueurs). Many of the commercially available flavourings are near spot-on, and hard
to tell from the real thing. Real easy.
 Get a little fancier, and use grains (corn, rye, barley, wheat ..) to try and duplicate your
favourite whiskey, bourbon ...etc, using either a POT or REFLUX still.

Ferment these up like you do home-made beer, then pass it through a still to collect the alcohol, and
you're ready to party.

See how ya go, and keep it safe.

Tony Ackland

Extended Bio

I first got into distilling in '97, when coming back to New Zealand to work for a few months on
secondment. Heard an advert on the radio for making cheap alcohol, and thought I'd take a look
(thinking it was just someone flogging food grade ethanol and essences). Got a hell of a shock to
find this shop (The Brewers Barn) openly selling stills, and all the other equipment required. Was
very pleasantly surprised to learn that it was absolutely legal as well. The Govt had got smart in my
absence. What a golden opportunity to be able to apply my years of study to a useful & practical
hobby (I'd always enjoyed the equilibrium, heat-mass transfer side of Chemical Engineering, but
Page 1 of 48
had ended up doing R&D work in designing, making & operating aluminium reduction cells).

The stills back then were very basic - either pot stills or basic reflux stills. I settled for a "Spirits
Unlimited" 20L reflux still. I cleaned off all the markings, and sent it home in a couple of different
pieces. I continued to visit NZ frequently, and became good friends with Pete, who showed me the
basics of distilling; we spent many an evening trying out the new essences as they became available
too. (I've since come back, and settled down in NZ permenantly).

At that point, I was eager to learn as much as I could about the subject of distilling. Unfortunately,
there wasn't a lot of good information about. The commercial distilling sites tell you nothing - how
they make their single malts etc is all a huge secret that they'd only mention in the broadest of
terms. What information was available on the net was often downright wrong and/or dangerous.
Scare tactics were prevalent - warnings like .."any alcohol collected outside of 76-82C will KILL
YOU" with no basis to back them up. Suggestions to start your mash fermenting by spitting in it.
There were a couple of books available, but often they were advertised with so little description, it
would have been a gamble to try them. Because of the illegality of the subject, most sources dealt
with distilling as some sort of counter-terrorist or moonshine hick angle.

I started with Wheeler & Willmotts "Spirits Unlimited" book. This was very comprehensive as a
starting text. Every time I distilled I re-read the relevent chapters, and bit by bit it started making
more sense.

I was very interested in designing a better still, but there was little information available about it, so
I started going back over my Engineering books. So I started putting together a spreadsheet that
would do all the calculations for me, based on first principles. That was the basis for all the
calculators on this site.

As I started learning more, I began collating all my information in this website. It was orginally
intended as a single page step-by-step list of instructions, but it just kept growing. Scouring the
libraries for books, and finding more web sites, I slowly pieced together bits of this jigsaw, trying to
seperate practical experiences and fundamental information away from misinformation.

My reflux still was only doing about 75% purity. So I began to play around with it, to try and
improve it. I didn't do too much - added some more packing to it, and increased the reflux cooling.
Soon it was doing 85% purity.

Not too much later, I came across the "Distillers" newsgroup at Onenet. This was a web based
forum, where you could send your email question to, and all the members would recieve it too. If
they knew the answer or close to it, they'd mail the reply back to the group. Wow ! This was huge. I
could finally discuss distilling with like-minded interested people. The newsgroup just kept
improving. It also got sold/traded a few times, and now sits with Yahoo, at www.yahoogroups.com
This group has since provided me with most of the content for this site - as they've dicussed their
learnings & trials & experiments, I've snipped their comments and kept them here.

In the years since, I've managed to collate quite a wee wealth of information here. None of it is
rocket science, nor a black art, but rather a logical set of basics, with just a couple of twists thrown
in. There aren't too many absolute truths - often there are many ways to reach the same objective,
and quite often there's opposing opinions too. My idea is to provide all this for free, and to promote
discussion. If its freely available, then theres no reason for anyone to do it unsafely, due to lack of
knowledge or misinformation. By discussing the issues, and probing to find the answers, we can
dispell many of the myths, and learn how to make a decent product in the process. Showing it as an
educated, safe hobby, will be the only basis for further legalisation of it in other countries.

One of the best recommendations from the newsgroup was the "Gin & Vodka" book by John Stone
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& Mike Nixon. This took the still design to the next level - using a tall column, well packed, with a
controlable amount of reflux happening at the very top of it. Initially I put this type of still in the
category of "for puritists" - guys on the outer extremes of distilling, and didn't think it in my reach. I
was more than happy with my 85% purity. How wrong ! Pete was good enough to invite me to a
demonstration of the "Euro" still - a NZ copy of the Desti. That was where I got to taste some
alcohol which had been distilled off at 93%. So clean ! It made such a difference to the essences.
That was it. I had a local engineering firm make me up a still based on the Nixon-Stone design, and
I've never looked back. 95%+ is actually incredibly easy to achieve. The still doesn't cost any more,
it is far easier to run, and the quality of the spirit is awesome. I don't even bother with polishing
mine with carbon anymore (very much required when 75-85% !)

Since then, I've been having a wee quest of how to improve the flavours & aging. I'm now loath to
use essences, and would like to make a decent whisky all by myself. But I don't want to do it the
long way. So I keep experimenting with how to cheat the flavours. I'm sure it will keep me occupied
for many years - I'm far from satisfied with what I'me making at present. Not that it stops me
drinking it though; need to empty the bottles to make space for the next batch !

Its proved a fantastic hobby, not only for the most productive & sayting results, but also with the
many people I've met along the way. Most are only of e-mail acquantance, however I feel I've got to
know them well. Some I've had the pleasure of meeting. They're from all around the globe, each
with their own spin on things, learnings & experiences.

One thing I will comment/rant on though is that most of the hobby stills sold commercially are
substandard. They are not designed based on an understanding of distillation, but rather are
modified forms of earlier stills. Yes they do make alcohol, but often far below their true potential.
One common mistake is to put cooling tubes through the lower portion of the column. You will
never find an industrial distillation column built this way. Do the condensing all at the top, and
strive to keep an equilibrium all the way down the column.

Don't however underestimate the fun you can have with a pot still - particularly if you want
something with a bit of flavour. I have recently been privaledged to use a hand-made copper still
made by David Reis (homedistiller@copper-alembic.com) of "Destilarias Eau-de-Vie" in Portugal.
More of his stills are shown in www.copper-alembic.com/

My report back to David ..

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 had the good fortune this weekend to use the alembic that you sent me. Easy to use, and an
excellent result. Its a great looking piece of work - polished up nicely, with the brass handles
& classical design. Are those dimples hand beaten ? I normally have it out on display in our
family room (on top of the bookshelf). Almost a pity to get it dirty. I cleaned out the still as
you instructed, then got to work.

The biggest hassle was finding somewhere to set it up with enough space for the condenser.
Finally worked out how to sit it on the wok-burner that's on my barbeque (see photo above).
Filled the condenser with ice, and had a simple overflow out into the garden. Made up the
rye-putty as you instructed - and had fun putting in on. Works really well doesn't it - that's
the first time I have tried a flour dough to seal with ! The joints fit well, and its stable when
full.

Last week I had started a brew off, using 1.7kg of liquid malt, about 4 cups of sugar, and
made it up to 15L with water. Used just a normal beer yeast & some powdered enzyme to
help convert the malt out fully. It fermented in about 4-5 days (and was a really nice beer !),
and so got to settle for a couple of days.

I made a classic beginners mistake though - overfilled the alembic. I put about 7L in,
thinking that would leave enough headspace for foam, but I was wrong. When it came up to
the boil I got about 1L out straight away, before it settled down to the real stuff. I ended up
running the 15L of beer through it in three batches - as a stripping run. I had put a small
thermocouple in under the lip of the pot, and could easily measure the vapour temperature
there. I collected right up to about 96C. All that stripped material I then passed through a
second time. Collected about 1L at 70% strength as the main run, then switched to tails for
the last 3/4L from about 88C onwards.

The main whisky smells fantastic already - a nice sweet taste to it, and it wont need much
time on oak at all. I have tried making similar with my reflux still (at a low reflux ratio), but
this has resulted in quite a different flavour - a lot fuller, and nicer.

Thank you again so much for the opportunity to use your alembic. Looks great, and works
well too.

I'll now have to go find some suitable fruit, and see about making a calvados or schnapps in
it !

Page 4 of 48
 Tony's Steps to Making Homemade Alcohol
For full details, read the rest of http://homedistiller.org/
Also, join the and READ the forums Homedistiller Forums
This 'parent' site contains a wealth of informtion, but is somewhat static. The forums are VERY
dynamic, and cutting edge.
1. Check that its legal to distil in your country (it probably ain't).
2. Make sure you clearly understand what you're doing.
3. Make or buy a decent still. Only use a POT still if you intend on making whiskey/schnapps
etc (ie flavoured by the mash). Use a REFLUX or FRACTIONATING still to make neutral
(tasteless) alcohol to flavour up later.
4. To prepare 18-20 L of wash for use ....
o Whiskey : Heat 4 kg cracked or crushed malt with 18 L of water to 63-65oC, and
hold there for 1-1.5 hours. Heat to 73-75oC, then strain off and keep liquid, using 250
mL of hot water to rinse the grains (should have an initial specific gravity of 1.050).
o Vodka : dissolve 5 kg of sugar & 60 g of nutrients in 20 L of water
o Rum : as per vodka, but use some brown sugar or mollasses, to give an initial
specific gravity (SG) of around 1.06 - 1.07.
5. Cool the wash to below 30oC, then add hydrated yeast.
6. Ferment the wash at a constant 25oC until airlock stops bubbling.
7. Let settle for a day, then syphon carefully into the still.
8. Bring up to boiling temperature (start the cooling water through the condensors once you get
to about 50-60oC), then once it has started distilling;
o Discard the first 50 mL's (this may contain some methanol),
o Collect the next 2-3L of distillate.
o Segregate the distillate into 500 mL containers as you collect it.
o Stop distilling once the temperature gets to 96oC (else the flavours get nasty).
o Set aside any distillate which smells of tails/fusels. This can be added to the wash of
the next run, and cleaned up then.
9. Turn off the power, then the cooling water. Open the lid, so that it doesn't create a vacuum
inside the still & crush it. Wash up the still, dry it well, and then store/hide the pieces.
10. If you've made a neutral spirit, dilute it down to 30-50 % purity, then soak it with carbon for
a week or two to help clean up any flavours still present.
11. Dilute it down to drinking strength (20-40%), then age and flavour the spirit, using either
commercial essences, oak chips, fruits.
12. Find a comfortable spot to sit, put on your music of choice, then sip & enjoy with the ones
you love.
13. If you have any questions, ask them on the Homedistiller Forums. This is a very active
group of people, and questions are answered rapidly.

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Words of Wisdom
An interesting topic on the newsgroup was one of "if there were just three bits of advice to pass
onto someone starting distilling, what would they be ?" The replies are listed below.

Travellerwiz:

Patience + Persistence = Results

Clete:

1. read every word of "homedistiller.org" at least three times.

2. wait till the enthusiasm wears off a little prior to getting confused/asking questions.
3. ease into it slow & take notes (just like your building your first customized harley)

Mark:

1. READ, READ, READ! There is so much good information available that there is no excuse for
getting a bad start. You are NOT alone!
2. Fermentation. Sanatize everything involved in the fermentation process. Boil all of the water
used to make a mash. Perform aeration (aquarium pump & stone) prior to adding yeast. Use enough
yeast. Keep fermenting wash below 30 C, 20 to 25 is better yet.
3. Use a PROVEN still design (experiment later, when you have a quantity of your own hootch to
help sort out ideas).
4. RELAX! ENJOY! SHARE WITH FRIENDS! Keep records. Start a 3 ring binder, and stuff it
with notes and recipes. Keep it next to the throne and read it often.
5. Avoid "my still is bigger than your still" discussions.

Randy:

1. Read everything you can find about what distilling and fermentation and the products that you
intend to make. A good web search engine is a life saver here. A good starting place, is to search the
Homedistiller Forum's google search . Lots of information available with a better search function
2. Decide what kind of product that you want to make. If you want to make schnapps, brandies or
grain whisky's a pot still is better suited for your goals. If you want to make vodkas and gins then a
packed column will suit your goals better.
3. Develop a plan to accomplish your goals.
4. Ask questions from people who have done it before. Then ask some more questions. 3 people can
read a question written by somebody else and see three whole different ways to answer it.
5. Avoid buying a whole bunch of expensive fancy equipment until you know that this hobby is
what you expected it to be. Lots of equipment can be substituted with less expensive (or free) items.
Ask what equipment is absolutely necessary.
6. Keep notes about what did and did not work. Sometimes even when everything seems to have
gone wrong, something will have gone right and you might want to duplicate the effort.
7. Recycle all projects that did not meet your expectations. Ethanol is ethanol is ethanol and it is
never wasted until you dump it down the drain. I made my best batch of whisky/rum hybrid mixture
one time from recycling stock of batches that did not work out. I wish I knew what all was in those
jugs because the finished product was sure tasty. There was corn whisky, sorghum molasses rum,
fermented mellon, fermented watermellon, ect ect, and that is just what I remember.
8. Use a proven design. The time for new designs if for after you gain some experience actually
accomplishing your goals.

Page 6 of 48
Rev. Cunningham:

1. Learn how to ferment something drinkable BEFORE you even think about building a still.
2. Learn from every mistake ever made---yours and others.
3. Figure out why it is that you want to distill, and see if distilling is really for you---or if it would
be better to just buy a few bottles of Vodka and learn to make drinks that way.
4. Tell no one about your hobby (if you live in a place that it is illegal)
5. Remember that this is a fun hobby and not an excuse to become more of an alcoholic.

Michael:

Mine would be:

1. Keep trying.
2. Do not be put off by failures.
3. Your product will improve.
4. Take it slow and do not rush.
5. Use all 5 senses. Smell, taste, hear, see and feel it.

Harley:

#1....read
#2....read
#3....read
#4....ask questions about what you cant comprehend from reading
#5....distill your wash,utilizing your most valuable asset,common sense....:>)

Johan:

1. Get a basic understanding how distillation works.

2. Check your needs, what kind of liquor would you like to do?
3. Don't build a monster machine if you don't need huge amounts of liquor, see it from a practical
view.
4. Relax, if it didn't turn out the way you wanted to, try again, you'll get it right in time. Learning is
the fun process.
5. Don't be afraid to ask, no one knows it all, not even the ones who claims to.

Alex:

pick someone's else success and repeat it

Shane:

1: Read and re read homedistillation.org.

2: Ask questions here (Distillers newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com).
3: Don't build a still without advice from the group.
4: Do quite a few sugar washes before attempting grain/mollasses type washes.
5: Listen to the group even if you don't like the answers.

Rob:

Read as much as you can from a wide variety of sources. Get a good book or two with illustrations
of how to build and operate a still. Build a small one first, not too large. You can practice your
workshop skills. Join a club or news group and LISTEN to all opinions, ask questions, and after
awhile, filter out the stuff that you don't believe fits in with the your accumulated experience.
Page 7 of 48
Believe in your own abilities, and get on and do it.

PJ:

1) Research and then do it again.....

2) Read - Read - Read - etc... - You get the idea..
3) Decide - On what you Want to achieve...
4) READ - read - Read - etc....
5) Build the vechicle that will achive your goals ----
6) Savour, taste and evaluate -
7) Research and Read - Read - etc..
8) Figure it all out.. IF you can...
9) Ask Tony, Alex, Mike & Mike where and why you screwed up...
10) lol....!!!

Page 8 of 48
New Distillers FAQ
******************************************************************
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Feb'03)

Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at

www.yahoogroups.com

Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony
Ackland (Tony.Ackland@comalco.riotinto.com.au), however please direct any general questions to
the newsgroup itself.

*******************************************************************

1) Is distilling hard to do ?
2) Is it legal ?
3) Will it make me blind ?
4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ?
5) How do I get or make a still ?
6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ?
7) Should I use sugar or grains ?
8) Can I use fruit wine ?
9) How do I make a Turbo-all-sugar wash ?
10) How do I run a Pot still ?
11) How do I run a Reflux still ?
12) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ?
13) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ?
14) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ?
15) Why do my spirits turn cloudy when diluted ?
16) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ?
17) What web resources are there ?
18) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ?
19) Can I run my car on it ?
20) How do I convert between gallons and litres and ....
21) What is a "Thumper" ?
22) Can methylated spirits be made safe to drink ?

**********************************************************************

1) Is distilling hard to do ?

Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To
distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit
of information under your belt before you begin.

2) Is it legal ?

Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it,
but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This
action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally
due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to
distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications.
Page 9 of 48
3) Will it make me blind ?

Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths
of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol
(wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting
grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated
and discarded, and easily observed via changes in the vapour temperature. A simple rule of thumb
for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk
to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source.
So keep a fire extinguisher nearby.

The cases where you do hear about people poisoned by "illict spirits" have been the terrible
situations where adulterants such as methanol, antifreeze, battery acid etc have been added to the
spirits afterwards by unscrupulous sellers (for what misguided reasons ??). If you have had a
healthy fermentation take place, it is infact very difficult to make methanol. The other problems
have been lead poisoning when people have used lead-based products (ie lead solder) when
constructing their still, instead of something more appropriate for food-grade vessels. The rules
should infact be "dont buy spirits from an unknown supplier" - but its very safe to distill for
yourself.

4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ?

A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This
will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were
put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of
its flavour.

A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column
between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back
down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the %
purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The
advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for
mixing with flavours etc.

A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of
the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-
1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space
(pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without
using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it.

5) How do I get or make a still ?

If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say
copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. You don't really need any plans for these -
just follow any of the photos about.

Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux
still plans see
 There are 100's of designes in the reflux section, of the forums:
 The photos section for Offset head, designs and this section for general reflux stills.
 Alex's designs at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distillers/files/OFTS/
 Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.home-distilling.com , with full
design details.

Page 10 of 48
  For an excellent book on all aspects of still design, see "The Compleat Distiller" at
http://www.amphora-society.com
 See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills.
 For fuel alcohol stills see the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel manual at
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meToC.html, and the The
Manual for the Home and Farm Production of Alcohol Fuel by S.W. Mathewson at
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_manual/manual_ToC.html Regarding the
choice of heating for the still - if you have 240V available it is usually easiest to control &
safer (particularly with internal elements). Gas can be used, but more care is needed to keep
the collection container further away and not letting it overfill.

For more details on design, see Designs and Reflux Design

6)How do I make a whisky / vodka / rum / gin ?

Whiskey : Heat 4 kg cracked or crushed malt with 18 L of water to 63-65 °C, and hold there
for 1-1.5 hours. Heat to 73-75 °C, then strain off and keep liquid, using 250 mL of hot water
to rinse the grains. Cool to below 30 °C (should have an initial specific gravity of 1.050).
Add hydrated yeast & leave to ferment (maintain at 26 °C) until airlock stops bubbling and
final SG of around 1.010. Let settle for a day, then syphon carefully into a pot still. Discard
the first 50 mL's, collect the next 2-3L of distillate or until you start noticing the tails coming
through. Many people also have sucess starting with a beer-kit instead of using grains.

Vodka : dissolve 5 kg of sugar & 60 g of nutrients in 20 L of water, cool to below 30C and
add hydrated yeast. Leave to ferment at 25 °C until below an SG of around 0.990, then settle
for a day. Syphon into a reflux or fractionating still, and collect as per usual.

Rum : as per vodka, but use some brown sugar or mollasses, to give an initial specific
gravity (SG) of around 1.060 - 1.070. Run through either a pot still, or a de-refluxed reflux
still.

Gin : make a very pure vodka, then add the following essence. Simmer 35 g of juniper
berries in 350 mL of 50% vodka for ten minutes with the lid on, let cool overnight, then
filter through coffee filters. Use 5-10 mL of this essence per bottle of vodka.

When doing any fermenting, take a lot of care to ensure that any items used are clean/sterile
(soaking them in a water + bleach (10 mL per litre) ), or else the wash can start growing
other things. Use a closed fermenter with an airlock too, to let the CO2 out without letting
wild yeasts, bugs etc in. For more information about fermenting, see beer or wine
homebrewing sites.

7) Should I use sugar or grains/fruit ?

It depends on what sort of still you have, and what you are trying to make. If you have a
reflux or fractionating still, only use whatever is cheapest (usually sugar), as the refluxing
will strip out all the flavours anyhow. If you have a pot still, and are after a bourban or
whiskey, then you need to go the grain route, or mollasses if after a rum. If you are trying to
make a neutral spirit for flavouring, go for sugar.

Basic guidelines for using them are ..

SUGAR. Wine yeast can use no more than 2.5lbs of sugar/1imp gal or 2.2lb/1U.S.gal or
1.25kg/5litres of must. This will produce 14%a.b.v. Honey and liquid malt extract are 80%
sugar so you need 1.5kg/5l must or mash. Molasses is 50% sugar so you need 2.5kg/5l must
Page 11 of 48
 or mash. Maple syrup is 32% sugar. Carob beans are 45% sugar. Sugar beets are 15% sugar
Grain malt is 60% sugar (starch converted to sugars) so you need 1.5kg/5l mash. Cooked
grain contains 60% convertible starch so you need 1.5kg/5l mash

FRUIT - Grapes contain the ideal sugar, water, acid balance. A sugar content of 17-23% and
a water content of about 80%. 8kg of grapes produces 5l of wine.
Most common fruits (apples, plums, apricots) contain about 10% sugar and 85% water.
Cherries and figs contain 15% sugar. A fruit mash could be 4kg fruit, (400g sugar content),
2l water (3l in pulp already), 800g additional sugar.
Bananas are 17-24% sugar, 75% water. Acid content 0.3%. A banana mash could be 4kg of
cooked bananas, 2l water (3l in pulp already),400g sugar. Add 3lemons/5l for correct pH.
Dates are 70% sugar, 20% water. Add acid to a date mash.
Raisins and sultanas have a water content of about 15% and a sugar content of 60%, grapes
have a water content of 75% and a sugar content of about 20%, so using 1.5-2kg/5l of water
appears about right if we want to reconstitute them.

ACID - 5g of citric acid (1tsp)/5l must raises acidity by 0.1%. 3g of calcium carbonate
powder lowers acidity by 0.1%. A pH of 5 is 0.4% acidity. Winemakers aim for 0.6%
acidity. Most common fruits are about 0.6% acid content. For distilling, a higher acidity in
the mash helps to suppress bacteria. A high tannin content doesn't matter as we are not
making wine. Meaurements are logarithmic, so a pH of 4 is 10 times more acidic than a pH
of 5.

YEAST - Brewers (& possibly baker's yeast) can tolerate only 8% alcohol. A bottom
fermenting lager yeast ferments out all the sugars better than a top fermenting ale yeast. A
good wine yeast (Champagne, in the right conditions, can tolerate 15%a.b.v. (up to
18%a.b.v. in optimal conditions - no need to use expensive turbos). Wild yeasts vary, but
some are very low - this is a risky path. Whisky distillers often use a combination of yeasts -
initially a brewer's yeast because they believe it effects the flavor.

8) Can I use fruit wine ?

Sure, if you have it available. Again, using a pot still will result in a
brandy/grappa/schnapps, whereas a reflux still will just strip it down to neutral spirit.

9) How do I make a Turbo-all-sugar wash ?

The first trick is to locate the "Turbo" yeasts - either try the New Zealand sites, or
www.brewhaus.com. Then, dissolve 5-6 kg of sugar with 2-3 L of boiling water, top up to 25
L with cold water, wait until its cooled below 24 °C, and then stir the yeast in, and close the
lid with an airlock. Keep at 24 °C until the SG has dropped below 1.010 Its then possible to
add extra sugar (1 kg at a time, dissolved in a little water) each time the SG has dropped
below 1.010. You should be able to add an extra 3-4 kg this way over a week. It should
finish around 0.980 - 0.990

10) How do I run a Pot Still ?

See How to use a Pot Still for details. A pot still is fairly straight forward to use. Turn it on.
Once the temperature is up to about 60 °C turn on the cooling water to the condensor. Make
sure you throw away the first 1 00 mL per 20L wash, as this will contain any methanol that
might be present. Segregate the distillate into 500 mL lots as it comes off. Only keep (for
drinking) that which doesn't contain fusels (smell off) - probably below about 92 ° C,
however you should keep distilling past here, untill about 96 ° C, as this fraction, although

Page 12 of 48
 high in tails and not good for drinking this time, can be added back to the next wash and
cleaned up OK then.

11) How do I run a Reflux / Fractionating Still ?

See How to Use a Reflux Still for details +/or variations. Also, see this post from the HD
forum: LM Still running instructions and a very good how to thread on running an older CM
type still is found at: Running a brewshop CM still
It is best to first equilibriate the column under total reflux for 10 minutes or so. This will
concentrate up the foreshots so that they can be removed first. Collect them one drip at a
time, for approx 50 mL per 25L wash, and throw away. You can then collect the remaining
run at a quicker rate. Adjust the reflux ratio (the ratio of how much of the total vapour is
returned as reflux) by varying either the rate of collection or rate of cooling water
(depending on still design) to maintain the purity you want. You can judge the purity by
measuring the vapour temperature. Target around 78.2 - 78.4 °C . Towards the end of the run
it will be hard to get a high enough reflux ratio to maintain the high purity / low
temperature. When the temperature has nudged up to around 80 °C quit collecting for
drinking, and collect the remainder as tails (for redistillation in the next run) up to around 96
°C .

12) Can I use a Reflux Still to make Rum or Whisky ?

Yes you can. To do so, you need to carefully monitor the various transitions between the
foreshots, heads, middle run, and tails, and time the collection of the middle run precisely.
The reflux still allows you to more precisely judge the changes between the various stages,
and hence target them accurately. A typical rum or whisky would be obtained by discarding
the foreshots, then collecting the heads, middle run, and then begin the tails, until the purity
has dropped to around 58-60% (82 °C). By altering when to start collecting, and how late to
time the final "cut", various flavour profiles will result. You'd collect it faster and at a
slightly lower reflux ratio than for a neutral spirit, as you want the flavour present.

13) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ?

You need a hydrometer. This is a wee float, with a scale inside it. The more alcohol that is
present, the lighter the density of the liquid, so the hydrometer sinks a bit lower. You then
just read off the scale how much alcohol is present. You need a seperate hydrometer for
measuring the density of the mash, as this is generally > 1.0, whereas the spirit is < 1.0, and
they can't accurately do both ends of the scale.

14) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ?

That "rough moonshine edge" or "off-taste / wet cardboard smell" is due to impurities such
as the higher order alcohols, known as cogeners or fusel oils. These will be present more
when using a pot still, less if using a reflux still, and just about absent if using a fractionating
column. So one way is to use a taller packed column and increase the amount of reflux
occuring. They can also indicate that you've tried to collect too much of the alcohol, and
have run into the "tails"; so finish collecting a little bit earlier next time. Soaking tainted
alcohol with activated carbon for a week (or even months) will help remove some of this
flavour - this is known as "polishing" the spirit. I'm also suspecting that you need a little bit
of copper somewhere in the still where it can come in contact with the vapour. The copper
helps catalyse some of the sulphur, esters & organic acids, reducing their odour & taste.

15) Why do my spirits turn cloudy when diluted ?

Page 13 of 48
 With neutral spirits, either you have pushed 'tails' into your product (eg collected too much
product from the still - quit earlier next time), or you are using poor tap-water (high in
calcium carbonate). If it happens when diluting your gin, sambuca or the like, its because
there is too little alcohol/too much oil present and the oils are no longer dissolved. Either
drink it cloudy or increase the % alcohol present.

16) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ?

There are now many commercial flavourings available, which turn vodka or neutral alcohol
into pretty decent gin or whiskey, or all manor of liqueurs. See the commercial sites, Ray
Toms http://moonshine.co.nz/ for details. Or you can soak it with oak chips and make
whiskey, or soak fruits in it to make your own liqueurs. There are many websites describing
how to make liqueurs - see Liqueurs or http://www.guntheranderson.com for a starting
point.

17) What web resources are there ?

For more details, see :

THIS website :)
user FORUMS. The information filled user interactive Forums for THIS website.
Biofuels Library

18) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ?

Both the NEW DISTILLERS and the DISTILLERS news groups are available via
YahooGroups, at http://www.yahoogroups.com . NEW DISTILLERS is, as the name
suggests, intended for those of you new to distilling and after simple, straight-forward
answers to questions, whereas the DISTILLERS group discussions are a bit more advanced,
throwing in bits of design philosophy, theory, and alternative ways of achieving the results.
Both tend to overlap to some extent.

19) Can I run my car on it ?

You can run your car on alcohol over about 80% purity. Because any water present will
seperate out in the presence of the gasoline (and become a problem), you either need to
exclusively use the alcohol, or dry it right out (eg 99%+ purity) if using it to mix with
gasoline. See Steve Spences site for more details, the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel manual, or
the The Manual for the Home and Farm Production of Alcohol Fuel. In addition, in the
USA, you can get a "small fuel producer" permit, which allows small scale distilling for
"motor fuel" purposes. A nice advantage is that they don't require denaturing for "fuel" used
on the premises.

20) How do I convert between gallons and litres and ....

To convert between SI & Imperial units, multiply the first unit by the conversion factor to
get the second. Divide back to do it in reverse .eg 1L = 0.264 US gal, so 20 L = 20 x 0.264 =
5.28 US gal, and 20 US gal / 0.264 = 75.76 L

1 L = 0.264 US gal = 0.221 UK gal

1 L = 1.057 US qt = 0.880 UK qt
1 kg = 2.204 lbm = 32.15 oz (troy) = 35.27 oz (av)
deg F = ((9/5) x deg C )+ 32
1m = 1000 mm = 39.37 inch = 3.28 ft = 1.09 yd
Page 14 of 48
 21) What is a "Thumper" ?

A "thumper" is an extra chamber sometimes fitted to a pot still. It can be as simple as a glass
jar with two holes in the lid. The off-take from the still is fed into it, with the pipe running
almost all the way to the bottom of the jar; the jar is half filled with liquid (water or mash or
tails) so that the vapour from the still will bubble up through it; then the vapour coming off
it is collected & cooled as per normal. It acts as a second distilling chamber using just the
heat from the vapour, and lifts the purity from 50-60% to 70-80%, hence improving what
might otherwise be a very mediocre design. Don't make the thumper too small, and start it
off with liquid already high in alcohol.

22) Can Methylated Spirits be made safe to Drink ?

No. Methylated spirits (aka meths) is a mixture of ethanol and (poisonous) methanol, with a
denturant added to make it foul tasting. There is no effective way of seperating them, be it
by distilling, using carbon, or filtering through bread (old wives tale). Do not add meths to
anything you ever intend to distill or drink, and don't try using it in any form - it will still be
poisonous. Keep it for cleaning and starting the BBQ with. Likewise, you cant "clean up"
antifreeze in your still.

Page 15 of 48
Types of Stills

Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ?

A POT still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will
result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the
pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour.

Examples of Pot Stills

A REFLUX still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column
between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down
through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The
taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing
this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc.

Examples of Reflux Stills

A FRACTIONATING column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all or most of the vapour
at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say
600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space
Page 16 of 48
(pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a
vacuum is 95.6%), with no other tastes or impurities in it. Note that both reflux and fractionating stills can
still be used to make whisky, rum etc, as they allow a very precise "cut" between the heads, middle, and tail
runs.

Examples of Fractionating Columns

Page 17 of 48
Pot Stills

A POT still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will
result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the
pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour.

Examples of Pot Stills

Page 18 of 48
CM Reflux Stills

A REFLUX still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column
between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down
through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The
taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing
this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc.

Examples of Reflux Stills

Page 19 of 48
Fractionating Stills

A FRACTIONATING column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all or most of the vapour
at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say
600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space
(pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a
vacuum is 95.6%), with no other tastes or impurities in it. Note that both reflux and fractionating stills can
still be used to make whisky, rum etc, as they allow a very precise "cut" between the heads, middle, and tail
runs.

Examples of Fractionating Columns

Page 20 of 48
Safety
Summary
Will home-distilled alcohol make me go blind ? Not if you're carefull. This pervasive question is due to
moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is
due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small
amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is
easily segregated and discarded.
A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL (reflux still) you collect (per 20 L
mash used), or 100-200 mL from a pot still.

!! There is no safe way of denaturing methylated spirits. !!

The other impurities, which form the tails (known as cogeners or fusel oils) are quite a complex collection,
but mostly just smell/taste bad rather than are actually unsafe towards you.

Basic Safety Guidelines when Distilling

 Don't distill in a closed room. Try and keep some through-draught (eg both a window and door open)
 If your still leaks (liquid or steam) - fix it instead of using it
 Collect the alcohol securely - dont put yourself in a position where its easy to knock over the collection
vessel etc, or bump the tube out of it. This means having enough space to work in, well lit, tidy.
 Keep a fire extinguisher with you (and on your side of whatever is going to catch fire)
 If using electrical heating, have an RCD on the line (residual current device - a fancy circuit breaker)
 Check your still with water-only the first time you use it, to make sure your condensor is up to the job.
You dont want vapour coming out of the collection tube.
 Be sober - its not a time to be making drunken mistakes.
 Pay attention to the still - check it regularly (cooling water still flowing, no leaks, collecting nicely, all
temperatures OK)
 Do the maths - don't boil the still dry
 Make sure the outlet tube is free flowing - not crimped or blocked in any way.
 Make sure the still design is such that you can't pressurise the still - it should always be able to vent
somehow to atmosphere. There shouldn't be valves such that you can fully close the column off
 Don't smoke - you dont want ignition sources around a liquid as flamable as gasoline

Other Safety links

Ethanol Toxicity
Fire
Will I Go Blind ?
Methanol
Toxic
lead
Denatured Methanol
Fusels
Avoiding Hangovers

Page 21 of 48
Ethanol Toxicity
The greatest risk to anyone who drinks alcohol is the stock-standard pissed-as-a-newt high school
student style of alcohol poisoning. It tends to come from our culture of binge drinking, rather than
the more moderate consumption sometimes observed in Europe. Jack has the details ...
The fatal dose of ethanol is 300-400 mL of pure ethanol (600-800 mL of 50% spirits), for the
average adult if consumed in less than one hour.

Chronic users develop a tolerance to ethanol. Ethanol depresses the central nervous system
irregularly in descending order from cortex to medulla, depending on the amount ingested.
The range between a dose that produces anesthesia and one that impairs vital functions is
small. Thus, an amount that produces stupor is dangerously close to a fatal dose. Effects are
potentiated by concomitant ingestion of barbiturates and other depressant drugs.

Intoxication levels (broadly) are found in this manner:

o Mild (Blood alc content 0.05%-0.15% - one fourth of the people at this level are
clinically intoxicated) results in decreased inhibition, slight visual imparement,
muscular incoordination, and slowed reaction time.
o Moderate: (BAC: 0.15%-0.3% - 50 to 95% of the people at this level are clinically
intoxicated)- results in definite visual imparement, sensory loss, muscular
incoordination, slurring of speech.
o Severe (BAC 0.3%-0.5% -fatalities begin to occur in this range)-marked muscular
incoordination, blurred vision, approaching stupor.
o Coma (BAC above 0.5% - death is common in this range)- Unconsciousness, slowed
respiration, complete loss of sensations.

Treatment of acute poisoning begins with the removal of unabsorbed ethanol by gastric
lavage with tap water or by emesis (induced vomitting). The airway must be kept clear-
artificial respiration may be needed. Give 2grams of sodium bicarbonate in 250ml of tap
water every 2 hours to maintain neutral or slightly alkaline urine, avoid administration of
excess fluids. Avoid all depressant drugs. In the presence of hypoglycemia, give 5-10%
glucose intravenously plus thiamine, 100mg intramuscularly. Hemodialysis is needed if the
blood ethanol level is above 5mg/ml. Survival for 24 hours is ordinarily followed by
recovery.

I know most of the readers of this website are responsible enough to not need this
information, but we just had another college student have a "21 drinks for 21 years"
birthday party, and it killed him.

Page 22 of 48
Fire
The next greatest risk to distillers is that of fire.
You're producing a liquid which is on a par with gasoline with flammability, yet doing so around
heating elements (or even gas flames).

Make sure that there is no way the still can build up pressure - say by blocking the outlet piping, or
accidently crimping it?.
Make sure your equipment is in good and clean condition when you use it.
Be sure the packing material is not clogged up, or blocked.
Make SURE that there are no leaks.
Don't bury the outlet tube under the surface of the liquid level in the collection jar, rather have it
dripping into it openly.
If using gas, keep the collection jar quite away from it.
Don't set up your collection jars so that they are easily knocked over, and cap them when not in use.
Keep your area well ventilated.

And never, NEVER, NEVER, leave the still unattended.

At all times keep a fire extinguisher close.

Page 23 of 48
Will I go Blind ?
A big fear for many new distillers is that they are risking poisoning themselves with methanol - a
toxin that can cause blindness. There is little basis for this fear however; if formed, it is only in
small amounts, and can be easily discarded with the "heads" collected first (see here) during
distillation.

A simple (but effective) rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per
20 L mash used) for a reflux still. If using a potstill, make it more like 100-200 mL. Do this,
and you have removed all the hazardous foreshots, including the methanol. To get a really
clean distinction between the foreshots and the rest of the alcohol, increase the reflux ratio to the
point where you're taking off this first 50 mL at a very slow rate (eg 1 drop per second). This will
give a very stable equilibrium within the column to allow all the methanol to collect at the top of the
column and be in this first portion.

If you are doing a double or triple distillation with a pot still, don't worry about removing the heads
& tails on the first pass. Wait for the second run, when they are more distinct & easier to seperate.
Once you have removed them, they are gone, so much less will need to be discarded from the
subsequent runs, other than that dictated by taste, and any improved seperation that may result from
running a more pure distillate through the still.

How dangerous are the various fusel oils ? I've got some of them listed below.
The ones with toxicity data listed are ...
 Methanol : usual fatal dose 100-250 mL
 1-Pentanol : LD50 (rat) 3030 mg/kg
 3-Pentanol : LD50 (rat) 1870 mg/kg

Compare this to the amounts present in distilled spirits. The data in Wheeler & Willmotts "Spirits
unlimited - a complete guide to home distilling" gives :
 Home distilled spirit (untreated): methanol 0.0067%, ethanol 99.632%, fusils 0.361%
 Commercial vodka: methanol 0.013%, ethanol 99.507%, fusils 0.48%
 Poor quality home distilled spirit : methanol 0.0186%, ethanol 98.453%, and fusils
1.528%

If you're talking about untreated spirits as being dangerous, then to reach the LD50's that are
published, you'd need to consume 149 L to be affected by the methanol, or for a 90kg bloke, about
58 L for the pentanol, from the "good" homemade stuff. That would be one hell of a session ! Even
on their "poor quality" brew you'd need 11 L for the fusels. Stock standard pissed-as-a-newt high-
school-student alcohol poisoning is the greater problem.

Now their "home distilled spirit" was at a time when their best design was only putting out roughly
75% pure ethanol. What's the story from like a Nixon-Stone or Euro doing 95%+ purity ?

Compare that to the levels of methanol etc that you get via other sources ...

Page 24 of 48
Methanol & Other Impurities

Methanol is formed when fermenting beverages high in pectins - eg grapes and berries. Starting
with a grain or sugar based wort, in a clean fermentor with a yeast culture from a well aereated
source will result in small/none formed.
Carl from Hambletonbard (makers of Alcotec yeasts) details ..
Methanol, you will typically get around 2 or 3 parts per million (or milligrams per litre if
you prefer) of methanol produced during fermentation of a standard 6kg type Alcotec - this
is extremely low even compared to commercial products. We don't have a great deal of data
on methanol because whenever we have tested for it we have got extremely low results.
Mike explains about the pectin ..
The methanol comes from the pectin, which mainly composed of methyl esters of galactose.
When pectin breaks down, by enzymes introduced by microorganisms, or deliberately
introduced, the methyl esters combine with water to produce methanol, so the aim should be
to leave the pectin well alone if you can.

I think Jack would agree that what he means is that fermenting at a high temperature, or
adding pectin enzyme, or trying for an abv higher than 12% all increase the risk of
methanol being produced, so his advice about low temperature fermentation, adding no
exra enzymes, and a target lower than 12%abv is all good stuff.

You are already being exposed to methanol from other sources. Some fruit juices are naturally high
in methanol - for example apple juice can have 0.2-0.3% methanol, or if derived from pulp by
enzymatic degradation, the levels can be 2 to 3 times higher.

Johan found ..
In http://archive.food.gov.uk/maff/archive/food/infsheet/1993/no17/17orange.htm orange
juice contains 10 to 50 times as much methanol as sugarmash.

The lethal dose of methanol is at least 100 ml that is equal to about 80000 mg or you need
27000 liters of mash at least to get that amount.

also from the webpage: "Dietary surveys have shown that an extreme consumer of orange
juice drinks slightly over 2 litres/day. The estimated maximum intake of methanol based on
this consumption would be 455 mg for a 60 kg adult which is below the maximum advisory
intake of 600 mg per day for a 60 kg adult, recommended by the Department of Health."

So if we stay under 600 mg per day we are safe, that's the same as 200 liters of mash per
day or about 70 liters of 40% alcohol per day if you weight is 60 kg.

total amount of methanol in mash expressed in ml is about 0.1 ml = nothing.

Jack comments ...

The Long Ashton Research Station did some studies that showed that ciders and apple juices
clarified with pectic enzymes are higher in methanol due to the demethylation of juice
pectins. The methanol content varied from 10 to 400 ppm in the test samples. I don't know
which fruits are highest/lowest in pectin content, but apples are commonly considered the
highest.

This is why all the old books on cider making refer to a condition called "apple palsey" - it's
the massively painfull hangover from the high methanol content. In order to prevent this

Page 25 of 48
 (I'm sure distilling the pectin turns it into methanol) distillers must fully clarify any fruit
wine before cooking it. Rather than use clarifiers, put the wine into 2 or 4 liter plastic jugs
(only filled half full) and freeze them solid, then thaw them out, this will result in perfectly
clear (and chill- stabilized) wine ready for distilling. After the thawing is complete or maybe
as much as a week after, the wine will be crystal clear.
Stephen Alexander reports that commercial spirits contain small levels of methanol. 'Food
Chemistry' by Belitz&Grosch list an assay of about 50 different components of about 10 different
distilled beverages. The US and Scotch whiskies had methanol levels around 0.2 to 0.3 %. Kevin
Brown has scanned in some MeOH chromatograms from a column application guide published by
Supelco of Bellefonte, PA. (a vendor for chromatography supplies). Check out
http://amlc.uvi.edu/distill/meoh.html for details.

See also "Increasing Direct Marketing for Fruit Farmers by Connecting Producer to Producer
through Research and Development of a Value-Added Product" at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/FSMIP/FY2001/MO0341.pdf for quite a detailed report into the
compostion & quantities of impurities present etc in fruit brandies, and the factors affecting their
production.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised ATF that 0.1 percent of methanol by volume in
wine was a safe level. Any wine containing methanol in excess of this amount is deemed
adulterated pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 34l(a)(2)(C) and 348.

From http://www.polishvodkas.com/fr_vodka-tech.htm - it reckons that a molasses wash won't have

any methanol present !
"....Molasses spirit can also be rectified and then used to produce vodka. In some countries
it is even preferred, since it contains no methyl alcohol at all. Crop-sourced spirit contains
infinitesimal amounts of methyl alcohol which have no effect on health, but some people,
victims of their own overconcern, insist on molasses spirit. I should add that the presence of
these tiny amounts of methyl alcohol have no effect whatever on the aroma of even
unflavoured vodka. It is simply undetectable. In neutral grain or potato spirit the methyl
alcohol has practically disappeared....."

"DBall" asks .. If Methanol is poison and is removed at the beginning of distillation... Question:
When/how is methanol removed from wine or beer?

Brad answers ...

It's not tricky at all. Methanol is a by-product of fermentation; more methanol is produced
in fruit fermentation than in grains. Brewers do not remove the methanol in beer and wine
because methanol is not especially toxic at low concentrations. You are looking at between
0.4%-1% methanol in wines and brandies and smaller amounts in beers. Distillers remove
almost all the methanol in most cases. Ever notice how vodka produces clean hangovers
and wines (particularly reds) give you very nasty hangovers? Methanol. That, and
dehydration!

Methanol is an especially nasty type of alcohol because the body tries to break it down the
same way it metabolizes, or breaks down, ethanol, the type of alcohol in beer, wine and
other drinks. Metabolizing ethanol produces chemicals less toxic to the body than alcohol.
Unfortunately, if the same chemical action is performed on methanol the result is formic
acid, lactic acid and formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde attacks nerve cells, especially the optic nerve and can damage the liver and
kidneys. Formic acid and lactic acid also attack the kidneys and liver. Most people who
have drunk methanol die of severe and sudden kidney and liver failure.

Page 26 of 48
 Chronic methanol drinking will cause optical damage. The stories of moonshine causing
blindness comes from U.S. prohibition times where some bootleggers used to cut moonshine
with methylated spirits to increase profit.
Gregory writes:
It isn't the yeast that controls methanol, it's what you're fermenting. I believe yeast has very
limited metabolic pathways around methanol. Quoting from
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jul2000/965090996.Bc.r.html -

"Basically it can be produced biologically in 2 ways; through the oxidation of methane by

methane monooxygenase, or by the reduction of formaldehyde, by methanol dehydrogenase
(and this reaction normally works in the reverse direction).

It's true that some methanol can be produced during fermentation, but this is not derived
from the ethanol or by carbohydrate oxidation. It is produced in small amounts, either by
non-enzymatic reactions or through the reduction of formaldehyde."

Methane isn't present in our washes, so the culprit is formaldehyde. I believe the pectins in
fruit are methylated and can break down in the wash into formaldehyde. But so long as your
wash has only pure fermentable carbohydrates, you can expect essentially zero methanol.
There's a bit more in this discussion of methanol here:
http://yarchive.net/med/methanol_poisoning.html

Ethyl acetate, OTOH, is produced spontaneously whenever acetate is present with ethanol.
There are several possible sources of acetate during fermentation. In general, acetate is
formed by oxidation of ethanol. (In fact, acetate is the 'end-product' of our own metabolism
of ethanol). In fermentation, oxidation of ethanol into acetate can happen as a result of
desperate yeast metabolizing its own ethanol, or by contamination with other yeasts or
bacteria.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_fault

Page 27 of 48
Denatured Methanol
Why can't we get commercial methylated spirits and just distill it to make it safe to drink ?

Methylated spirits (a.k.a. denatured spirits) is ethanol or methanol with various chemicals added to
make it undrinkable (well unless you're desperate). Some commercial distilleries sell their foreshots
as metho after denaturing them with the pyridine and wood naptha group[s]; two of the most
obnoxious, toxic/poisonous compounds in that family. The whole point of denaturing it is to add
chemicals that can't be easily removed, then it can be sold without excise tax.

The additives chosen have vaporisation properties almost identical to ethanol so can't be separated
by distillation and/or chemical methods. The Australian/New Zealand Food Authority Act has
chosen pyridine & wood naptha because they BOND in an ethanol/water solution most delightfully
to the point that to separate this evil concoction you would need rising/falling film distillation
equipment which worked under vacuum as well and then the result after one pass may only be
marginal. This cost for this sort of equipment starts around 6 figures

Page 28 of 48
Fusel Oil Composition
Thanks to Brad, heres a bit more detail on what has been found in the fusels, and can be present in your
distilled product:

Quotes from the MERCK INDEX 10th Ed. 1983 (entry number given):

4195. Fusel Oil.

A by-product of carbohydrate fermentation to produce ethyl alc. The material varies widely in composition,
depending on the fermentation raw material used, but contains chiefly isopentyl alcohol and 2-methyl-1-
butanol as well as isobutyl alcohol(20%), n-propyl alcohol(3-5%), and small amounts of other alcohols,
esters and aldehydes. Described as an oily liq with a disagreeable odor; 60% boils at 122-138°. Amyl alcohol
(commercial) obtained by chemical treatment and refining of fusel oil contains about 85% isopentyl alcohol
and 15% 2-methyl-1-butanol. Ref: Industrial Chemicals, W.L. Faith et al.

5816. Methanol.
Methyl alcohol; carbinol; wood spirit; wood alcohol. Flammable, poisonous, mobile liq. Slight alcoholic odor
when pure; crude material may have a repulsive, pungent odor. Burns with a non-luminous, bluish flame. bp
64.7°. mp -97.8°. Caution: Poisoning may occur from ingestion, inhalation or percutaneous absorption.
Acute Effects: Headache, fatigue, nausea, visual impairment or complete blindness (may be permanent),
acidosis, convulsions, mydriasis, circulatory collapse, respiratory failure, death. Death from ingestion of less
than 30ml has been reported. Usual fatal dose 100-250ml. Chronic: Visual impairment, cf.Patty's Industrial
Hygiene and Toxicology vol. 2C, G.D.Clayton et al. pp 4528-4541.
The alcohols of interest in the same MERCK: (just the boiling points at atmospheric pressure, some basic
characteristics and all the alternative names for each alcohol)

212. Alcohol, Anhydrous. Ethanol

; ethyl alcohol. Clear, colorless, very mobile, flammable liquid; pleasant odor; burning taste. Absorbs water
rapidly from air. bp 78.5°. mp -114.1°. Solidif below -130°.

4978. Isobutyl Alcohol.

2-methyl-1-propanol; isopropylcarbinol; 1-hydroxymethylpropane; fermentation butyl alcohol. Colorless,
refractive liq; flammable; odor like that of amyl alcohol, but weaker. bp 108°. mp -108°.

5042. Isopentyl Alcohol.

3-methyl-1-butanol; isoamyl alcohol; isobutyl carbinol; primary isoamyl alcohol; fermentation amyl alcohol.
Liquid; characteristic, disagreeable odor; pungent, repulsive taste. Vapors are poisonous! bp 132.0°. mp
-117.2°. Caution: May be moderately irritating to mucous membranes. High concns may cause CNS
depression, narcosis; lower concns, headache, dizziness.

5906. 2-Methyl-1-butanol.
Active amyl alcohol; dl-sec-butyl carbinol. One of the major components of fusel oil. Liquid, bp 128°.

5907.3-Methyl-2-butanol.
dl-sec-Isoamyl alcohol; sec-isopentyl alcohol; isopropyl ethyl carbinol. Liquid, bp 113-114°. Fusel oil
component.

211.Alcohol, 95%.
Binary azeotrope having a distillate composition of 95.57% ethyl alcohol (by wt) and bp 78.15°C. Also
specified as containing 94.9% by vol or 92.3% by wt of ethyl alcohol at 15.56°C. See U.S.P. XVIII, 20,
1067(1970). d 0.816 at 15.56°C (60°F).

Page 29 of 48
6985. 1-Pentanol.
Pentyl alcohol; n-amyl alcohol; n-butyl carbinol. Liquid, mild characteristic odor. bp 137.5°C. mp -79°C.
Slightly soluble in water (2.7g/100ml at 22°C); misc with alcohol, ether. LD50 orally in rats: 3030mg/Kg,
P.M.Jenner et al., Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 2, 327 (1964). Toxicity: Irritating to eyes, respiratory passages.
Narcotic: E.Browning, Toxicity and Metabolism of Industrial Solvents (Elsevier, New York, 1965)pp 356-367.

6986. 2-Pentanol.
dl-sec-Amyl alcohol; methyl propyl carbinol. Liquid, characteristic odor. bp 119.3°C. Slightly soluble in water
(16.6g/100ml at 20°C). Miscible with alcohol, ether. Caution: see 1-Pentanol.

6987. 3-Pentanol.
Diethyl carbinol. Liquid, characteristic odor. bp 115.6°C. Slightly soluble in water (5.5g/100g at 30°C); sol in
alcohol, ether. LD50 orally in rats: 1870mg/Kg, Smyth et al., Arch. Ind. Hyg. Occup. Med. 10, 61 (1954).
Caution: see 1-Pentanol.

Brad also commented :

As you can probably see from these brief descriptions, methanol appears to be one of the most toxic of all.
In fact the other alcohols by and large appear to have much the same effct as ethanol when consumed
(with much greater activity/toxicity), except methanol which has some toxic metabolite (formaldehyde)
which is somehow toxic to the optical nerves of the eye. Ethanol administration is actually used to slow
down the metabolism of methanol when it's accidentally consumed!! Note the Merck note about Chronic
effect (long-term use) of methanol being visual impairment; does this occur to heavy drinkers?!?

Page 30 of 48
Lead Poisoning
One real problem can be if you use lead based solder in building your still. A very bad practice that
use to be prevalent was the use of old car radiators as the vapour condenser. THIS SHOULD NOT
BE DONE. Car radiators are lead-soldered, and the lead will leach out and poison you. Any still
construction should be welding, brazing, or silver soldering.

From "Moonshine & lead poisoning" :

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00016616.htm May 01, 1992 / 41(17);294-295
Elevated Blood Lead Levels Associated with Illicitly Distilled Alcohol -- Alabama, 1990-
1991

The use of automobile radiators containing lead-soldered parts in the illicit distillation of
alcohol (i.e., "moonshine") is an important source of lead poisoning among persons in some
rural Alabama counties.

From March 5 through October 26, 1991, eight persons were diagnosed with elevated blood
lead levels (BLLs) at a local hospital and were reported to the notifiable disease
surveillance system maintained by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).
None of these patients had known histories of occupational or other potential sources of
lead exposure, but all reported recent histories of moonshine ingestion. This report
summarizes the results of an investigation of these cases conducted by the ADPH during
December 1991.

A case-patient was defined as any person aged greater than or equal to 17 years who
presented to the hospital from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 1991, and had a BLL
greater than or equal to 15 ug/dL. Laboratory records of specimens submitted for blood
lead determination, and medical records were reviewed at the hospital. In addition to the
eight patients reported to the ADPH, review of laboratory records identified one patient
with a BLL of 35 ug/dL during November 1990.

Patients ranged in age from 28 to 64 years (median: 33 years); five were female. Five
patients resided in the county in which the hospital is located, and four lived in adjacent
counties.

All nine patients had been evaluated for alcohol-related medical conditions at the hospital.
Manifestations included generalized tonic-clonic seizures (six), microcytic anemia (five)
(hematocrit mean: 32.1%), encephalopathy (two), upper extremity weakness (one), and
abdominal colic (one). BLLs ranged from 16 ug/dL to 259 ug/dL (median: 67 ug/dL).

Seven patients required hospitalization for 48 hours or longer (range: 2-18 days). Three of
these received chelation therapy; initial BLLs were 67, 228, and 259 ug/dL. One patient,
whose BLL was 67 ug/dL, died during hospitalization from alcohol-withdrawal syndrome
complicated by aspiration pneumonia.

Patients reported moonshine ingestion ranging from 0.2 L per day to 1.5 L per day. No
specimens of moonshine consumed by the patients were available for analysis. However, the
lead contents of specimens of moonshine confiscated from two radiator-containing stills in
the county in 1991 were 7400 ug/L and 9700 ug/L, compared with nondetectable amounts
(less than 1.0 ug/L) in municipal water from the county. Consumption of 0.5 L per day of
moonshine containing 9700 ug/L lead would result in a steady state BLL of approximately
190 ug/dL. *

Page 31 of 48
 Reported by: T Dix, S Walker, MD, Crenshaw County Hospital, Luverne; D Cosby, Alabama
Alcohol Beverage Control, Andalusia; CH Woernle, MD, State Epidemiologist, Alabama
Dept of Public Health. Div of Field Epidemiology, Epidemiology Program Office; Lead
Poisoning Prevention Br, Div of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National
Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, CDC.

Editorial Note: The findings in the ADPH investigation underscore the adverse health
effects associated with consumption of moonshine. Specifically, this problem can result from
the leaching of lead from solder used in radiators or the adjoining copper pipe during
distillation; moonshine may contain up to 74 ug/L of lead (1).

In adults, manifestations of lead intoxication include gastrointestinal, hematopoietic, renal,

reproductive, and neurologic findings (e.g., peripheral neuropathy and encephalopathy) (1-
3). Because signs and symptoms of lead poisoning may be nonspecific, the relative
contribution of lead and alcohol toxicity to illness in these patients could not be determined.
However, overt signs and symptoms of neurotoxicity rarely occur in adults when BLLs are
less than 40 ug/dL (1). Thus, the seizures observed in these patients with BLLs less than 40
ug/dL may have been related to alcohol withdrawal rather than lead toxicity.

This cluster of patients with elevated BLLs was detected through review of notifiable disease
surveillance data. In Alabama, elevated BLLs (greater than or equal to 15 ug/dL) have been
a notifiable condition since December 1990. In 1991, 612 persons aged greater than or
equal to 17 years with BLLs greater than or equal to 15 ug/dL were reported to the ADPH
notifiable disease registry. Of these, the two highest values (228 ug/dL and 259 ug/dL) were
from patients in this cluster.

The nine patients identified in this cluster may underrepresent the number of lead toxicity
cases related to moonshine ingestion in the counties involved in this study and in others
throughout Alabama. Although the number of illegal stills operating in Alabama is
unknown, Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control destroyed 94 stills in 1991, including 50 stills
in the county where the hospital is located and in two adjacent counties (D. Cosby, Alabama
Alcohol Beverage Control, personal communication, 1992). Since a typical four-barrel still
can produce 75-95 L of moonshine per week, a substantially higher number of persons may
be at risk for lead toxicity from moonshine ingestion. Ongoing surveillance efforts are
directed toward further characterizing risk factors for elevated BLLs and may assist in
determining the scope of lead poisoning from moonshine ingestion among Alabama
residents.

Because of the illegal source of the alcohol, patients may be reluctant to admit to moonshine
ingestion. Therefore, clinicians, particularly in rural areas, should suspect moonshine
ingestion when treating alcohol-abusing patients, both to detect and treat the adverse effects
of lead poisoning and to direct alcohol-prevention efforts.

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicologic profile for lead. Atlanta: US
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, 1992.

Baker EL, Landrigan PJ, Barbour AG, et al. Occupational lead poisoning in the United
States: clinical and biochemical findings related to blood lead levels. Br J Ind Med
1979;36:314-22.

Page 32 of 48
 Goldman RH, Baker EL, Hannan M, Kamerow DB. Lead poisoning in automobile radiator
mechanics. N Engl J Med 1987;317:214-8.

Assuming an equilibrium blood lead/dietary intake slope of 0.04 ug/dL per ug/day.

Page 33 of 48
How to Avoid Hangovers

Try this, next time you have a "session".

For EVERY 50 ml of spirit at 40% alc/vol or equivalent, you drink (regardless of amount of ice,
water or whatever added), drink 200 ml of water before AND another 200 ml after. Also refrain
from overeating eight hours before, during, and eight hours after. Radical Stuff?? Well you may
enjoy a "wee dram" instead of pain and suffering next day.

Now the next bit is as important as the water, as not only do they work in conjunction with each
other, they also work independently. Take copius quantities of the Vitamin B Group, before, during
and after the session. Why I hear you cry???
1. Alcohol depletes vitamin B group
2. B group is a major metaboliser of carbohydrates, protein and fats.
3. Lack of B group, glocose to the brain.
4. B group helps maintain fluid levels.

Alcohol Warnings
A little humor off the net ...

Due to increasing products liability, alcoholic beverages manufacturers have accepted the Medical
Association's suggestion that the following Warning labels be placed immediately on all bottles.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a wanker.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell the same boring story over and over again
until your friends want to smash your face in.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that people are really dying for you to
telephone them at 4 in the morning.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your
clothes.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with other
members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may make you think you possess mystical Kung-Fu powers.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of inexplicable rug burns on the forehead.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may lead to traffic signs and cones appearing in your home.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe you are invisible.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that people are laughing with you.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may cause an influx in the time-space continuum, whereby
Page 34 of 48
small (and sometimes large) gaps of time may seem to literally disappear.

Warning: Consumption of alcohol may actually cause pregnancy.

Page 35 of 48
Legality

Summary
It is only legal in New Zealand. Some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is
illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. So if you are going to
distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications.

This is the biggie. It probably ain't legal for you to distill unless you are fortunate enough to be in
New Zealand (as I am). It would pay to check your local legislation before you go and start. That
aside, information is not illegal. Just don't get caught using your knowledge.

New Zealand

Wheeler & Willmott report in "Spirits Unlimited"

Customs Act 1996
Excise Regulation 9
"Any person who produces beer, wine or spirits for his or her own consumption is exempt
from excise tax"
The NZ Customs Act is available online at
http://www.customs.govt.nz/library/legislation/default.asp. The exemption for home distilling is at
http://www.customs.govt.nz/manufacturers/licensing/exemptions.asp
It says: There is an exemption from the manufacturing area licensing requirement for any area you
use within your private house to manufacture the following:
* tobacco grown on your own land, manufactured exclusively for your own personal use
* beer, wine and spirits manufactured exclusively for personal use.
What it doesn't define is "personal use". Some take this to mean that you simply cannot sell the
alcohol, whilst others say that it extends to not even being able to give it away.

How did it become legal in NZ ? Ray and Des explain ...

Tom : The story of how distilling became legal in New Zealand is rather interesting. It all
dates back to the last Labour Government in the mid 80's when they decided in their wisdom
that Government Departments would be sold off to private enterprise, turned into State
owned enterprises (companies) or in the case of Departments like Customs which couldn't
realy do either, be run like businesses and make a profit where ever possible. During the
redrafting of our liquor laws 1989/90 the Customs Department put it to the Goverment that
if they were supposed to be business like why did they have to check on all licenced stills in
the Country where they only collected revenue from the ones that made alcohol. The
solution to the problem ? Make the ownership of a still no longer ilegal which they did by
simply removing that section from the act. Very shortly after this became the case two bright
sparks by the name of Peter Wheeler and Malcolm Wheeler (yes the same ones that wrote
the book and own Spirits Unlimited) decided that if the ownership of a still was no longer
ilegal then they would start selling them to the general public. This created a beautiful catch
22 for Customs, under the Customs act if you distilled alcohol you had to have a licence and
pay excise tax, but the thought of policing home stills for small amounts of alcohol filled
them with horror so they made an internal policy that although there was nothing to stop
them licencing home stills that they wouldn't do it. This left them in another no win
situation, the maximum fine under the act was $500 and consfiscation of the offending
alcohol, the cost of a prosecution several thousand dollars so they didn't deem that to be an
efficient use the their money either so they largely turned a blind eye to it all. After many
Page 36 of 48
 submissions to Government (myself included) when the liquor laws where changed again in
October 1996 sanity prevailed and the customs act was changed and the word spirits added
into the part about brewing beer, wine or the growing of tobacco for your own use was free
of excise tax. This is a pretty unique set of circumstances which are unlikely to be replicated
overseas I would have thought although I believe that there is a lot of pressure for Australia
to follow and we are watching with great interest to see if it happens.

Des : The situation to some extent got too big for the government to control and as the
product being produced could not be faulted on health grounds (yes it was tested by "the
powers that be") there was really no other choice but to legalise it. In about September 1995
it was estimated that there were close to 2000 stills, capable of producing alcohol, being
used as 'ornaments' in the Auckland city alone. A number of us interested parties made
submissions to our local members of parliament and the governing bodies in support of the
law change. There have really been no problems and so long as it stays that way other
governments may eventually see the light. However it must be remembered that alcohol
production is a good, easy, and inexpensive source of tax revenue to any government. For
this reason I urge all NZers to 'play the game' and abide by the rules. We have something
unique to be cherished.

Australians

Australians - you can posess a still of <5L capacity, but not produce spirits from it.

The Distillation Act of 1901 was repealed (by Act 74 2006) effective July 2006 and the relevant
legislation has been moved to the Excise Act 1901.

The Excise Act 1901;

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/0/F20483DE5083F9BDCA2
571A80006C3B1?OpenDocument

Simon found:
House of Reps discussion from Hansard in May 2006 re Act 74:

Mr FITZGIBBON-
...
The Spirits Act, which provides for controls over the manufacture of spirits, including
brandy, whisky and rum, and methylated spirits, is repealed on the basis that most of the
provisions it contains are adequately covered in the Excise Act or are no longer relevant to
the effective management of the alcohol taxation regime. The Distillation Act, which
provides controls on the distillation of spirits, including stills, distilleries, licences and
fortification of Australian wine, is also repealed. I understand Senator Murray has sought to
refer some matters relating to alcohol to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee. I
make the point, having learned he has done so, that the government made a commitment
that there would not be any changes to alcohol taxes in this country on a piecemeal basis,
that any change or review of alcohol taxes in this country would be done in a holistic way
by looking at every sector in the industry-that is, wine, beer and spirits.

Act 74 2006

This *Act* works in conjunction with the / Excise Tariff Amendment (Fuel Tax Reform and
Other Measures) *Act* 2006/ to:
Page 37 of 48
 * clarify the arrangements for using imported inputs to excise manufacture;
* streamline and clarify the current arrangements for concessional spirits (alcohol that is
used for a purpose other than consumption as an excisable beverage);
* strengthen controls over tobacco leaf, which has a high potential excise liability, and acts
against a beer excise revenue avoidance practice;
* make improvements to excise licensing provisions to make renewal periods consistent and
to allow better capacity for licensing to be used as a compliance tool to protect the excise
revenue;
* amend certain provisions of the /Excise *Act* *1901*/ to remove a number of prescriptive
and interventionist requirements that are *no* longer in step with modern administrative or
business practice. Along with the streamlined schedule, this will assist excise manufacturers
in understanding and complying with the legislation;
* repeal a number of Acts (/Coal Excise *Act* 1949/, /Spirits *Act* 1906/ and
/*Distillation* *Act * *1901*/) that impose obligations on affected businesses, but which
are *no* longer considered necessary. Those provisions of the /Spirits *Act* 1906/ and
/*Distillation* *Act **1901*/ that continue to be required are transferred to the /Excise
*Act* *1901*/; and
* repeal a number of fuel related Acts that are *no* longer required because of the fuel tax
reforms
Brad writes :

see: Excise Laws Amendment (Fuel Tax Reform and Other Measures) Act 2006
Search for No. 74, 2006 on http://www.comlaw.gov.au that was an amendment act, so now
you need to look at what they have done to the actual acts. They have repealed the
Distillation Act and put the relevant parts inside the Excise Act 1901. Housekeeping if you
will. Here are the relevant sections:

Part III-Manufacturers, producers and dealers Division 1-Manufacturers 25 Only licensed

manufacturers to manufacture excisable goods
(1) A person who does not hold a manufacturer licence must not intentionally manufacture
excisable goods knowing, or being reckless as to whether, the goods are excisable goods.
Penalty: 2 years imprisonment or the greater of:
(a) 500 penalty units; and
(b) 5 times the amount of duty that would be payable if the goods had been entered for home
consumption on the penalty day. Note: See section 4AA of the Crimes Act 1914 for the
current value of a penalty unit.
(2) A person who does not hold a manufacturer licence must not manufacture excisable
goods. Penalty: 100 penalty units.
(3) Strict liability applies to subsection (2).

AND:

77FK Offence in relation to stills

(1) A person commits an offence if:
(a) the person does any of the following things:
(i) makes or commences to make any still;
(ii) removes, sets up or erects any still;
(iii) sells or otherwise disposes of, or purchases or otherwise acquires any still, either by
itself or with other property, or as part of any premises;
(iv) imports any still;
(v) has possession, custody or control of any still; and
(b) the still is of a capacity exceeding 5 litres; and
(c) the person is not a licensed manufacturer; and
Page 38 of 48
 (d) the person has not been given permission by the CEO to do the thing.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an act done by an officer in the course of performing a
function or exercising a power under this Act or the Excise Tariff Act 1921.

Note: A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in subsection (2) (see
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code).

(3) The CEO may, in writing, give a person permission to do a thing mentioned in
paragraph (1)(a).

(4) A permission under subsection (3) is not a legislative instrument.

***
So, nothing major has changed, stills <= 5L are still legal.
Manufacturing alcohol without a licence still isn't.
Under 77FE and 7FF though you can apply for permission to distill for industrial,
manufacturing, scientific, medical, veterinary or educational purpose, either a once off or a
specific amount per month or year.
CH adds
This amendment does not discuss the legality of *using* a still, which initially made me
think that it was legal to make whatever with an unregistered still of under 5 litres, so I
phoned the Tax Office licensing division on their service number 1300-137-290 and spoke to
a bloke there who explained that under the Excise Acts, "manufacture of any excisable
product attracts excise", no matter how it's produced. Spirits are excisable products, so even
a small still used at home to produce spirits is subject to excise.

Americans

Tough out of luck - see the http://www.ttb.gov/ Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, their
FAQ page, and some of the latest ammended laws. You will find ....
Spirits
You cannot produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior
approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for
some of the criminal penalties.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that
make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these
requirements are paying special tax, filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing
adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a
separate building (other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing
reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19.

Ray emailed the BATF for the reference statutes concerning home distillation. Here is their
response:

Ray, you have not been able to locate anything on home production because there is no
provision for it. Moonshining is still illegal!! Unlike wine or beer, the laws and regulations
governing distilled spirits contain no provision that would allow someone to produce spirits
in their home for personal use. Under 26 U.S.C. Section 5171 operations as a distiller,
warehouseman or processor may be conducted only on the bonded premises of a qualified
distilled spirits plant. To qualify such a plant, a registration, application for permit and
Page 39 of 48
 bond must be filed in addition to other supporting organizational documents. 26 U.S.C.
5178 places restrictions on where a plant can be located. Hope this answers your question.

Carol Coy
Industry Specialist
National Revenue Center-Cincinnati, OH
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
e-mail: cjcoy@cinc.atf.treas.gov
What all this basically comes down to is ...
1. Americans can own a still, but it must be no larger than 1 gallon, and may only be used for water
purification or the extraction of essential oils from plants.
2.Dealers/manufacturers of stills in the United States must surrender any address or other info on
any customer who buys a still to the BATF, when they request it.(no warrant is required.)

What this means is that anyone who buys a still in America can at any time expect a knock at the
door and a man with a badge demanding to see what is being done with the still they bought. How
this effects the companies seen advertising 5 gallon stills for use as a water purifier, was not listed,
nor is there any info on solar stills. It is probably VERY illegal to import a still too.

If you're trying the angle of making alcohol as a fuel (yes, this is legal!), see http://webconx.green-
trust.org Steve Spence's site for all the details.

Whats the cost of doing it right ? Don advises ...

State (varies from $75-$3,150 per year) & a Federal license ($500 per year) plus State &
Fed. production taxes. Registration of all supplies, suppliers, formulas (Subject to
classification and approval) and label reg. (Subject to classification and approval). More
paperwork than money. If you already have a brewery or winery (bonded premisis) an
"alternation of premisis" may be obtained to operate a distillery (with the additional
license) on site. Well worth the trouble, because there is still room at the top.
Pop advises:
How to obtain an alcohol fuel permit in the US. Here are some basic guidelines to get you
started.

For fed. rules and regs. Go to http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov.

In the browse box, select "title 27"

Where it says "browse parts" click on the numbers "1-199"
Scroll down to "part 19" (Distilled spirits plant)and click on the numbers "19.1 to 19.1010"
You are only interested in "subpart Y" (Distilled spirits for fuel)

If you just want to produce fuel for personal use, and to be used on your own property, you
aren't subject to bonds, taxes, and denaturing your product unless it is removed from the
premises.

If this is what you want, then you will want to choose the "small plant" ( less than 10,000
proof-gallons per year)A proof-gallon is a US gallon times proof divided by 100.

For an on line permit application � click on the following link�

http://www.ttb.gov/forms/pdfs/f510074.pdf

Or you can call them toll free and request a permit packet. There is no charge for the permit

Page 40 of 48
 Tax and Trade Bureau
National Revenue Center
550 Main Street Suite 8002
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Toll Free 1-877-TTB-FAQS (1-877-882-3277)
(513)-684-3334

To learn more about alcohol fuel production check out this site.
http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com

Canada

HVD advises ..
If trying to register a fuel alcohol still in Canada, contact the Canada Customs and Revenue
Agency http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca - info available under Excise Tax.

You might try calling Chris Lewis ( fuel sector ) at 613-957-8642

You will need to obtain a licence for constructing or using any type of distillation equipment
( except that used for distilling water, but even that has to meet certain specs to avoid
running afoul of the tax act )

I would suggest reading the Excise Tax Act ( also online ) boring as it may be, it contains a
lot of info, which might help to know about before calling the folks at CCRA.

In any event, the regs here in Canada make it very troublesome to even attempt to do
experimenting in any reasonable way. ( for example the vessel your fuel condenses into has
to be locked and opened only when Excise Tax officer is there ....kind of hard if you want to
check out quality of your batch... other roadblocks also will apply )

Holland

See Erwins note to the newsgroup (I have no idea what it is saying .. hope it aint naughty ..)
I took the liberty to make a compilation of relevant laws & penalties concerning distillation:

Wet van 31 oktober 1991, houdende vereenvoudiging en uniformering van de

accijnswetgeving (Wet op de accijns [Versie geldig vanaf: 01-01-1999])

Afdeling 2. Algemene verbodsbepalingen

Artikel 5
o 1. Het is niet toegestaan:
a. een accijnsgoed te vervaardigen buiten een accijnsgoederenplaats die voor dat
soort accijnsgoed als zodanig is aangewezen;
b. een accijnsgoed voorhanden te hebben dat niet overeenkomstig de bepalingen van
deze wet in de heffing is betrokken.
o 2. Het verbod als bedoeld in het eerste lid, onderdeel a, is niet van toepassing indien
het vervaardigen geschiedt overeenkomstig de wettelijke bepalingen, bedoeld in
artikel 2, tweede lid, onderdeel a, van de Douanewet.

Page 41 of 48
 o 3. Onder bij algemene maatregel van bestuur te stellen voorwaarden en beperkingen
wordt ontheffing verleend van de in het eerste lid bedoelde verboden voor:
a. het vervaardigen van accijnsgoederen uit andere accijnsgoederen, waarbij het
accijnsbedrag dat de eerstbedoelde accijnsgoederen vertegenwoordigen niet hoger
is dan het accijnsbedrag dat de accijnsgoederen vertegenwoordigen waaruit zij zijn
vervaardigd;
b. het vervaardigen van accijnsgoederen waarvoor een vrijstelling van accijns geldt
op de voet van artikel 65;
c. het thuis vervaardigen van bier en wijn door particulieren, voor zover die
goederen worden aangewend voor eigen gebruik;
d. het vervaardigen en het voorhanden hebben van andere minerale oli�n dan
bedoeld in het vierde lid, mits deze minerale oli�n niet op grond van artikel 28
worden gelijkgesteld met minerale oli�n waarvoor in artikel 27 een tarief is
vastgesteld

HOOFDSTUK VII. VERBODSBEPALINGEN EN STRAFBEPALINGEN

Afdeling 1. Verbodsbepalingen

Artikel 90
o 1. Het is niet toegestaan een distilleertoestel te vervaardigen of voorhanden te
hebben zonder een daartoe strekkende vergunning van de inspecteur.
o 2. Onder een distilleertoestel wordt verstaan elk toestel - ook indien dit niet gereed is
voor dadelijk gebruik - dat geschikt is voor het afscheiden van ethanol uit
ethanolhoudende stoffen.
o 3. De vergunning wordt op verzoek verleend.
o 4. Het verlenen, het aanpassen en het intrekken van een vergunning alsmede het
afwijzen van een verzoek daartoe geschieden bij voor bezwaar vatbare beschikking.
o 5. Binnen acht weken na ontvangst van het verzoek geeft de inspecteur een voor
bezwaar vatbare beschikking op dat verzoek, dan wel zendt hij de in het zesde lid
bedoelde kennisgeving.
o 6. Indien de inspecteur de voor bezwaar vatbare beschikking niet binnen de in het
vijfde lid genoemde termijn kan geven, stelt hij belanghebbende daarvan onder
opgaaf van redenen in kennis en noemt hij de termijn waarop de voor bezwaar
vatbare beschikking wel zal worden gegeven.
o 7. Bij ministeri�le regeling kunnen:
a. regels worden gesteld met betrekking tot de in de vergunning op te nemen
voorwaarden;
b. distilleertoestellen worden aangewezen waarvoor geen vergunning is vereist.
o 8. Artikel 83 is van overeenkomstige toepassing op plaatsen waar distilleertoestellen
worden vervaardigd of voorhanden zijn.

Afdeling 2. Strafbepalingen

Artikel 97

Degene die opzettelijk een in artikel 5 opgenomen verbod overtreedt, wordt gestraft met
gevangenisstraf van ten hoogste vier jaren of geldboete van de vierde categorie of, indien
dit bedrag hoger is, ten hoogste eenmaal het bedrag van de te weinig geheven accijns.

Artikel 98

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 Degene die opzettelijk een accijnsgoed waarvoor vrijstelling of teruggaaf van accijns is
verleend een bestemming geeft waarvoor geen vrijstelling of teruggaaf van accijns zou zijn
verleend, wordt gestraft met gevangenisstraf van ten hoogste vier jaren of geldboete van de
vierde categorie of, indien dit bedrag hoger is, ten hoogste eenmaal het bedrag van de te
weinig geheven accijns.

Artikel 99

1. Degene die het in artikel 90, eerste lid, opgenomen verbod overtreedt, wordt gestraft met
geldboete van de derde categorie.

2. Degene die het in artikel 90, eerste lid, opgenomen verbod overtreedt terwijl hij weet of
redelijkerwijs kan weten dat het distilleertoestel bestemd is of zal worden bestemd om te
worden gebruikt tot ontduiking van de accijns, wordt gestraft met gevangenisstraf van ten
hoogste vier jaren of geldboete van de vierde categorie.

Artikel 100

1. Degene die een in de artikelen 90a, 91, eerste en tweede lid, of 92 opgenomen verbod
overtreedt, wordt gestraft met geldboete van de derde categorie.

2. Degene die een van de in het eerste lid bedoelde verboden opzettelijk overtreedt, wordt
gestraft met gevangenisstraf van ten hoogste twee jaren of geldboete van de vierde
categorie.

This is not the complete text of this law, just a compilation. I am not a legal expert, nor
connected with any law firm or customs. I just want to share this knowledge with you.

Greetings Erwin
Bert adds ...
Of course it is prohibited to have an unregistered installation to make any alcoholic drink at
all as told in the dutch text. You may not make wine, beer of any other drink at all without a
permid. The regulation is made to collect taxes on the drinks.

In the case that one make his own drinks for use at home and not for sale there is no big
fiscal interest at stake and the inspection (represented by Mr H. Blijker 21 Apr 1987) has
therefore no interest to stop the activity. (it costs more than it brings) So if you stay small
and don't show it to much in publik (to provoke) you don't have to fear for problems. It is
called: "gedogen"

United Kingdom (UK)

Giles writes, concerning what the risks are ...

I took the trouble to look this up a while ago in 'Halsbury's Laws of England' which is the
legal encyclopaedia used by the courts and lawyers in general. It is very authoritative.
Basically, the situation is this. You can't distill alcohol without a rectifier's licence
(Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 s18(1)).

If you do and are caught you will be liable to pay the duty on the alcohol in the spirits you
make (currently �19.56 per litre) and to pay a fine of whichever is the greater of �250 and
5% of the duty payable. (Finance Act 1994 s9(2)). Forget getting a license. There are rules
about how large (or rather how small) the still can be which would render any home device
Page 43 of 48
 unlawful and in any case you'd have to pay the duty which sort of defeats the object. As far
as I can ascertain, you are not committing a criminal offence by distilling alcohol. All the
above are civil matters. I assume that Customs and Excise would seize all your product and
your equipment too.

In short, you might say that the consequences of a raid on a genuine hobby distiller making
liquor for him or herself would be embarrassing but not necessarily disastrous. As for the
likelihood of getting caught; well I have never heard of a case in my lifetime (I'm 47). My
own guess is that the Customs an Excise are far too busy chasing drugs and liquor
smugglers and dealing with VAT fraud to bother with a small time....... Hang on, there's
someone at the door.

Venezuela

H�ctor wrote to the dbd ...

In this parts we have a rather "folkloric" approach to the illegality of both still making and
its use. In small towns like mine (where most of the moonshining occurs) it mainly depends
on if you get to befriend your local chief of the "Guardia Nacional" (exactly translates to
National Guard but it's a wholly different institution than the US namesake. This is a branch
of our military that polices civilians and is like a heavily armed combination of IRS and
ATF). If the guy likes you, you can strike a deal with him and tacitly accept that he would be
"milking" you whenever he gets a tip from an envious neighbor (there must be a way to hide
that smell!), or, if you produce with a certain regularity, brace yourself to be his cash-box.
Sometimes, and depending also on his drinking/eating habits, you can get away with him
only taking some "samples", others, some small living-stock or farm produce, but if you
produce to sell he would only take cash. "Mordida" as mexicans call this deeply ingrained
form of petty corruption is widespread here but not universal. Worse luck if your local
"Guardia" chief gets relocated and you get a new teetotaler one.

Legally you must purchase your still from a registered manufacturer and pay the equivalent
of US $7700 upon opting for a license and pay half that annually for renewal. Excise is 9.5
% of your retail price (plus 14.5 % VAT). You can't distill legally unless you're able to
produce at least 50,000 liters annually.

Israel

Benjamin writes:
In Israel not that many people drink. Spirits are dirt cheap (you can pick up a bottle of
Vodka for a couple of bucks (US). The Muslim population (20%) do not drink at all .

The bottom line is: There is no actual checkup or enforcement on people who want to set up
their own private still.

As a chemical engineer who is in charge of the poisons license at my company, the law
states that a poisons license for someone who has Ethanol on their premises, up to
200Liters of over 80%/vol does not need a license. If you produce a spirit that is over
80%/vol, then you need to declare this to the Ministry of the Environment.

Bulgaria

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Dimo writes:
[in Bulgaria] you can take your fermented fruits to a special facility and distill them without
paying any tax if you are registered as home producer. Registration is free. The only
limitation is that you can distill up to 1000l of fermented fruits and of course you need to
pay for the time you are using the still (it can take about 200 litres at a time).

Page 45 of 48
Definitions of Distilled Spirits
I've taken the following from the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF)
website, from their Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits. I've edited it a fair bit, trying to make
it easier to read & understand. So if its important to you, go and get the full version for yourself (its
about 32 pages long). Also, these definitions may vary from country to country.

Some terms used ...

Gallon : U.S. gallon of 231 cubic inches of alcoholic beverage at 60 °F

Proof gallon A gallon of liquid at 60 °F which contains 50 percent by volume of ethyl alcohol.. or
the alcoholic equivalent thereof (eg 2 gallons at 25% a/v...)

Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits

Neutral spirits or alcohol.

Neutral spirits or alcohol are distilled from any material at or above 95% a/v, and if bottled,
bottled at not less than 40% a/v
 Vodka is neutral spirit distilled, or treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials,
to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.
 Grain spirits are neutral spirits distilled from a fermented mash of grain and stored in oak
containers.

Whisky.

Whisky is distilled from a fermented mash of grain at less than 95% a/v, such that it possesses the
taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whisky, stored in oak containers (except that
corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 40% a/v
 Bourbon whisky, rye whisky, wheat whisky, malt whisky, or rye malt whisky is whisky
produced at not less than 80% a/v from a fermented mash of not less than 51% corn, rye,
wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored at not more than 62.5%
a/v in charred new oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same
type.
 Corn whisky is whisky produced at not exceeding 80% purity from a fermented mash of
not less than 80% corn grain, and if stored in oak containers stored at not more than 62.5%
a/v in used or uncharred new oak containers and not subjected in any manner to treatment
with charred wood.
 If they have been stored in the type of oak containers prescribed, for a period of 2 years or
more, they can be further designated as straight; for example, ``straight bourbon whisky'' or
``straight corn whisky''
 Light whisky is whisky produced at more than 80% a/v, and stored in used or uncharred
new oak containers.
 Blended whisky is a mixture which contains straight whisky or a blend of straight whiskies
at not less than 20 percent on a proof gallon basis. If it contains not less than 51 percent on a
proof gallon basis of one of the types of straight whisky it shall be further designated by that
specific type of straight whisky; for example, ``blended rye whisky''
 Scotch whisky can only be made in Scotland
 Irish whisky can only be made in Ireland
 Canadian whisky - I'll let ya try and guess this one

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Gin

Gin is a product obtained by

 original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral
spirits,
 with or over juniper berries and other aromatics,
 or with or over extracts derived from infusions, percolations, or maceration of such
materials,
 and includes mixtures of gin and neutral spirits.

It shall derive its main characteristic flavor from juniper berries and be bottled at not less than 40%
a/v.

Brandy

Brandy is an alcoholic distillate from the fermented juice, mash, or wine of fruit, or from the
residue thereof, produced at less than 95% a/v in such manner that the distillate possesses the taste,
aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to the product, and bottled at not less than 40 % a/v
 Fruit brandy is brandy distilled solely from the fermented juice or mash of whole, sound,
ripe fruit, or from standard grape, citrus, or other fruit wine, with or without the addition of
not more than 20 percent by weight of the pomace of such juice or wine, or 30 percent by
volume of the lees of such wine, or both. If it hasn't been aged for at least 2 years in an oak
container, it is called "immature" (even if say its been on oak chips for >2 years).
 Cognac is grape brandy distilled in the Cognac region of France
 Dried fruit brandy is brandy that conforms to the standard for fruit brandy except that it
has been derived from sound, dried fruit, or from the standard wine of such fruit. Brandy
derived from raisins, or from raisin wine, shall be designated as ``raisin brandy''. Other
brandies shall be designated in the same manner as fruit brandy from the corresponding
variety or varieties of fruit except that the name of the fruit shall be qualified by the word
``dried''.
 Lees brandy is brandy distilled from the lees of standard grape, citrus, or other fruit wine
 Pomace brandy, or marc brandy, is brandy distilled from the skin and pulp of sound, ripe
grapes, citrus or other fruit, after the withdrawal of the juice or wine therefrom. Grape
pomace brandy may be designated as grappa or grappa brandy.
 Residue brandy is brandy distilled wholly or in part from the fermented residue of fruit or
wine,
 Neutral brandy is brandy produced at more than 85% a/v

Rum

Rum is an alcoholic distillate from the fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane
molasses, or other sugar cane by-products, produced at less than 95% a/v in such manner that the
distillate possesses the taste, aroma and characteristics generally attributed to rum, and bottled at not
less than 40% a/v.

Tequila

Tequila is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash derived principally from the Agave
Tequilana Weber (``blue'' variety), with or without additional fermentable substances, distilled in
such a manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed
to Tequila and bottled at not less than 40% a/v, and made in Mexico.

Cordials and Liqueurs

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Cordials and liqueurs are products obtained by mixing or redistilling distilled spirits with or over
fruits, flowers, plants, or pure juices therefrom, or other natural flavoring materials, or with extracts
derived from infusions, percolation, or maceration of such materials, and containing sugar, dextrose,
or levulose, or a combination thereof, in an amount not less than 2.5 percent by weight of the
finished product.

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