What’s the script for getting a license to distill alcohol around your way? The legal process seems to vary considerably between countries, going from absolutely no problem to absolutely no way.
I’m in the UK, and I’d like to try my hand at home distillation. My granddaddy was a poteen-maker, and I’m a chemist, so it runs in the family from a certain perspective. Can this be done legal and above board? Interested to hear from people who have gone through the application process.
Are you sure a license is required? I know you’re on the other side of the water, but over here you don’t have to worry about it unless you make more that a certain volume, 250 gallons I believe, or are planning to sell it.
Probably your best source would be whatever agency regulates alcohol products though.
Is that the case for liquor (which I thought was illegal to distill on your own)? I thought the 250 gallons was for brewing beer at home.
For the US, that’s incorrect:
From here.
Beer and wine are limited to 100 gallons per household for one adult, or 200 gallons for two or more adults living in the same household.
I don’t think that you need a license in Ireland anyway.
Which would be relevant were the OP asking about Irish law.
I’d be surprised if that was true Laudenum - happy to be corrected, mind. There are too many Health & Safety / taxation issues to just let people go ahead and distill, although a google search says that is exactly what you can do in New Zealand.
My question was more along the lines of ‘given a license is needed to distill alcohol, how easy is it to get hold of in your neck of the woods?.’ ie Are the authorities happy to let responsible hobbyists make their own whiskey, a la beer, or is it not something that is condoned.
I stand corrected. Ignorance fought.
Thanks
Ducks out back to throw a tarp over the still.
The Wiki article on beer homebrewing legality asserts that home distillation is simply illegal in the UK. Unfortunately I see no citations for that statement or anything about licensing.
I found a website for a homebrewer’s association in the UK; they might be able to point you in the right direction for distillation info.
Of course you can - I have a friend who regularly obtains ample quantities of excellent “white lightning”. It’s illegal, of course, but no less tasty for that.
That’s from a US Government website. Of course you can do it but, as you said, it’s illegal. I would have assumed the “legally” is obviously implied on a web page of the legal codes surrounding the production of alcoholic beverages. Perhaps may would have been more precise.
Distilling is definitely not legal in the U.K. Make wine, beer, dicer, perry, mead, what-have-you as long as you do not sell it, but distilling is right out.
What’s “dicer” and “perry”?
Don’t know about Canada; my friend’s parents have a still for some random reason (farmer grandparents, and they never throw anything away), and they apparently have to fill out some licence thing every few years even though they never use it.
I was looking for the Canadian regulations, and came across this Yahoo question re: UK which may or may not be relevent.
Here’s perry.
Dicer stumps me (and Google, it seems).
I’ve been trying for two years to obtain a distillers licence in the UK with no success. The granting of a licence for a small (under 1800 hectolitre still) but commercial still is purely down to the whim of HM Customs & Excise. If you want to produce something moderately strong like a 74% proof Irish oat Whiskeyi.e Poteen,the duty does not roughly double as you might expect as from a conventional and taste and character destroying 40% spirit. You will in fact be expected to pay SIX TIMES AS MUCH DUTYon a 70cl bottle of 74% proof. Osborne’s new amendments to UK Tax and Duty on Spirit production have made it virtually impossible for a resident UK citizen to establish a artisan distillery here. If I cant get my product licensed in the next 12 months I will take my business to the Republic of Ireland and let them benefit from the taxes and jobs.
You do need a licence in Ireland to produce spirits. The laws and attitudes between the North of Ireland (UK) and the Republic are however different. Home preparation of spirits i.e Poteen in small quantities (5 gallon still) in rural areas is tolerated in the Republic as long as it is for ones own use. If you want to become legal and sell your product you can in the Republic apply to a local Magistrate for a licence if your still is less than 400 gallons, if it is larger than 400 gallons you must apply to the Revenue Service for a licence which is much the same as the UK system You are of course liable for duty on all alcohol you produce.
Maybe s/he meant ‘cider.’