home distilling varies greatly as a status and practice around the world. The reasons people practice distillation break down into three overarching categories:
Cultural or traditional practices, common in many locations, a focus on using excess agricultural products, personal consumption, or for income (especially in developing countries).
Economic savings, primarily in countries with high tax rates on spirits. Such distillers tend to be concerned more with cost rather than with producing high-quality spirits.
Hobby and experimentation, focused on quality and/or novel products.
One of these reasons for distilling often drives a distiller’s choice of still design, with simple pot stills found where traditional products are commonly made, reflux stills where the primary aim is high proof and relatively neutral spirits, and compound stills in use where distillers desire the ability to control the distillation process fully and thereby make a wide variety of products.
While all of these motivations can be found anywhere in the world, one usually predominates. In very broad strokes:
In the United States and Canada, unlicensed distillation of beverage alcohol is illegal, but in both countries distillation of high-proof ethanol for fuel use is permitted and even encouraged. See United States and Canada.
In eastern and southern Europe, where home distillation is widely practiced, such activity is legal, lightly regulated, or even ignored by the government. In general, these countries are low-tax environments. Most home distillation is done on farms or small villas, using fermented local fruits. The stills are simple pot stills, which often may be found for sale at local markets.
In some central European countries, home distillation is legal, but stills must be licensed, and authorities collect a tax on the products. Quite a few people make eau-de-vie under these regimes. See eau-de-vie.
In the developing world (much of Asia, Africa, India, and Latin America), home distillation is either legal or a very low priority for governments with more pressing issues. In remote areas, often a few home distillers will produce local traditional products for sale, but using small-scale equipment. I visited such a distillery in southern Ethiopia, where the fermentations took place in 20-liter fuel cans and the ceramic pot still had a capacity of about 12 liters.
In Scandinavia, where taxes on spirits are universally high, home distillation is prohibited but widely practiced. (I once sat next to a Swedish man on a long flight, and when he found that I manufacture stills, he said, “Two things you have to know. First, it is illegal. Second, everyone does it.”) The predominant product made is high-proof flavorless ethanol (most commonly made from a wash of fermented table sugar), which is diluted and mixed with a wide range of flavor essences to create facsimiles of standard products. Since the practice is illegal, Scandinavian home distillers favor compact, easily hidden stills. From Norway to Finland, there is significant interest in, and experimentation around, the development of automatic stills that can operate in a closet without intervention while producing the desired product. These stills tend to be fairly technically advanced reflux/compound stills. See Scandinavia.
In western Europe north of Iberia, home distillation is generally prohibited. That does not prevent distillers from practicing in secret. The primary drivers are hobbyist experimentation and economic considerations.
In Australia, home distillation is illegal but common due to the high tax regime. Widespread experimentation followed New Zealand’s legalization of private, noncommercial distillation in 1996. From that liberalization of law came the subsequent experimentation and development of new generations of small but high-quality distillation equipment and novel techniques. See Australia and New Zealand.
In South Africa, home distillation is legal if distillers meet certain requirements, The most commonly produced product is mampoer, often called peach brandy, although it can be made with apricots, plums, figs, pineapples, or other fruits. See peach brandy and South Africa.
In most of the Islamic world, where alcohol is officially forbidden, home distillation is illegal. In some countries (e.g., Saudi Arabia) the penalties are truly dire. Nevertheless, some people (especially expatriate workers) have long practiced it clandestinely. Still designs and raw materials are similar to Scandinavian practice but may include raisins, dates, and other dried fruits. A basic distilling manual called
See also moonshine; and still, types of.
Howard, Kathleen, and Norman Gilbat. The Lore of Still Building. Fostoria, OH: Noguska, 1999.
Pavliuchuk, Volodimir. Cordial Waters: A Compleat Guide to Ardent Spirits of the World. Seattle: Amphora Society. 2008.
Nixon, Michael, and Michael McCaw. The Compleat Distiller, 2nd ed. Seattle: Amphora Society, 2010.
Rowley, Matthew. Moonshine! Ashville, NC: Lark, 2007.
Smiley, Ian. Making Pure Corn Whiskey, 2nd ed. Seattle: Amphora Society, 2003.
Zymurgy Bob [pseud.]. Making Fine Spirits Using Simple, Easy-to-Build Gear. Seattle: Amphora Society, 2011.
By: Mike McCaw