Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller for
home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately but I
have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I am slowly
losing it, and this never happened.
Anyone have any insight on something like this?

The men in black suits will be knocking on your door shortly.

Joel R Anderson wrote:
> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller for
> home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately but I
> have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I am slowly
> losing it, and this never happened.
> Anyone have any insight on something like this?

Franco > wrote:
> Joel R Anderson wrote:

>> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy
>> distiller for home use. It made about a glass full. I have
>> looked around lately but I have never been able to find it
>> anywhere. Now there is a chance I am slowly losing it, and
>> this never happened.
>>
>> Anyone have any insight on something like this?

I've seen it too. It was all glass with a small burner. A
chemist told me they are very prone to explosion indoors.

> The men in black suits will be knocking on your door shortly.

And they come packed!

Dick

Franco wrote:
> The men in black suits will be knocking on your door shortly.
>
> Joel R Anderson wrote:
>
>>Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller for
>>home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately but I
>>have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I am slowly
>>losing it, and this never happened.
>>Anyone have any insight on something like this?
>
>

The "Wine Enthusiast" ( wineenthusiast.com) sells all kinds of wine
storage, serving stuff and many things wine related and surprisingly
also sell a mini still for "Turning Wine into Brandy". It sells for
$199. I don't know how they get past the laws but there it is if anyone
is brave or foolish enough to buy one.

"Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote in message
...
> Franco wrote:
>> The men in black suits will be knocking on your door shortly.
>>
>> Joel R Anderson wrote:
>>
>>>Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller
>>>for
>>>home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately but I
>>>have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I am
>>>slowly
>>>losing it, and this never happened.
>>>Anyone have any insight on something like this?
>>
>>
>
> The "Wine Enthusiast" ( wineenthusiast.com) sells all kinds of wine
> storage, serving stuff and many things wine related and surprisingly also
> sell a mini still for "Turning Wine into Brandy". It sells for $199. I
> don't know how they get past the laws but there it is if anyone is brave
> or foolish enough to buy one.

That is surprising. I have seen sevral small stills but they are all sold
for distilling water and warn you that it is illegal to distill alcohol. Oh
well, be carefull.

Ray

>>> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller for
>>> home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately but I
>>> have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I am slowly
>>> losing it, and this never happened.
>>> Anyone have any insight on something like this?

> The "Wine Enthusiast" ( wineenthusiast.com) sells all kinds of wine
> storage, serving stuff and many things wine related and surprisingly
> also sell a mini still for "Turning Wine into Brandy". It sells for
> $199. I don't know how they get past the laws but there it is if anyone
> is brave or foolish enough to buy one.

I presume "Wine Enthusiast: obeys the law and submits the names and
addresses of purchasers to th ATF just like Sears does on their water
stills.

Dick

Dick Adams wrote:

>>>> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA
>>>> catalog a small Brandy distiller for
>>>> home use. It made about a glass full. I
>>>> have looked around lately but I
>>>> have never been able to find it anywhere.
>>>> Now there is a chance I am slowly losing it,
>>>> and this never happened. Anyone have any
>>>> insight on something like this?
>
>> The "Wine Enthusiast" ( wineenthusiast.com)
>> sells all kinds of wine storage, serving stuff
>> and many things wine related and surprisingly
>> also sell a mini still for "Turning Wine into
>> Brandy". It sells for
>> $199. I don't know how they get past the laws
>> but there it is if anyone is brave or foolish
>> enough to buy one.
>
> I presume "Wine Enthusiast: obeys the law and
> submits the names and addresses of purchasers to
> th ATF just like Sears does on their water
> stills.
>
> Dick

Don't know. I did not buy one nor intend to do
so. It looks like a PITA way to get an ounce of
brandy. I drink hard liquor so seldom that I opt
to just buy it.

> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller for
> home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately but I
> have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I am slowly
> losing it, and this never happened.

A small still is available at any scientific supply store, it's just a
boiling flask and condenser. That said, if you are in the US
distilling alcohol for consumption is illegal. Any property in the
vicinity of the still can be confiscated because it is part of the
crime; like the house it's in, the car in the garage, etc.

When you distill the first part of the distillate and last parts are
poison, another very good reason to consider this carefully.

Store bought brandy is cheap in comparison

Joe

A few years ago I was visiting my home country (Argentina) and a friend
gave me some home-made orange liquor to taste. It was pretty good. So I
asked him for the recipe, and it was really simple: ethanol, orange
peel, and sugar. By the way, in Argentina if you go to the pharmacy and
you buy alcohol (for scratches, etc) you are getting pure ethanol with
nothing added to it, and it's cheap just like isopropyl is cheap here.
So I come back to the USA with the recipe, and I start looking for
ethanol, and I can't find it anywhere. Of course the first place I
tried was the pharmacy, but you know how it is: you walk up to the
"pharmacist" and ask him/her a question (such as "where can I buy pure,
un-poisoned ethanol?") and you get the "deer in the headlights" stare.
Anyway, after some research I eventually realized that Uncle Sam
doesn't want you to be making your own spirits because Uncle Sam wants
to collect alcohol taxes.

Bottom line: rig a distiller at home and get caught -> go to jail.

P.S. it's sad to see that what used to be a profesion (pharmacy) has
been dumbed down to filling prescriptions (counting pills and little
else).

The men in black suits will be knocking on my door shortly.

> So I come back to the USA with the recipe, and I start looking for
> ethanol, and I can't find it anywhere. ...

You could probably use Pure Grain Alcohol (PGA) like "Everclear" which
is 95%. It is sold in liquor stores in most states (but it's not legal
in every state).

Derric

AND they make so much money just counting pills and trying not to see
any one at the "drop off" window. amazing, ugh? haha.

DAve



Franco wrote:
> A few years ago I was visiting my home country (Argentina) and a friend
> gave me some home-made orange liquor to taste. It was pretty good. So I
> asked him for the recipe, and it was really simple: ethanol, orange
> peel, and sugar. By the way, in Argentina if you go to the pharmacy and
> you buy alcohol (for scratches, etc) you are getting pure ethanol with
> nothing added to it, and it's cheap just like isopropyl is cheap here.
> So I come back to the USA with the recipe, and I start looking for
> ethanol, and I can't find it anywhere. Of course the first place I
> tried was the pharmacy, but you know how it is: you walk up to the
> "pharmacist" and ask him/her a question (such as "where can I buy pure,
> un-poisoned ethanol?") and you get the "deer in the headlights" stare.
> Anyway, after some research I eventually realized that Uncle Sam
> doesn't want you to be making your own spirits because Uncle Sam wants
> to collect alcohol taxes.
>
> Bottom line: rig a distiller at home and get caught -> go to jail.
>
> P.S. it's sad to see that what used to be a profesion (pharmacy) has
> been dumbed down to filling prescriptions (counting pills and little
> else).
>

OK...
Maybe this was not a good idea. I thought you could distill a small amount,
for personal use, but maybe I am wrong.
My old grandpa used to make brandy back in the twenties and thirties for his
own use. He used to tell me tales of it, and how it was better then the
stuff he could get at the time. Of course, he probably could only get
bathtub rotgut brandy back then.



"Joel R Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller
> for home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately
> but I have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I
> am slowly losing it, and this never happened.
> Anyone have any insight on something like this?
>

No you cannot make it for your own use. They will go after you for one oz
just like someone who makes 500 gallons. They truely have zero tolerence.
It is even illegal to freeze distill, i.e. freeze wine and dip the ice
christals off as they form. There is no way to legally concentrate alcohol.

Ray

"Joel R Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> OK...
> Maybe this was not a good idea. I thought you could distill a small
> amount, for personal use, but maybe I am wrong.
> My old grandpa used to make brandy back in the twenties and thirties for
> his own use. He used to tell me tales of it, and how it was better then
> the stuff he could get at the time. Of course, he probably could only get
> bathtub rotgut brandy back then.
>
>
>
> "Joel R Anderson" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Years ago, I remember seeing in an IWA catalog a small Brandy distiller
>> for home use. It made about a glass full. I have looked around lately
>> but I have never been able to find it anywhere. Now there is a chance I
>> am slowly losing it, and this never happened.
>> Anyone have any insight on something like this?
>>
>
>

> OK...
> Maybe this was not a good idea. I thought you could distill a small amount,
> for personal use, but maybe I am wrong.

I went to that wine enthusiast link and it says it's legal in some
states but to be honest I think that is questionable information;
(maybe they are referring to 'altered states').

I would make sure the federal, state and municipal govt's said it was
OK before I did anything like this. (I know, sounds paranoid. I'm
from Western PA and that whole Whiskey Rebellion thing didn't work out
the way people around here wanted it to...) I'm pretty sure they are
legal in New Zealand but I'm not packing my bags over this...



Joe

"Joe Sallustio" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>> OK...
>> Maybe this was not a good idea. I thought you could distill a small
>> amount,
>> for personal use, but maybe I am wrong.
>
> I went to that wine enthusiast link and it says it's legal in some
> states but to be honest I think that is questionable information;
> (maybe they are referring to 'altered states').
>
> I would make sure the federal, state and municipal govt's said it was
> OK before I did anything like this. (I know, sounds paranoid. I'm
> from Western PA and that whole Whiskey Rebellion thing didn't work out
> the way people around here wanted it to...) I'm pretty sure they are
> legal in New Zealand but I'm not packing my bags over this...
>
>
>
> Joe
>
>

Yeah, well Marijuana might be legal in some states. That does not mean the
FED's will not put you under the jail for using!

Ray

>>> OK...
>>> Maybe this was not a good idea. I thought you could distill a small
>>> amount, for personal use, but maybe I am wrong.

>> I went to that wine enthusiast link and it says it's legal in some
>> states but to be honest I think that is questionable information;
>> (maybe they are referring to 'altered states').
>>
>> I would make sure the federal, state and municipal govt's said it was
>> OK before I did anything like this. (I know, sounds paranoid. I'm
>> from Western PA and that whole Whiskey Rebellion thing didn't work out
>> the way people around here wanted it to...) I'm pretty sure they are
>> legal in New Zealand but I'm not packing my bags over this...

What is often missed in reality is that New Zealand is damn close
to being a third world nation. University Professors I know have
lived in cinder block houses with tin roofs and have planted crops
and kept livestock to keep food costs down!

What makes the Whiskey Tax humorous is that John Hancock's major
occupation was smuggling and he was outraged when the bloody
British seized his ships containing tea and rum. To get revenge,
he preached revolution! ROTFLMAO

> Yeah, well Marijuana might be legal in some states. That does
> not mean the FED's will not put you under the jail for using!

Sound advice.

Dick
- Life is like running a moonshine still. You can do anything
you want until the revenue agents find you doing it.
- Dick Adams (1994)

Be VERY careful of home distilling. I researched it a few years back
-- as far as I could determine it's illegal in every country except
New Zealand.

In the USA the penalty for home distilling can include confiscation of
real estate, e.g., the Feds take your house.

Bryan



On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:35:58 GMT, "Ray Calvert"
> wrote:

>
>"Joe Sallustio" > wrote in message
roups.com...
>>> OK...
>>> Maybe this was not a good idea. I thought you could distill a small
>>> amount,
>>> for personal use, but maybe I am wrong.
>>
>> I went to that wine enthusiast link and it says it's legal in some
>> states but to be honest I think that is questionable information;
>> (maybe they are referring to 'altered states').
>>
>> I would make sure the federal, state and municipal govt's said it was
>> OK before I did anything like this. (I know, sounds paranoid. I'm
>> from Western PA and that whole Whiskey Rebellion thing didn't work out
>> the way people around here wanted it to...) I'm pretty sure they are
>> legal in New Zealand but I'm not packing my bags over this...
>>
>>
>>
>> Joe
>>
>>
>
>Yeah, well Marijuana might be legal in some states. That does not mean the
>FED's will not put you under the jail for using!
>
>Ray
>

Bryan:

Can you find a reference for this claim? I've heard it, but haven't
seen it anywhere.

The penalties I've seen at ATF site are upto 5 years in prison and
$10,000 fine. Yeah, that is enough!!!

Steve
Oregon and satisfied making wine, Thank you!


>Jake Speed > wrote:

snip
>
>In the USA the penalty for home distilling can include confiscation of
>real estate, e.g., the Feds take your house.
>
>Bryan
>
>