Did you know ?

It is legal to distil drinking water or essential oils, so it is also legal to buy, own and operate a still, which is the basic tool for making distilled water and essential oils as well as liquor. In many countries, however, distilling alcohol without a license remains under prohibition. Ironically, in today's world, the biggest supporter of these repressive laws is the oil industry, because home-distilled ethanol (i.e. alcohol) is a viable alternative to automotive gasoline.

With common sense and discretion, however, home distillers choose to safely enjoy a rewarding hobby, and together form the millions of people demanding an end to the Prohibition Era.

The link between moonshine and blindness is a myth without scientific basis. In fact, a well-distilled liquor is free of the impurities found in beer and wine, because distilling is a purifying process that results in a cleaner, safer alcohol. By following the simple rule of discarding the first few ounces to exit the still, you are fully assured the purity and safety of the liquor you distill at home.

Distilling excellent liquor can be as expensive or inexpensive as the ingredients you use. And example of an expensive liquor would be to use agave nectar or wildflower honey as the source of your sugar. On the other hand, you can use cheap or free ingredients for top-quality liquor. Here's an example: collect and ferment the grape skins discarded by the wine industry, and then distill a fine, high-end grappa. Or use just sugar, water and yeast to make vodka at less than $2 per bottle. It can exceed the quality of an imported vodka that costs over $150 per bottle in a nightclub or bar!

Around the world, there is a surge in the popularity of creating home-distilled liquors and liqueurs. No longer is "moonshining" just for hillbillies; in the kitchens of Europe, California, Canada and New York, a new generation of distillers is discovering what the hillbillies have always known: that there is no pleasure like distilling your own.

Once the secret art of alchemists who invented the process in medieval times, distilling has long been kept from the general public, first by secrecy, then by laws. With the free flow of information allowed by the internet, distillation is finally being demystified. As more people empower themselves to operate a still, experimenting with everything from simple vodkas to unique herbal infusions like absinthe, as well as fine whiskeys, rums, or flavored brandies, distilling is now more popular than ever before.