Making Moonshine? Essential Safety Tips to Remember

Making moonshine is illegal. But that hasn’t stopped a lot of people from experimenting with their own home brews. The process does come with a few risks, though. So here are a few tips for safer distilling at home:

Brush up on the law

Before you do anything else, make sure you know the law, especially in your state. While it’s completely legal to distill water or essential oils at home, you’ll need to apply for a license if you want to try your hand at that moonshine mash recipe. Some of these licenses include the Federal Distilled Spirits Permit, which gives you permission to create drinkable alcohol. Another permit, the Federal Fuel Alcohol Permit, allows you to use non-consumable alcohol such as ethanol fuel to be used during the process.

Have great ventilation

While it’s good to always make sure that there aren’t any vapors leaking from your still, you can’t always be too sure of that. Leaks can lead to flammable vapors so it’s always a good idea to keep your distillation area well-ventilated. That’s also why a lot of home brewers distill outdoors.

Monitor the temperature

It’s important that you keep an eye on the temperature settings and conditions. If you’re using copper stills, you’ve got all the more reason to be careful. It’s easy for the stills to heat up, so if you don’t want any serious accidents and burns, keep a close eye on the temperature so you’ll know if it’s time to turn it down or keep it steady.

Have a fire extinguisher handy

The presence of flammable vapors can start fires. To prevent accidents and burns when you start working on that moonshine mash recipe, keep a fire extinguisher at hand. That way, if small fires do break out, you and your crew will know how to efficiently deal with the problem.

Invest in protective gear

Don’t forget to buy protective gloves and eye gear. Go for heat-resistant materials. That way, you’ll have enough protection from the flames. Steam can also burn, so your protective gear should do a good job of keeping your safe and burn-free.

Don’t drink at work

If you’re distilling your own alcohol, then chances are you love its taste. But if you’re operating any of the equipment, especially the distilling still, it’s always smart and safer to stay away from the alcohol. Save it for when you’re off the clock.

So keep safe. For more information on where to buy moonshine distilling products and more, contact us.