In 2018, the law on the so-called home-made alcohol was tightened in our country, and all moonshiners panicked, as those days when making moonshine fell under a criminal article are still fresh in memory.
So is it possible to drive moonshine in Russia? And how to do it so as not to break the law? Let's try to figure it out.
Illegal alcohol
People over the past couple of decades have begun to live better. The market is flooded with imported goods, quality food and alcohol. But almost every year in a particular region of the country there are cases of mass poisoning with alcohol-containing drinks. And we are not talking about some antisocial elements. The poisoning is received by well-off, even wealthy people - doctors, teachers, businessmen, that is, representatives of all segments of the population.
The thing is that everyone can face low-quality and illegal alcohol. Of course, drowning and abusing elements have a higher risk, since they drink dubious alcohol-containing drinks, such as tincture of hawthorn or cucumber lotion.
This situation leads to the fact that people themselves begin to produce alcohol, and in this regard, the question arises as to whether it is possible to drive moonshine.
New Moonshining Act
Home-brewing lovers have nothing to worry about. The toughening concerns only those who produce homemade alcohol on an industrial scale. We are talking about the so-called garage moonshiners, who, under the guise of products for personal use, produce alcohol-containing drinks for sale. This was prohibited by old legislation, and new amendments to tighten control over the production of domestic alcohol will prevent the production and sale of counterfeit goods.
Is it possible by law to drive moonshine? According to the latest version of Federal Law No. 171-ФЗ, from January 1, 2018, it is necessary to register equipment for the production of drinking (ethyl) alcohol with a capacity of more than two hundred decaliters per year. Previously, this figure was 4000 decalitres.
Equipment with a capacity of less than two hundred decalitres (less than 2,000 liters) per year does not need to be registered. For domestic needs, 2000 liters is more than enough. Those who want to produce alcohol on an industrial scale will have to obtain the relevant documents.
Obligatory registration is subject to apparatuses, installations and columns for the production and purification of drinking alcohol. Permission must be obtained from an organization called Rosalkogolregulirovanie. For registration, the alcohol producer must provide an application indicating the location of the equipment, copies of passports for the equipment and documents of title (confirming to whom the equipment belongs).
But registration alone is not enough. It is necessary to issue an IP or LLC, as individuals cannot produce alcohol for sale. Otherwise, contacting Rosalkogolregulirovanie will only result in confiscation of equipment.
A responsibility
Is it possible to drive moonshine at home? Yes, if the equipment for producing low-power alcohol (less than 2000 liters per year). And only for yourself. Deviation from these rules is subject to administrative and criminal liability:
- The use of more powerful equipment with a capacity of over 2000 liters per year is punishable by a fine of 3-5 thousand rubles. with confiscation of the device.
- Moving home-made alcohol in amounts of more than 10 liters per person faces a fine of 3-5 thousand rubles.
- For the sale of alcohol without permission, that is, for entrepreneurship without issuing the necessary papers or for trading without a license (as the offense classifies the offense), a fine of 500-2000 rubles, or from 1.5 to 8 thousand rubles, is threatened. For legal entities, the fine may amount to 200 thousand rubles.
- If people suffer from home-made alcohol, this will lead to criminal liability and up to 10 years.
Is it possible to drive moonshine for yourself
For personal needs, it is possible to produce alcohol-containing drinks. So the question of whether it is possible to drive moonshine for yourself is being removed from the agenda. It is important to understand that alcohol should be produced only for yourself, and not for sale, and exclusively on low-power equipment.
How it works? A person acquires a low-power moonshine, makes a product for distillation, and receives an alcohol-containing drink by distillation. He can drink it himself, drink with family members or treat neighbors and friends. All this is not a crime.
However, as soon as he sells any amount of home-made alcohol, he becomes an offender.
Alcohol production as a hobby
Is it possible to drive moonshine at home? Yes, if you do it within the law. In fact, the production of home-made alcohol from an activity reproached by everyone has become almost a hobby. Many successful and affluent people who are not overpriced to buy vodka, cognac or whiskey in the store, prefer to make these drinks on their own.
Moreover, with the development of the Internet, you can order a lot of related products for home brewing: tree bark, herbs for tinctures, food colors, flavors and various additives. Both apparatus and columns are sold - completely legally and at an affordable price.
Is it possible to make alcohol for myself in other countries
Is it possible to drive moonshine in other countries for personal use? It depends on local law. For example, in Ukraine this is tough enough. Until 2012, home brewing, even for personal needs, was equated with a criminal offense. Later, the laws became softer, but even today, a large monetary fine can be obtained for the production of alcohol-containing drinks.
Is it possible to drive moonshine in Belarus? The authorities of this state also have a negative attitude to moonshining - equipment from offenders is confiscated and obligated to pay a fine. In this case, even distillation apparatuses are subject to removal. Law enforcement officials severely prosecute moonshiners, but often do not pay attention to the production of homemade wine from fruits by natural fermentation (for personal use). Although this is also considered an offense.
In Austria, it is common practice when, after paying the excise tax for the right amount of alcohol, a person is given a machine with a counter, and he can produce alcohol for himself. In Germany, you can quickly obtain a license for the production of alcohol-containing drinks and come to distillery with your brew.
So the laws are different everywhere - moonshining is forbidden somewhere, and somewhere they try to control reasonably.