- Published
Wyoming mechanic and amateur moonshiner Geno Stecks proudly details the modifications he's made at his two-bedroom home to facilitate his hobby of distilling liquor in his own home.
asserted
he → publish → home
"I turned my dining room into my shining room," boasted the bearded 66-year-old, who uses a power drill fixed to a bowl to mix some of his recipe.
asserted
who → turn → recipe
Two years ago, he began tinkering with recipes for home-producing spirits.
asserted
he → begin → spirits
The pastime has taught him new skills and given him a signature product to share with friends and neighbors - "coffee-flavoured shine".
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pastime → teach → friends
It also happens to be illegal under US law.
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It → happen → law
"You know, keep quiet - don't make commercials or nothing," Stecks said.
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Stecks → know → commercials
But some home distillers hope they won't have to keep their hobby a secret for longer.
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they → hope → hobby
The Supreme Court announced this week that it would reconsider the 1868 legislation forbidding the practice, and hobby distillers hope that their spirits will soon be treated like beer and wine, which are both legal to brew at home across the country.
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which → announce → country
Plaintiffs who brought the cases say Congress overstepped its powers in restricting distilling for tax purposes during the Reconstruction era.
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Congress → bring → era
They want the highest judges in the country to agree.
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judges → want → country
But lawyers for the government argue that Congress's measure was lawful, and necessary to stop producers from avoiding taxes.
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measure → argue → taxes
One lower court found the almost 160-year-old ban unconstitutional, but in a separate and similar case, another lower court came to the opposite conclusion.
asserted
court → find → conclusion
The Supreme Court will hear the case early next year and could make a ruling in the summer of 2027.
uncertain
Court → hear → 2027
Currently, distilling alcohol in a private home carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $10,000 (£7,460) fine or both.
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distilling → distil → prison
"The particular law in question here is both absurd and unconstitutional," said lawyer Robert Alt, representing the plaintiffs.
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Alt → say → plaintiffs
"It's interesting to note that this is a hobby which is as American as apple pie - and certainly a lot older."
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which → note → pie
Alt, Stecks and many proponents of the change point out that George Washington himself distilled spirits at home.
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Washington → point → home
Historian Daniel Pierce told the BBC that home distilling was first criminalised for revenue purposes, requiring anyone making spirits to pay a tax.
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distilling → tell → tax
When federal agents began enforcing the law, small farmers who were distilling on the side as a way to make some extra money or to barter were left with few options.
"If you're a large distiller or something, you could afford to [pay the tax], but for most people, it was out of the question," Pierce said.
uncertain
Pierce → begin → question
When the US implemented Prohibition - the nationwide ban on the production and sale of alcohol between 1930 and 1933 - it created a whole new market for illegal distillers, particularly moonshiner, Pierce said.
asserted
Pierce → implement → distillers
NASCAR, the racing sport, was born out of the high-speed, modified cars that bootleggers once used to transport illicit liquor and outrun the law.
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bootleggers → bear → law
Many continued their illegal distilling after Prohibition's end, often passing on family recipes in secret (or, at least, in tightly-knit circles) for generations.
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Many → continue → generations
Then moonshine and home distilling enjoyed a new renaissance in the early 2000s, he said, thanks to reality TV shows like Moonshiners, the internet and popular culture.
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he → enjoy → Moonshiners
"You start to get this pretty dramatic revival….
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You → start → revival
in terms of home distilling," Pierce said.
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Pierce → say → distilling
Rick Morris, the founder and president of the Hobby Distillers Association, was one of the challengers who sued in Texas to change the law.
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who → sue → law
He first entered the drinks industry working with soda machines and bottled water, then became a hobbyist home brewer of beer and wine with his wife.
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He → enter → wife
They made a frustrating discovery when they tried to take the "next step" into distilling.
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they → make → distilling
"It didn't make sense," he said.
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he → make → sense
"I could make beer, I could make wine, both perfectly legally … and it was frustrating that I couldn't take what I had already legally made and do one more step to it, to start to try to make a bourbon or a brandy.
uncertain
I → make → bourbon
The allure for Morris and many other hobbyists, they say, is the mechanics and innovation behind the process.
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they → say → process
"There is a lot of science and details to get straightened out, but there is still a big vein of creativity in the art that goes into it - blending flavours and aromas and all that," said Ohio challenger John Bream, an aerospace engineer by trade.
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Bream → be → trade
He first took up the hobby when his wife gave him a home-brewing kit around 17 years ago.
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wife → take → kit
He set up his operations in their kitchen but "made too many messes and got kicked out into the garage".
"Through homebrewing, I became aware that going to the next level of distilling was illegal … so I stayed away from it," he said.
asserted
he → set → it
But he realised he could be "part of the force for good" by joining legal challenges to the archaic law.
uncertain
he → realise → law
Not everyone is on board with the move, Courtney Armour, chief legal officer at The Distilled Spirits Council of the US, told the BBC.
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Armour → tell → BBC
She worries about the challenges and dangers that come with home producing.
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that → worry → producing
"The distillation process can be quite dangerous, including risk of explosion, burns, fires, and more," Armour said.
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Armour → include → explosion
"The spirits industry has a clear focus on safety and process management to mitigate these risks, but even in that careful environment there are still accidents, injuries and even fatalities.
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industry → have → environment
"
And then there are health concerns that can arise when alcohol has not been produced properly.
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alcohol → be → ?
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
