Two Georgia men pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of operating a moonshine still in the Chattahoochee National Forest. One of the bootleggers faces
up to 35 years in prison for his crimes: making the brew, selling it, and not paying taxes on the proceeds. Back in college, the Explainer had friends who brewed their own beer, and that wasn't against the law. (Until 1978, it was illegal to home-brew liquour or beer) So why is moonshine still illegal?
Because the liquor is worth more to the government than beer or wine. Uncle Sam takes an excise tax of $2.14 for each 750-milliliter bottle of 80-proof spirits, compared with 21 cents for a bottle of wine (of 14 percent alcohol or less) and 5 cents for a can of beer.
The 1978 law didn't legalize moonshining, though; you still can't brew spirits for private consumption. It is kosher, however, to own a still and process alcohol—but
only if you're using the alcohol as fuel and you have a permit from the ATF.
Government prosecutors point out that moonshine poses serious health risks, including heavy-metal toxicity.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...t_the_law.html