Under Federal Law it is illegal to distill ANY distilled spirits for personal use without basically becoming a legal distiller. I have researched this subject to great lengths! I know for a fact it is not legal to distill alcohol for personal use without going to impractical lengths to do so.
403 Invalid action.
Directly quoted from the United States Dept. of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's website..
Spirits
You may not produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for some of the criminal penalties. You should also review our Home Distilling page.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that also make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these requirements are filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a separate building (other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19.
Spirits may be produced for non-beverage purposes for fuel use only without payment of tax, but you also must file an application, receive TTB's approval, and follow requirements, such as construction, use, records and reports.
Last reviewed/updated 01/06/2015
Under Federal rules administered by TTB, it depends on how you use the still. You may not produce alcohol with these stills unless you qualify as a distilled spirits plant. However, owning a small still and using it for other purposes is allowed. You should also check with your State and local authorities - their rules may differ. You should also review our Home Distilling page.
