From: Canada Revenue Agency The Excise Act, 2001 requires a person to obtain a spirits licence in order to produce or package spirits. This memorandum provides an overview of the responsibilities and requirements related to producers and packagers of spirits.
Is it legal to home distill in Canada?
Spirits License
It’s what permits you to produce or package spirits (beverage alcohol that isn’t wine, and is over 11.9% alcohol – otherwise it’s beer) in Canada, and to possess a still. If you’ve applied for a spirits license, you can possess a still, but can’t operate it. Home distilling is illegal.
Can you distill alcohol at home in Canada?
Distilling your wash
If you want to make high alcohol spirits like whisky and rum you will need to distill your wash. Distilling at home is illegal in Canada and the United States but it is legal in some other countries.
Can I make alcohol at home for personal use?
While individuals of legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal or family use, Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home (see 26 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5042(a)(2) and 5053(e)).
Can you brew your own alcohol in Ontario?
In Canada, provincial boards regulate home beer-making. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s FAQ states: “You may make beer or wine at home as long as it is only for your personal consumption or to be given away free of charge. Homemade (or ‘u-brew’) beer or wine may not be sold or used commercially.
Can I make my own whiskey in Canada?
Producing and packaging spirits
Under subsection 60(1), a person is prohibited from producing or packaging spirits unless they have a spirits licence. Unlike the production of wine and beer for personal use, there is no exemption for a person to produce spirits for personal use.
Is it legal to make vodka at home?
You are free to make naturally fermented alcohol for your own use and the development of special alcohol tolerant yeasts has made the production of ‘spirit and liqueur’ drinks from high alcohol washes (typically 20% abv), a practical proposition.
Is Freeze distillation legal in Canada?
‘Distillation’ is a bit of a misnomer, because nothing is heated—one might say it’s rather the opposite. During this process both the concentration of the drink and the alcohol content are increased. Contrary to regular distillation, freezing distillation is considered legal all over the world.
How to make Canadian whiskey?
How It’s Made
- Be made from a mash of cereal grain or cereal grain products;
- Be aged in “small wood” (less than 700 liters) for at least 3 years;
- Possess the aroma, taste, and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky;
- Be mashed, distilled, and aged in Canada;
- Contain no less than 40% ABV.
How much does home distilling cost?
Distilling equipment
At the most basic level, you’re going to need a cooker (or mash tun), a fermenter, and a still. A cooker can cost roughly $11,000, a fermenter $6,500, and a still anywhere from $3,000 to $12,000.
Can I make whiskey at home for personal use?
Here in the United States, there is no way to legally distill alcohol for personal home use without a license. See 27 CFR § 19.51: A person may not produce distilled spirits at home for personal use.
Why can’t you make your own liquor?
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.
Can you make moonshine legally?
Federal law provides no exemptions for the production of distilled spirits for personal or family use. Under no circumstances should an individual ever distill or sell alcohol without a permit.
Can you bottle your own alcohol?
It may take some extra know-how and time, but the results always pay off! Bottling your own cocktails allows so much freedom to your flavors and frankly, they’re gonna be way fresher. With a few supplies, recycled materials, or mason jars, you’ll be on your way to ready to go cocktails or sodas!
How to start a liquor business in Canada?
Applying for a liquor license in Canada
To obtain any type of liquor license in Canada, you need to apply through the Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) for the province in which your business is located. The AGCO reviews applications based on the risk the licensee might pose to public safety.
Is it legal to make moonshine in Alberta?
Ferment On Premises Facilities
The basic rules set out are: Only beer, wine and cider may be produced at a ferment-on-premises facility. Spirits may not be produced.
Can you make vodka in Canada?
Home distilling for the purpose of making alcohol is not permitted in Canada. Like beer, vodka is made by fermenting starch (grain, fruit, potatoes, etc.) and then distilling it. A mistake can cause blindness and even death.
Can you make bourbon in Canada?
For one, bourbon must be made in the United States, while Canadian whiskey can be produced anywhere in Canada. This is likely due to the fact that bourbon must be made from at least 51% corn, while Canadian whisky often includes a higher proportion of rye.
Can Scotch be made in Canada?
Glenora Distillers is a distiller based in Glenville, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Cape Breton Island. Their most prominent product is Glen Breton Rare whisky, made in the Scottish-style in that it is a single malt Canadian whisky, not a rye, as is traditional in Canada.
Can you make gin at home legally?
“The technical name for this is compound gin but it’s also sometimes called ‘bathtub gin’, in reference to the vessel in which batches were illegally made during American Prohibition in the 1920s. “There’s nothing illegal about whipping up a bit of your own homemade gin – and it can be great fun.
Is it cheaper to make your own alcohol?
It’s inexpensive. Making your own wine is much cheaper than buying bottles from the grocery or liquor store. Once you cover the upfront costs of all the supplies and equipment you’ll need to get started, making additional batches can cost as low as $3.00 per bottle. That’s a deal!