Post #1846054

Working on a short form letter to send to my state and local reps to support home distilling. I'm using poast as a notepad, but feel free to add comments or make suggestions. Dear [REPRESENTATIVE], I'm a resident of Pennsylvania and am writing you to urge you to support legislation and/or regulation that will permit the distillation of alcohol for personal consumption. Recently, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 150-year old ban on distilling alcohol at home, opening the door to Americans distilling their own liquor. The ruling presently only applies to those within the 5th Circuit's jurisdiction. Home distillation creates a unique opportunity for Americans to experiment with novel mixes and techniques, perhaps leading to the creation of many more small businesses to service demand. The variety of creatively-named beers and wines from small brewers stocking the shelves of beverage stores all over the US is testament to the opportunity legalized home distilling presents. Home distillation may appear to present myriad safety issues, however the people of New Zealand have been distilling at home for three decades. NZ authorities have stated outright that the number of house fires started by home stills is statistically zero. Further, tens of thousands of Americans distill extracts and essential oils each year without injury to life or property. Legalizing private distillation presents an opportunity to expand the liberty Americans enjoy and build goodwill and trust between the government and American citizens. I urge you to take steps toward legalizing at-home distilling. Thank you for your time, and God bless. Sincerely, Myles Poland