Registering your still, does anyone actually do this?

[Summie]

Hi there people,

I was reading the topic about "starting a micro distillery" as I am kind of interested; I starting reading every thing on the ATO website and found that any still over 5 liters needs to be or should be registered.
Now I'm in the middle of building a 4" copper modular bubble cap, and will be making in the future a 6" of the same (all ready have the 6"copper etc to do it). My boiler is a 50L keg as most of us hobby types seem to run and my 6" will be aprox 100L. After all that who actually has registered their still? I'm assuming no one. I only produce product for myself, but say for what ever reason police came to house an seen I had a still that's 100L and also one at 50L, is there a line at what is too big for you own use?

Cheers look forward to the replays.

[the Doctor]

Yes as a commercial distiller I have a registered still... Because I also do reviews of stills and tests for manufacurers I have to make sure that even these short term loan stills are accounted for by keeping a paper trail or getting a letter of request from the manufacturer that I test the pre - production still. OIbviously you would never contemplate registration if not licensed. But for me it is an essential, as when I am audited they have the right to close off my property, saerch cars, hold anyone, and have access to anywhere they wish...If found with an unregistered still ...it is sufficient to have your licenced revoked. That is cause to register. However once registered you cannot sell the still without first getting apermission to transfer the still to the new licensed owner...A PITA but that is just how they roll.
Doc

[karrotbear]

I have been pondering the same thing (about police rocking up).

Back in the day when I went to the HBS to first explore stilling, I asked about the trusty T500 and its associated 25l boiler. They guy said that you can claim that the boiler is a crab pot, and then have a 4l stock pot somewhere that can fit the T500. Would you be able to get away with that (iff you had no home distilled alch anywhere on your property) and just say you use it for water?

When it comes to our hobby type stills (home made) we all pretty much have a 50L boiler (probably a keg) and then the 2" pot/vm/bubbler connecting onto it. Is there anyway that you could say the keg is for mashing/fermenting - even though you have the 2" ferrules welded onto the side for heaters - and then just have your 4l pot off to the side. And when they point out that it can fit onto the keg (triclamp connection) you play dumb and say 'oh wow, never thought of that'. Is there anyway for them to prove, if your modular still was completely dismantled, that the still was used on the 50L boiler and not the 4l pot?

When it says that the still cannot have a capacity of more than 5L, it alludes that the still is the complete package. What if you are caught with a still head (be it a bubbler/vm/pot WITHOUT a boiler) is it still classified as a still? What about a (somewhat very simple) continuous still sitting on a 4l pot, is it still a 4l capacity (seeing as that is how much the pot can hold) or can they say it has an infinite capacity?

tl;dr - Still head without a boiler still a still?

[Summie]

Nice doc, cheers I understand a bit more now, only if you are a licenced you have too. It just illegal for anyone else lol oh well.
Happy Distilling. :music-deathmetal: :text-lol: :teasing-neener: :greetings-waveyellow:

[Andy]

and if you resister your still they r gonna be knocking at your door wanting excise on any alcohol you have made.

as far as I am aware the police wont give two squirts about having a still, or running a still. its customs that would care. and they have more power then police, ie police would need a warrant to come into your house and find your still. customs officers can rock up and fist you.

and its good to keep in mind that what we do is technically illegal. I am not aware of any hobbyists being in trouble for distilling. its those that sell always get caught.

[the Doctor]

Well put Andy...basically only register if you alredy have a license...anything else will result in serious bad stuff going down....If you are a hobbyist discretion is the only path to follow.
Doc

[Summie]

All good advice, cheers guys. :music-deathmetal:

[crow]

:text-+1: registering a still you can't legally use might be pushing the envelope a bit to far

[MacStill]

These types of topics always make me cringe :angry-banghead:

Keep a low profile, dont sell, yell or tell.... just as safe as being legal.... almost ;-)

[the Doctor]

I am totally with you there Mac. registering is the domain of commercial, licenced distillers...no one else. So please do not even consider it unless you have a license in hand.
Doc

[Distillnation]

its customs that would care. and they have more power then police, ie police would need a warrant to come into your house and find your still. customs officers can rock up and fist you.

A bit off topic here, but this just cracked me up :lol:

[crow]

mightn't find it so funny if ya had a bunch of these nazi's on ya property kicking your shit all over the place
They got powers don't worry about that, these are the same jackbooters that can roll up on a building site and because some little poofa kicked ya sign over last night that displays ya Lic. No and tell ya that you are liable for for some astronomical fine and can have ya licence revoked, don't fuck with these c___s
Just sayin