Is it legal to make moonshine in NC? What to know about the state’s liquor laws
While searching for a stolen car, deputies discovered more than 200 jars of moonshine on at a home in Lexington, N.C., about 65 miles northeast of uptown Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported.
One man was arrested and charged with “possession of non-tax-paid alcohol,” and for violating a state law regarding the unauthorized “manufacture, sale, transport, import, deliver furnish, purchase, consume or possess any alcoholic beverages,” Davidson County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
The discovery highlights the prevalence of an underground industry that has existed in North Carolina for more than a century and the legality surrounding it.
Wilkes County, just 90 miles north of Charlotte, was once considered the “Moonshine Capital of the World” in the early 1920s, NCpedia reported. “North Carolina’s tradition of auto racing developed in the garages of bootleggers, particularly on the roads between North Wilkesboro and Charlotte,” according to NCpedia.
Is it legal to make moonshine in NC?
It is illegal to make “spirituous liquor” – which includes moonshine – without a permit from the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, according to state law.
State law also prohibits people from possessing, transporting and selling “non-tax paid alcoholic beverages.”
The state has an excise tax on alcoholic beverages that all “retail wholesalers or importers of wine or malt beverages” must pay to keep their permits, according to the N.C. Department of Revenue. The excise tax on liquor is 30%.
Individuals with permits can make, transport and sell moonshine within the state, per state law.
Permit applicants must be at least 21 years old, with no alcohol-related misdemeanor convictions within the last two years and no felony convictions within the last three years, according to the N.C. ABC Commission.
What is moonshine made from?
Moonshine is a high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally, according to BinWise, a liquor inventory software company.
Moonshine is typically made with corn, but it can be made from any type of fruit or grain, BinWise said. wrote. It can also contain alcohol by volume of up to 80%. For comparison, the average bottle of beer has an ABV of 5%, according to American Addiction Centers, an organization that provides resources for individuals with alcoholism.
Since virtually any crop can be used to make it, moonshine comes in a variety of flavors, including blackberry, cherry, apple and vanilla, BinWise reported.
However, because moonshine is often made with “untrained hands,” it can be unsafe to drink due to excessive amounts of alcohol.
What is moonshine used for?
Aside from drinking, the high alcohol content in moonshine is useful for a variety of things, including starting a bonfire, antifreeze for vehicle engines, cleaning surfaces and treating minor cuts, Crystal Ridge Distillery.
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Charlotte Observer reporter Mark Price contributed to this story.
