Brewing Beer or wine, why different than shine?

I have actually tried some shine in the past, but after watching a couple of TV documentary shows about the history and current practices of distilling moonshine, I don't think I'd touch another drop.

Whiskey has always been heavily taxed, going back to the earliest days of the country. One of the first tests of the federal government was the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/mar/14/law-gets-notorious-moonshiner-popcorn-sutton---aga/

So, is it legal to make moonshine if you make it for your own personal use (like beer or wine)?

I've never had any shine and have never made any myself--however, my great grandfather used to make his own back in the early 1900's.

On the other hand, I would guess that some people do a little bit of small scale distillation for personal use and get away with it. Just like some people grow a little Marijuana for personal use for years, and never have any problems with the law.

But in either case, I am guessing that those people are worrying about getting caught all the time, and to me, that worry would make it not worthwhile for me to do. They are probably always worried about someone telling the authorities that they are doing something that could get them in trouble.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the distillation and drug laws in the future. While I don't think there are that many people in prison for moonshining these days, there are many thousands imprisoned for posession/sales/manufacturing marijuana. It is costing our country many millions of dollars to incarcerate those people. I think our money could be spent better elsewhere.

Maybe there will be a relaxation of the distillation laws due to the push for ethanol fuels. And maybe the government will come to its senses and decriminalize marijuana to save a ton of money. Good luck!