Free Republic

The decision challenges a Reconstruction-era law originally intended to prevent Americans from evading federal liquor taxes.A federal appeals court struck down a longstanding ban on home distilling, ruling that it does not effectively support tax collection and is therefore unconstitutional. While home production of beer and wine has long been legal, distilling spirits at home has been prohibited since 1868, with penalties including prison time and fines. The ruling does not immediately legalize home distilling nationwide, as state laws still apply and the federal government may appeal to the Supreme Court. A federal appeals court just handed a major win...

A walk down the aisles of almost any neighborhood liquor store showcases a wealth of variety that hardly seemed possible when I made my first legal purchase [mumble-mumble] years ago. You'll see 50 bourbons where there used to be five, vodkas from as far and wide as Russia's Stoli to Tito's from Texas. If you'd have told 21-year-old me that someday I'd enjoy scotch from Japan, I'd have looked at you like you were a crazy person. You'll find, as General Motors used to say about its array of cars, a spirit "for every purse and purpose." Things are already...