Turkey's homemade booze boom here to stay
The Turkish government’s drive to discourage alcohol consumption through high taxes has led to Turks home brewing as an alternative.
![Yellow capped new bottles of Turkish liquor of "Yeni Raki" remain packed at a alcohol sales spot in Istanbul March 9, 2005. A Turkish alcohol company on Tuesday ordered the recall of millions of bottles of Turkish liquor as the death toll from a bootleg version of the drink rose to at least 22.[ Galip Yorgancioglu, chief executive of Mey Drinks, said the firm was recalling all 0.7-litre bottles of Tekel brand raki, a popular anise-flavoured drink. Other sizes and brands would remain on shelves. ] - PBEAHUOC](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_large/public/almpics/2017/11-1/RTXNAY7.jpg/RTXNAY7.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=_vupX-IC "YENI RAKI")
Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power 15 years ago, it has pursued a policy of high taxes and high prices on alcohol to keep Turks away from the booze. Its efforts, however, seem to have backfired, as the home brewing of spirits, especially wine and beer, has become a fast-growing trend in Turkey.
Ironically, it was under the AKP that the home production of certain spirits became legal. Nazime Gurkan, a former member of the Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Alcoholic Beverages Regulation Board, told Al-Monitor that a legal amendment in 2008 allowed for the individual production of 350 liters of fermented spirits per year, including wine and beer. This was conditioned on it being for personal consumption only. Selling the spirits was prohibited, Gurkan said, as was the production of harder tipples, in the “distilled” category.
