Aye, it's the same here.  Home distilling is pretty safe if you're not an idiot about it, so the laws are mostly for tax reasons.  Of course it's not really strictly enforced, nor could it be -- anything you need to make a still is also used for regular home plumbing.  If you keep your mouth shut you're fine.

It's got the same kind of status as home taping: nominally illegal, but all the the kit to do it is sold legally all over the place. There's a getaround, too: it's legal to distill and store up to 500l of ethanol biofuel.