The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the federal government’s longstanding ban on home whiskey distilling, setting up a closely watched dispute over the reach of federal power in alcohol regulation and tax enforcement. The case arrives at the justices after lower courts reached conflicting conclusions on whether Congress can prohibit individuals from distilling spirits at home for personal use under the federal tax code, a split highlighted in reporting here.

At bottom, the case is about more than hobbyist distillers.