Master Distiller (2019–…): Season 3, Episode 10 - Lost Family Recipe Showdown - full transcript
watch out.
this time on master distiller.
this is a good drink
after you've been drinking.
the legendary moonshine
of eastern europe, slivovitz.
When it's made right,
it brings the flavor
of fresh plums.
kept alive
for decades behind
the iron curtain
by shiners
who risked prison
to keep this high proof
spirit alive.
Ooh.
now, three top distillers
put their recipes to the test.
It's plum good,
plum strong.
to see who makes
the best slivovitz.
You'll be plum drunk
if you drank enough of it.
across the country,
a handful of amateur
distillers are heirs
to a centuries old tradition.
Some operate
on the legal side.
Others practice
their craft beyond
the reach of the law.
Now they'll face off
to earn their place
in america's liquor
making legacy.
keith, what are you trying
to kill in that mash barrel?
judged by three
legendary moonshiners,
they'll go head to head
in a series of challenges.
He's got this thing
set up over there
like a rocket ship.
That's what
we like to see.
to determine who
has what it takes.
He like to live dangerous,
don't he?
To be named master distiller.
Daniel's got the
poker face from hell.
You gonna let us know
what that is?
- special water.
- that's really nice.
it smells really,
really good.
guys, welcome
to master distiller.
Slivovitz,
the backwoods bounty
of eastern europe.
Y'all gonna build us
a run of it.
We're going to find out
what it's all about.
It's a whole different
process from what
we're used to.
And this whole panel
right here,
we're stoked for this one.
What you're going to win?
A limited run
of your slivovitz at
a major distillery.
You know, I'm going
to be honest
with you guys.
I don't know a whole lot
about slivovitz,
but what I do know
is when it's made right,
it brings the flavor
of fresh plums.
Now when
it is made badly,
it tastes like gasoline.
So do not
bring us gasoline.
In eastern europe,
they've been making slivovitz
for a long, long time.
Tickle, tell us about it.
Slivovitz
is a plum brandy.
This is basically
the moonshine
of eastern europe.
Plums were first distilled
into alcohol around
the 15th century.
Slivovitz was made
in small batches
with plums
from family orchards.
It can be clear,
it can be aged,
and some people even infuse
it with honey.
In the late 1800s,
commercial
slivovitz distilleries
opened up,
but many of the
slivovitz distilleries
were taken over
by the nazis
during world war ii
and the communists
after that.
Thankfully,
the backwoods' tradition
of making slivovitz
never stopped.
Those are the moonshiners
that kept the backwoods
recipes alive.
Slivovitz is really having
a big comeback now
and now people
all over the world
are getting to know
what eastern europeans
have known
for a long time.
But this right here,
that's some damn good liquor.
all right, guys,
you've heard everything
we've got to say.
You got one hour
to build this mash.
You'll have five days
for it to work.
We want the best possible
slivovitz we can get
on our table.
Your time starts now.
Good luck, guys.
- safety first.
-Haircut, coming up.
Sam, you've actually
drank it.
yeah, I drink it
and made it
and everything.
You smell plum, right?
And you taste plum
after you wake up
from taking a shot.
-Really?
-Yeah, because
this is really strong.
But it's plum going
and coming.
It's plum good,
plum strong.
You'd be plum drunk
if you drank
enough of it.
What's that you're fixing
to dump out there, nicole?
I'm using puree
because puree
is made from...
Cut out
the middleman.
...The best sourced fruit
at the exact right time
and it's aseptic
so there'll be nothing else
growing in it.
So, hopefully
I'll just be my yeast.
I like timesaving.
I like the way
you're doing business.
My name
is dr. Nicole schreiner
and I'm from
east lansing, michigan.
Some people
call me doc.
My friends and family
call me tricky nikki.
I have a bachelor's
in chemical engineering,
phd in chemical engineering.
I'd say I'm pretty badass
in chemistry and engineering
and brewing.
Right now, I am going
to be checking
the sulfur content
of the wine that we
made here in class.
At michigan state here,
I lead the fermented
beverage program,
which includes
a fermented beverage class,
a winemaking course,
and a brewing
and distilling course.
I'd say that's
a little over carbonated.
I want to win it
for my students
so they know
that they're getting
an education from one
of the best in the business.
I think she got some
nitroglycerin in that one.
Are you going
to let us know
what that is in there?
Special water.
-Oh, it's running down
your shirt right now.
- that's okay.
I want to get it up to
about 40 degrees celsius,
and then I'm gonna
start making
my yeast starter.
It's di water, deionized,
so there's nothing else.
Chlorine will be really
bad for the yeast, so.
I'm looking forward
to trying this.
Slivovitz is a really
high proof spirit
so the importance
of when you distill it
is to keep that
plum character.
You're looking for the flavor
and the aromatics
of a really fresh ripe plum
that you would
want to eat
and then I'll distill it
and make the best
slivovitz possible.
Daniel's got enough buckets
here to float down
a barge.
I see your plan
to win this competition
is to remove all plums
so that your competitors
couldn't have any.
Right?
Yeah, I bought up the market.
Yeah, you got
all the plums.
My name is daniel reason.
I'm from portland, oregon.
Currently, I'm
a consultant for distilleries
for making pear brandy,
apple brandy, slivovitz.
This is going to be
our bottling room
and then over here's
where our still house
is going to be.
While I was in college,
I did a cultural
exchange program
to germany when
my host parents took me
out and he said,
"oh, you got
to try this stuff."
and it was actually slivovitz
and I tried it,
I was like,
"I never tasted
anything like this before."
yeah, magic's gonna
to happen soon.
What I love about slivovitz
is they're able
to capture the essence
of the fruit any time
of the year.
You open the bottle
and it's just
fresh fruit aromatic
that you get out of it.
When you drink
that spirit,
you know where it's from,
its history behind it.
I find
that pretty fascinating.
Gonna be one of the most
expensive running liquor
in history right here.
fresh fruit
isn't cheap.
That's all worth it.
You know,
you gotta get
the high quality fruit
to produce
high quality brandy.
Keith, what are you trying
to kill in that mash barrel?
it's a lot easier
to do with a drill,
but I'm mashing
them up.
My name's keith miller
from fairfield, california.
There is this history
of distilling in my family.
My great grandfather
was a doer.
His inheritance didn't make it
down to me,
but it's in my blood.
This was my very first...
Very first liquor
I ever
made right there.
I was in the air force
as a firefighter
traveled around,
bartended, bounced,
and I have a buddy
that lives in prague.
I really wanted
to try different moonshines
from different countries.
So it became a priority
of mine to get over there
and try as many
different peoples' slivovitz
as I could
and made me interested
in learning how to make it.
guys, you're
30 minutes in,
halfway done.
getting ready
to rehydrate my yeast.
and do you heat
this up or this is it?
- it's ready to go?
-It's ready.
So you're gonna
put the yeast
in and that's it.
- yep. Yep.
- and done.
we might be
in the wrong kind
of business, tim.
We cook, cook, cook
and heat and cook.
she just poured in
and put the yeast.
Well the puree has probably
been pasteurized
so it's already cooked.
Hi, keith.
Tell me what
you're working with here.
Just trying to get
these plums busted up.
How many plums
you got in there?
62 pounds.
You got anything
else in there?
Not yet.
We'll have some prunes
coming in with it too.
-Prunes.
-Yep.
-You're trying to make
somebody go to the bathroom.
-Dried plumes.
Daniel being careful.
He's... He don't
want to scorch that.
I don't know what
scorched plums taste like.
No, probably would be
no better than
scorched anything else.
One minute, guys,
you're getting close.
I hope y'all are
where you need to be.
Oh, yeah, getting there.
five, four, three,
two one.
Step away from your barrels,
guys, time's up.
We'll move your barrels
in the mash house for you.
Let this run five days
and y'all all going
to come back
and run us some slivovitz.
See y'all in five days.
all right, guys,
welcome back.
One of the things
that enables you to be
able to wear
the title of master distiller
is your ability to work
with whatever equipment
that's given you.
You all have identical stills.
They're simple, no thumper,
no frills.
the winner of
this challenge gets first pick
at still pots.
If you need that double
or a thumper to add,
you better win this.
So do the right thing,
take your time.
You've got
a lot at stake.
You've got four hours
to get your best jar up
here on the table.
Your time starts now.
Mine's still fermenting.
When I first walked in,
I saw my mash,
I noticed that
it wasn't done
fermenting yet.
As soon as
I put my plunger in there,
all these bubbles
came out.
Everyone's worked out,
but yours.
Yours are
still working.
May not have
the alcohol content.
But there's not really
any options because
we've got to do it today.
You're backed
in a corner,
you got to fight
your way out.
My mash wasn't done
fermenting yet.
But there's not really
any options because
we've got
to do it today.
do you know if...
Your mash isn't fully
fermented,
what the old timers called it
running wild
in the pot like boiling
a pot of spaghetti.
yeah. Or taters.
I'm using 100%
plum puree.
I also added
some sugar.
That's to bring up
the sugar content
to make more alcohol
at the end.
When I have control
over that,
I will make
the flavors that I want.
well, it looks
like keith's doing
a pretty good job
of filtering it
and pouring it all
in there.
First saw my mash,
I was stoked.
It smelled great,
tasted great.
I think it might
have been
a little low in alcohol,
but I can fix that later.
Water is your friend when
it comes to thick mash.
All right, I'm gonna
put water in again.
You're gonna
put the water, huh?
yeah,
it's a little thick.
I don't want it to burn,
and that would suck.
I'm not used to
having open flame
when I'm distilling,
and I didn't want
any scorching.
So I added a little water
to make sure
it wasn't too thick.
There we go.
guys, you burned
a full hour.
You've got three left.
Keith over here,
he's producing alcohol.
Not to the good stuff
yet though.
See, I don't know
whether you noticed,
but both
of their
stills are lit.
Hint, hint.
It's not quite
there yet,
I've still
got some heads
in there.
Daniel is getting ready
to light up.
I may not have
a lot experience
with direct fire,
but I do know
that once you scorch,
that flavor is gonna
transfer over
into the spirit
and it's gonna
be next to impossible
to remove it.
I started mixing it
as much as possible
just to keep
that convection flowing,
and so I didn't get any
scorching on the bottom.
I'm almost ready
to make my second cut.
-You haven't even put
your cap on yet.
-I know, right?
Uh-oh.
that's interesting.
You don't want to be
boiling that much.
You blew over?
oh, no,
I just ruined
everything.
I got too much
in my pot.
Oh, you puked.
Yeah, it's a little...
Little too hot.
That is not what you want
to see coming out
your worm spout.
no, no.
I was waiting
so long for it
to heat up
and I was getting impatient
so I turned up
the heat a little more
and when it started boiling,
it just started boiling
too vigorously.
Now we're back.
Still a little colorful,
but it's heads anyways.
Guys, two hours left.
starting to get some liquor.
- nice.
keith, you blending us
that perfect jar
we're looking for.
The taste is good,
but little lower proof
than I had wanted.
I was aiming
for about a 110
proof
and I didn't...
It didn't taste like it,
and it tasted low.
I think
I'm about ready
to cut this off.
30 minutes,
y'all.
are you happy
with your product
so far?
yeah, my heart's came out
great.
I think it's going
to turn out
really well.
you in tails or--
yeah, I'm in tails.
So, I probably
am nearly water
at this point.
But it still tastes
really good
like plum water almost.
I think I'm done.
All right, guys.
That's your final decision?
Yep, that's it.
-That's the one?
-That's the winner.
All right, guys.
Ten minutes left in your time.
Better be getting
us a jar picked out.
good luck, guys.
on the first run,
it's tough to keep
the proof up
and the flavor.
That's your final decision?
About what I can do, so.
You got
two minutes, daniel.
He likes to live dangerous,
don't he?
I felt like my heart's
right at, you know, probably
110 maybe, maybe a 100.
-You guys enjoy it.
That's it.
-That's your final decision?
Gather up that little bar
and take a break on us.
Good luck, daniel.
Let's get busy tasting
this other stuff.
Well, the first
one here is daniel.
that might be that 160 proof.
-It may be.
it has no bead,
so it's water
or alcohol one of two?
Yeah, probably for our sake,
we'd be better off it's water.
We'll say a little prayer
before we start drinking.
Like they always say,
you know,
you can't drink
all day unless
you get started.
You can't drink all
day drinking them
jet fuel either.
Look through the nose first.
Does it have plum coming in?
-Yeah.
-I wish I had
like maybe two more minutes
just to kind of dial it
in so we'll see
what we get.
That's a pretty good drink.
I'm thinking that's really
a low proof.
It is.
Or it would be
a whole lot harder
on your nose.
Let's get keith.
now keith made mention
that his proof
was a little low.
I tried to make it
a little bit hotter.
I used one of the higher
hearts.
I'm not at 140
I can tell you that.
I would say we got
a little water
with some flavor in it.
Low proof liquor.
Oh, I got good nose.
It'd tastes good if
it had some alcohol in it.
I don't taste any plum.
I think we've
got two jars
have been blended.
Yeah, way in.
I think they're blended,
tails with more tails.
I think we move on to nicole.
It looks like
the same jar,
same problem.
No alcohol in it.
I noticed yours
was a little cloudy.
Mine was really cloudy,
and I'm used to that
in practice.
But your guys'
were really clear
and that
made me really nervous.
Smells okay.
I believe she's high proof.
She's got some alcohol in it,
but it's not high proof.
No, it's not high proof.
Maybe, maybe 60 to 70.
We got a little something
to judge on now though.
I think we need
a true reading
with a hydrometer.
I think all of them
are very low proof.
I agree.
Nicole is probably
the highest.
I agree.
that is daniel
and we're at 67.
We're going to keith,
35 proof.
And nicole,
nicole is 71 proof.
Hopefully,
they're going
to bring
a little more alcohol
to the party where we
got a little something.
right now, keep
that flavor.
They've all got
flavor there.
They just got to get
some alcohol in it.
Well, you had
a little break.
Mark and dick and I
went over your three jars.
We just went
by taste profile.
What this gives us
is the pecking order
that you all go
with the still house
and pick your parts.
Daniel and keith both
have similar taste profiles.
Keith, your nose
is pretty strong more
than your proof.
Your proof is actually
lower than what
you think it is.
35.
And daniel, yours is good
too with the nose
and it tastes as good.
Your proof
is low too, 67.
And we kind
of look at it,
nicole is more
of a higher proof 71.
I don't know
how she did it
with so many jars,
but I think she must
have picked
that one out of the first jars
that come out where
maybe keith and daniel,
you all did some blending
and that may have
took down
the proof a little bit.
So you will have
a long ways to go
to catch up.
but what you have
to keep in mind here
is what kind of
still parts do you need
to assemble to get your proof
where it needs to be.
keith, you're number
three in the line.
Daniel, you're number two.
Nicole, you're number one.
Tickle?
what's going on?
I've got three candidates here
and they need to get
some more still parts.
Hey, I'll tell you what,
we got this.
-Y'all come on with me.
-There you go.
coming up.
what in the hell?
Nicole, are you second
guessing yourself?
You got one hour.
That's all
we have left?
You know, that's when
the monkey gave
the football back,
but the problem
was nobody really
wanted to touch it.
All right.
We are here
to pick
your still parts.
Y'all know
what y'all have got
to do with your liquor,
so pick these
parts accordingly.
Nicole, you are up first.
You're going
to have five minutes
starting now.
I have to bring up
the proof a lot.
So any time
that you can
add more rectification,
you can bring up
the proof a little bit.
So a column
is the best way
to do that.
Y'all better hope
she don't get everything.
yeah.
Because if
she gets everything,
then you better
hope she's nice.
Nicole, you've
got three minutes.
Oh, it's really getting noisy
in there now.
Yeah.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Oh, there you go.
She's swapping some stuff out.
I won't take it all
from you guys.
All right.
Five, four, three, two, one.
All right, nicole.
That is your time.
Hopefully, we're good.
Daniel,
you've got five minutes.
Your time starts
right now.
I'm going to get
a thumper this time
just to make sure I can
get that proof up
and also maybe
some of those aromatics
will get in there.
All right.
Okay.
Doubler, condenser.
I see three
big parts,
but I don't see
anything else.
Are you finding
what you need
in there, daniel?
I'm feeling good.
I'm grabbing stuff.
you're grabbing stuff.
-You're grabbing stuff.
Well, okay.
I will let you know that's
a step in the right direction,
daniel.
Let's see what we
got going on.
Okay.
Your time's up.
We'll let keith have
a shot at whatever
you left him.
Yeah.
You're going
to have five minutes
and your time
starts right now, brother.
I was shocked,
when they told me I was at 35.
I knew that I was lower than
what I was expecting.
But I didn't think it was 35.
all right,
let's see what else
keith's got here.
-I got what's left.
-You got what's left?
Is there anything else
in there?
nice.
You got everything.
I still see a few still parts.
Are you sure
you don't want them.
-You've got time.
-Might as well, right?
The worst thing
that can happen
is somebody else needs it.
It doesn't matter if you know
what it is.
-Put it in the box.
-Right.
Somebody else might.
It's not that hard, keith.
-There's three parts in there.
-Right.
All right.
- are you good?
-I'm good.
All right.
Y'all do the best
you can to grab
all that stuff.
We're gonna head back
in here and see
if we can get these things
put together.
-All right.
- all right.
-All right, fellas.
-All right.
They have
got all kinds of goodies
to build some stills with.
I can see that.
If they can't
make it with that,
they're out of luck.
We'll see you.
well, we've seen
what you can do with your
recipe with a simple still.
Now we're going
to get a little bit
more complicated,
but I have to say
y'all have bought
the most parts
from the still house
that we've ever seen.
I'm looking forward
to seeing what you
put together.
You've got one hour
starting now.
Good luck, guys.
Everybody got
a still pot.
Yeah.
Nicole, what's
the plan?
Not sure yet. I'm just
trying to figure out how
to get here to here now.
You going
to use that thumper?
Do you want it?
Yeah,
if you don't need it.
My biggest concern is
the proof.
Initially I wasn't
going to run a thumper,
but now I got to roll the dice
and work with a thumper even
though I'm unfamiliar with it.
I'll figure it out.
Guys, you're
30 minutes in,
halfway down.
what in the hell?
nicole, are you second
guessing yourself?
You're overlooking
something very simple.
There's got
to be a way to get
to here to here.
you can move
this over there.
-Just go straight down?
-Yeah.
Wow, wow.
Sometimes you can't see
the forest for the trees,
can you?
Keith, thank you.
You're welcome.
I'm ready.
nicole, she got
that column which
is the one thing I knew would
help my proof.
So I looked at it, I say,
"okay, I'm going to get
one of those too."
guys, you
got ten minutes.
I'm happy with mine.
We're just waiting
on daniel,
see where he lands.
It's a makeover for sure.
He's got this thing
set up over there
like a rocket ship.
I just hope
it doesn't blow up.
it's a different
looking critter, isn't it?
It would be
my first time running
a thumper like this.
It is a risk because
I've never done it before,
but I feel pretty
confident in where
I'm at.
I'm gonna run it nice
and clean,
get that proof
up like the judges wanted,
and I think I'll
be solid to win this thing.
Y'all brought
your recipes with you.
Now you built your stills
the way you want them.
Time to make
some slivovitz.
We want you best jar
on this table right over
here in four hours.
Your time starts now.
You sure you got
enough hoses over there,
daniel?
Yeah, I think so.
There's nine
connections in his still.
Everywhere that
there's a in,
you know, there's
a chance for a leak.
keith is putting the
whole mash in his thumper
to get some taste profile.
Very good idea.
this will
be my first time
running with the thumper.
So I'm looking forward
to trying it out.
I need to get my proof up
and I think that'll help.
I kept my mash behind
so that way I can try
my thumper with it.
talk to me, daniel.
How's it going?
Yeah, right now
I'm just straining out
the plum mash
I still have
leftover,
trying to up my proof
a little bit more.
okay.
That's a good plan
if it works.
yeah, we'll see.
All right, guys,
you got 3 hours
and 25 minutes.
Y'all are making
good time.
I should start getting
a drip any second.
There it goes.
- are you getting
product already?
- yeah.
How much
are you expecting
on this one?
I think
a 110 milliliters
of heads.
I'm a nerd and I also
am very analytical
and I like to write things
down consistently.
It could help me
make a decision down
the road.
At the end of the day,
it's all about sensory,
but I like to have something
else to look back
on and you can never
have too much data.
Oh, you're leaking
at the top by your condenser,
by your thumper.
that's a problem.
Too many connections.
You got water
going everywhere.
oh, you're leaking
at the top.
that's a problem.
There's a lot
of pieces, right?
A lot of hoses running
here and back and forth.
The water system's
so different.
Not what I'm used to doing.
You doing
all right, daniel?
think so.
But I was able to get
the hoses together
and plug everything in
and tighten
everything down
so the flow
of the water would
continue through the system.
I'm going
to cut the depth right here.
Well, I tried it.
Guys, two hours left.
come on,
little buddy.
Beautiful. That's what
we like to see.
I think I'm starting
to get close to the end
of my heads.
all right.
And my man,
keith,
you think you're going
to get a little bit
above 35 this time?
I hope to get
at least 40.
It's still
fricking good,
fricking sweet right now.
Just to keep you
on point,
you got one hour.
That's all we have left?
feels very low
for daniel.
Yeah, extremely low.
Yeah.
looks like
you got something.
All right.
Got some action finally.
I can taste the plums
in there.
flavor wise,
I felt pretty good.
It changed a lot
throughout the run and I kept
second guessing myself
whether
that was tails or not.
But I kept taking really
small cuts.
It's good.
All right, fellows,
I'm done.
- is that the one?
All right.
- that's the one.
All right.
Feel good about it?
yeah, I think so.
It's pretty hot.
When you hit that bar,
you get the first drink today.
It's on tim smith.
I believe keith
has decided on one.
- I found it.
- looks like it.
Got this for you guys.
All right.
the flavor
coming out of there was great.
Proof is important,
but the flavor to me
is more important.
Daniel,
25 minutes.
Bill, what is he doing
over there?
I can't see nothing.
- he's nosing
his liquor.
-He's nosing his liquor.
He's mixing together.
No, he's just sniffing
each one of them and taking
a little nose reading on them.
I smelled,
it and I knew it was a really
high quality spirit.
you think you're
going to get it up to 140?
I'm going to come close.
- yeah, okay.
With that setup, you should.
- I was happy.
I got my proof up and I
got good flavor and aroma,
so mission accomplished.
My friends, I think I got it.
All righty, dan, you set
her up there.
Head on out to them
other folks, get you
a drink on tim smith tonight.
Yeah.
All right.
-Run a bill up.
- thank you.
I'm going to tell you
I see three clear jars
of distill in here.
That is some
clear stuff.
Timmy, we ain't gonna
get done
if we don't get started.
all right,
let's get keith.
I'll tell you, that is one
clear jar right there.
yeah, he shook
the wheels off
of it before
he brought it over here
and it got a little
oxygen dissolved in it.
it looks pretty.
you got oxygen
dissolved in there like that
that shows a lot
of water content.
I don't know
if it's even needed.
Can smell it,
it's got a good aroma
coming out already.
you happy
with yours?
I am. I just threw
a splash of the tails
and a splash
of the spring water in there.
-Good flavor.
-Smell like slivovitz
to me.
-Wow.
-It's good, but it ain't got
no alcohol much in it.
Lower proof gives
you a better flavor,
but to be slivovitz,
it's got
to be 100 to 140
and he ain't there.
I'd call that plum brandy.
Well, let's move
on to the next one. Nicole.
Wow,
that's a super clean jar.
- yep.
- that's probably
up 120, 115, 120.
It's in the ballpark
of what we're looking for.
I'm a little nervous
about the proof.
It was as high as I could
get it and I know I blended
my fractions right
and I know
what they're looking for.
And I was debating
whether to water down or
not. So I guess we'll see.
That's really nice.
Yeah. That's almost
like a real intense plum.
Ooh. Yeah,
there's some
alcohol in that, boys.
Daniel,
that's a good looking
jar of liquor.
-That is one clean jar.
-Yeah.
Wow,
we're probably 120.
And that big
contraption of a still he put
together has paid off for him.
- and that's a full jar.
-Yeah, it's a full jar.
I think I got
the proof
close enough to 140.
I don't know if I hit
140 by the time I blended.
He's got
a different smell.
I get sweet
and I get
a tiny bit of fire.
Fire in the front end.
And then it follows,
nothing, there's
no aftertaste.
He's got the proof.
Yeah, he's got proof.
now I'm telling
you, he's--
-it's hot.
-That's pretty amazing.
We don't need to place
one, two, and three
here.
We just got to eliminate one.
that's pretty easy then.
I'm going to go fetch them.
-Go get them.
-All right.
Welcome back, guys.
We've reached a verdict.
All I have to say,
we had a lot of flavor.
Start with keith.
When you put
your finished mash back
into your doubler,
that really
enhanced that profile
that we're looking for.
You can definitely
distinguish the plum
out of there.
Proof might have been lacking
a little bit on it,
but still had great flavor.
Nicole, crisp clean
on the money, high proof.
A lot of flavor, front
to end and all in all,
a good jar.
-Real good jar.
-Thank you.
-Daniel...
-Yeah.
...I'm telling you, you pulled
a rabbit out of a hat.
I know you
were over
there sweating.
yeah,
I was a little bit.
-Just a little, you know?
- yeah. I saw that.
Fine job, doubled your
proof.
It was flavorful,
had a great nose on it.
Mad hatter
scientist, engineer, whatever.
During a competition,
I don't know that that's
the time to experiment.
-It's in my nature.
-But you did,
and it paid off for you.
One of you is leaving
here today,
but do not leave here
with your tail
between your legs.
Keith, we have to see better
than 100 proof,
that jar bought
you a ticket home.
I'm awfully sorry, buddy.
Being able to bring
a jar that the judges
liked the taste,
I think
is a big accomplishment
for a home distiller.
You got nothing
to be ashamed of.
Hopefully, I'll get a shot
at bringing another jar
in front of them someday
because I'd really like
to give it another chance.
Now comes the time
that you flavored
for those spirits,
and we want
to see what creativity
you come up with.
backwoods
distillers in eastern europe
will sometimes infuse
their slivovitz with fruits
and other local ingredients
to enhance the flavor,
and honey slivovitz
is a best seller.
For this challenge,
distillers will create
their own take
on an infused slivovitz
with their choice
of ingredients.
Their goal is to complement
and enhance the plum flavor.
Drop your jars off
the table and we'll be back
here in the morning
to let y'all flavor those
spirits.
Congratulations, y'all
head on out.
thank you.
Welcome back, guys.
As if y'all didn't have
enough to worry about, we
have a special guest judge.
My name is robert
bokuvka.
he knows everything
about making slivovitz,
drinking slivovitz.
Hell, he knows more
about slivovitz than
a jackrabbit knows
about running.
having someone
sitting there
that actually makes slivovitz
in czech
republic means a lot.
You got one hour.
Your time starts now.
Both of these folks
have done their homework,
they have notes, they're
working very methodically.
They're in it to win it.
my slivovitz recipe.
I want it to be aged
so I grab the chips.
American untoasted,
plus a little bit
of french oak heavy
toast to get some
of those toasted flavors.
And then I'm also
making a little tea
with a little bit of raisins.
And then
at the end, I'm gonna
add some wildflower honey.
going to start
with french oak because
I like the vanilla
and the sweetness,
that lighter toast,
I'm gonna use some ginger.
Ginger has kind of
like this citrusy aroma.
I think pairs well
with the plum brandy.
And then a little bit
of lime and then
for sweetness,
I'm going to hit
it with a little bit
of the honey.
we're 30 minutes
in, 30 minutes left.
- oh, *bleep*.
-Watch out.
well, that bursted.
Oh, it broke.
Bottom popped
off of it.
That throws a hitch
in your get along, don't it?
I had my tea bags
and some water
and some prunes
and some raisins
that I was trying to heat up
and all of a sudden,
I hear this pop.
The bottom completely came out
of the jar and I lost
everything that I was making.
yeah.
-yeah.
she's gonna live to 100.
-nothing like a little
liquor to kick you in gear.
well, that bursted.
The bottom completely came
out of the jar
and I lost everything
that I was making.
We'll just have to start over.
Twenty minutes, guys.
Daniel's in his own little
zone over here, ain't he?
I see him with the lime.
I'm going
to use a lime
because the aromatics
of the citrus I think kind of
pairs well
with the plum brandy
and also
to add a little acidity
so when you drink,
it's a little
more balanced.
I don't think
I've ever seen
a flavoring this intense.
I mean they're measuring.
They're weighing,
they're sipping,
they're tasting,
they're pinching,
and dubbing.
-I mean it's crazy. Yeah.
-Very precise.
That little seal
of approval...
I think she's lacking.
What's the use to taste it?
I'd drink it.
All right, guys, here we are.
With time to spare.
We'll be out to get
you in a little bit.
All right.
Good luck, daniel.
thanks.
Right now, daniel's got
the poker face from hell.
Yeah.
You can't tell
if he's liking it,
if he hates it.
Absolutely stoic.
He's going to lower the proof
50 milliliters of water.
Think I'm ready.
All right. Is that it?
Got it, yeah.
-Good luck to you,
daniel.
-Good luck.
Let's get some glasses
and get started tasting
this right here.
-Nicole's first up.
-I was dialed in.
I didn't even look
over at you.
I was like, I got
to get my stuff done.
-I'm on a clock.
- right, exactly.
-She started at 117.
I believe.
-She did.
Smells
really, really good.
You get your
nose there,
you smell plum, sweet plum.
get the smell.
yeah,
there's quite
a bit of alcohol.
-It's pretty high proof.
-I get honey, I get
raisin on nicole's.
It's buttery
on the finish. I like it.
It tastes great.
It tastes good.
this is good slivovitz.
Let's try ol' daniel's
out here, timmy.
Daniel,
still 100 proof easy.
It smells altogether
different than hers.
-Citrusy.
-Citrus, yeah.
Yeah, I get that lime,
don't you?
I like the taste
of it.
Well,
it's a lot of ginger
and I'm not digging that.
Used a little bit
more of the ginger,
but it was clouding up
so I didn't
want to push it too hard.
Yeah, it's again,
for me,
it's too much alcohol.
Daniel's is easier
on the nose, but it's more
harsh on the palate.
Yeah, it's going
to be a bad decision because
I really like both of them.
-I know where I'm at.
-Well, if we're locked
in, I'll go get them.
All right.
Nicole, daniel, I got
to hand it to y'all.
I've never seen anything more
methodical in the history
of this show.
It was impressive.
Just the meticulousness
which you approached
this kind of blew me away.
I'm an old moonshiner,
you know, and we don't
really do things that way.
But with that
being said, daniel,
you gave nothing away.
A little trickery went
on with you though, you
started adding some
different ingredients
that for me I think you
covered up the plum.
But it tastes really good.
oh, really?
okay. Yeah.
it held together
front to back.
The ginger was, like he said,
a little harsh, but you
could still pull the honey
and the lime out,
you know.
Taking everything into
consideration, I think it's
a pretty marketable drink.
Thank you.
Nicole. Now yours
was very, very good.
It was honey forward,
hit me right in the crease.
Your fruity flavor comes
out on the nose and then
you get the alcohol
when you taste it and then
on the back of the palate,
there we go, we got plum.
So we got plum all the way
through.
So all in all,
it was a great drink.
thank you.
Well, guys, you've
heard everything
that's been said right here.
Unfortunately, somebody
gets cut.
But the master
distiller, you're going
to win your bragging rights.
Beyond that, you'll win
a limited run of your liquor
at sugar lands distilling co.
In gatlinburg, tennessee.
Nicole, you're the next master
distiller.
Congratulations.
-Congratulations.
- thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm gonna bring everything
that I've learned here and
bring it back to my students
and hopefully
teach them a thing or two
about moonshining
and I'm excited
to actually have something
that people can buy
and put that to my name.
see you maybe
in the czech republic in our
distillery over there.
And congratulations
to you
and congratulations to you.
You all represented
well, did a fine job indeed.
-Knocked it out
of the park.
-Thank you.
I wasn't named master
distiller, but I definitely
learned a lot here.
-It was a great experience.
-Y'all head on out.
-We'll clean this mess up.
-Thank you, guys
so much.
- thank you
very much.
- thank you.
this time on master distiller.
this is a good drink
after you've been drinking.
the legendary moonshine
of eastern europe, slivovitz.
When it's made right,
it brings the flavor
of fresh plums.
kept alive
for decades behind
the iron curtain
by shiners
who risked prison
to keep this high proof
spirit alive.
Ooh.
now, three top distillers
put their recipes to the test.
It's plum good,
plum strong.
to see who makes
the best slivovitz.
You'll be plum drunk
if you drank enough of it.
across the country,
a handful of amateur
distillers are heirs
to a centuries old tradition.
Some operate
on the legal side.
Others practice
their craft beyond
the reach of the law.
Now they'll face off
to earn their place
in america's liquor
making legacy.
keith, what are you trying
to kill in that mash barrel?
judged by three
legendary moonshiners,
they'll go head to head
in a series of challenges.
He's got this thing
set up over there
like a rocket ship.
That's what
we like to see.
to determine who
has what it takes.
He like to live dangerous,
don't he?
To be named master distiller.
Daniel's got the
poker face from hell.
You gonna let us know
what that is?
- special water.
- that's really nice.
it smells really,
really good.
guys, welcome
to master distiller.
Slivovitz,
the backwoods bounty
of eastern europe.
Y'all gonna build us
a run of it.
We're going to find out
what it's all about.
It's a whole different
process from what
we're used to.
And this whole panel
right here,
we're stoked for this one.
What you're going to win?
A limited run
of your slivovitz at
a major distillery.
You know, I'm going
to be honest
with you guys.
I don't know a whole lot
about slivovitz,
but what I do know
is when it's made right,
it brings the flavor
of fresh plums.
Now when
it is made badly,
it tastes like gasoline.
So do not
bring us gasoline.
In eastern europe,
they've been making slivovitz
for a long, long time.
Tickle, tell us about it.
Slivovitz
is a plum brandy.
This is basically
the moonshine
of eastern europe.
Plums were first distilled
into alcohol around
the 15th century.
Slivovitz was made
in small batches
with plums
from family orchards.
It can be clear,
it can be aged,
and some people even infuse
it with honey.
In the late 1800s,
commercial
slivovitz distilleries
opened up,
but many of the
slivovitz distilleries
were taken over
by the nazis
during world war ii
and the communists
after that.
Thankfully,
the backwoods' tradition
of making slivovitz
never stopped.
Those are the moonshiners
that kept the backwoods
recipes alive.
Slivovitz is really having
a big comeback now
and now people
all over the world
are getting to know
what eastern europeans
have known
for a long time.
But this right here,
that's some damn good liquor.
all right, guys,
you've heard everything
we've got to say.
You got one hour
to build this mash.
You'll have five days
for it to work.
We want the best possible
slivovitz we can get
on our table.
Your time starts now.
Good luck, guys.
- safety first.
-Haircut, coming up.
Sam, you've actually
drank it.
yeah, I drink it
and made it
and everything.
You smell plum, right?
And you taste plum
after you wake up
from taking a shot.
-Really?
-Yeah, because
this is really strong.
But it's plum going
and coming.
It's plum good,
plum strong.
You'd be plum drunk
if you drank
enough of it.
What's that you're fixing
to dump out there, nicole?
I'm using puree
because puree
is made from...
Cut out
the middleman.
...The best sourced fruit
at the exact right time
and it's aseptic
so there'll be nothing else
growing in it.
So, hopefully
I'll just be my yeast.
I like timesaving.
I like the way
you're doing business.
My name
is dr. Nicole schreiner
and I'm from
east lansing, michigan.
Some people
call me doc.
My friends and family
call me tricky nikki.
I have a bachelor's
in chemical engineering,
phd in chemical engineering.
I'd say I'm pretty badass
in chemistry and engineering
and brewing.
Right now, I am going
to be checking
the sulfur content
of the wine that we
made here in class.
At michigan state here,
I lead the fermented
beverage program,
which includes
a fermented beverage class,
a winemaking course,
and a brewing
and distilling course.
I'd say that's
a little over carbonated.
I want to win it
for my students
so they know
that they're getting
an education from one
of the best in the business.
I think she got some
nitroglycerin in that one.
Are you going
to let us know
what that is in there?
Special water.
-Oh, it's running down
your shirt right now.
- that's okay.
I want to get it up to
about 40 degrees celsius,
and then I'm gonna
start making
my yeast starter.
It's di water, deionized,
so there's nothing else.
Chlorine will be really
bad for the yeast, so.
I'm looking forward
to trying this.
Slivovitz is a really
high proof spirit
so the importance
of when you distill it
is to keep that
plum character.
You're looking for the flavor
and the aromatics
of a really fresh ripe plum
that you would
want to eat
and then I'll distill it
and make the best
slivovitz possible.
Daniel's got enough buckets
here to float down
a barge.
I see your plan
to win this competition
is to remove all plums
so that your competitors
couldn't have any.
Right?
Yeah, I bought up the market.
Yeah, you got
all the plums.
My name is daniel reason.
I'm from portland, oregon.
Currently, I'm
a consultant for distilleries
for making pear brandy,
apple brandy, slivovitz.
This is going to be
our bottling room
and then over here's
where our still house
is going to be.
While I was in college,
I did a cultural
exchange program
to germany when
my host parents took me
out and he said,
"oh, you got
to try this stuff."
and it was actually slivovitz
and I tried it,
I was like,
"I never tasted
anything like this before."
yeah, magic's gonna
to happen soon.
What I love about slivovitz
is they're able
to capture the essence
of the fruit any time
of the year.
You open the bottle
and it's just
fresh fruit aromatic
that you get out of it.
When you drink
that spirit,
you know where it's from,
its history behind it.
I find
that pretty fascinating.
Gonna be one of the most
expensive running liquor
in history right here.
fresh fruit
isn't cheap.
That's all worth it.
You know,
you gotta get
the high quality fruit
to produce
high quality brandy.
Keith, what are you trying
to kill in that mash barrel?
it's a lot easier
to do with a drill,
but I'm mashing
them up.
My name's keith miller
from fairfield, california.
There is this history
of distilling in my family.
My great grandfather
was a doer.
His inheritance didn't make it
down to me,
but it's in my blood.
This was my very first...
Very first liquor
I ever
made right there.
I was in the air force
as a firefighter
traveled around,
bartended, bounced,
and I have a buddy
that lives in prague.
I really wanted
to try different moonshines
from different countries.
So it became a priority
of mine to get over there
and try as many
different peoples' slivovitz
as I could
and made me interested
in learning how to make it.
guys, you're
30 minutes in,
halfway done.
getting ready
to rehydrate my yeast.
and do you heat
this up or this is it?
- it's ready to go?
-It's ready.
So you're gonna
put the yeast
in and that's it.
- yep. Yep.
- and done.
we might be
in the wrong kind
of business, tim.
We cook, cook, cook
and heat and cook.
she just poured in
and put the yeast.
Well the puree has probably
been pasteurized
so it's already cooked.
Hi, keith.
Tell me what
you're working with here.
Just trying to get
these plums busted up.
How many plums
you got in there?
62 pounds.
You got anything
else in there?
Not yet.
We'll have some prunes
coming in with it too.
-Prunes.
-Yep.
-You're trying to make
somebody go to the bathroom.
-Dried plumes.
Daniel being careful.
He's... He don't
want to scorch that.
I don't know what
scorched plums taste like.
No, probably would be
no better than
scorched anything else.
One minute, guys,
you're getting close.
I hope y'all are
where you need to be.
Oh, yeah, getting there.
five, four, three,
two one.
Step away from your barrels,
guys, time's up.
We'll move your barrels
in the mash house for you.
Let this run five days
and y'all all going
to come back
and run us some slivovitz.
See y'all in five days.
all right, guys,
welcome back.
One of the things
that enables you to be
able to wear
the title of master distiller
is your ability to work
with whatever equipment
that's given you.
You all have identical stills.
They're simple, no thumper,
no frills.
the winner of
this challenge gets first pick
at still pots.
If you need that double
or a thumper to add,
you better win this.
So do the right thing,
take your time.
You've got
a lot at stake.
You've got four hours
to get your best jar up
here on the table.
Your time starts now.
Mine's still fermenting.
When I first walked in,
I saw my mash,
I noticed that
it wasn't done
fermenting yet.
As soon as
I put my plunger in there,
all these bubbles
came out.
Everyone's worked out,
but yours.
Yours are
still working.
May not have
the alcohol content.
But there's not really
any options because
we've got to do it today.
You're backed
in a corner,
you got to fight
your way out.
My mash wasn't done
fermenting yet.
But there's not really
any options because
we've got
to do it today.
do you know if...
Your mash isn't fully
fermented,
what the old timers called it
running wild
in the pot like boiling
a pot of spaghetti.
yeah. Or taters.
I'm using 100%
plum puree.
I also added
some sugar.
That's to bring up
the sugar content
to make more alcohol
at the end.
When I have control
over that,
I will make
the flavors that I want.
well, it looks
like keith's doing
a pretty good job
of filtering it
and pouring it all
in there.
First saw my mash,
I was stoked.
It smelled great,
tasted great.
I think it might
have been
a little low in alcohol,
but I can fix that later.
Water is your friend when
it comes to thick mash.
All right, I'm gonna
put water in again.
You're gonna
put the water, huh?
yeah,
it's a little thick.
I don't want it to burn,
and that would suck.
I'm not used to
having open flame
when I'm distilling,
and I didn't want
any scorching.
So I added a little water
to make sure
it wasn't too thick.
There we go.
guys, you burned
a full hour.
You've got three left.
Keith over here,
he's producing alcohol.
Not to the good stuff
yet though.
See, I don't know
whether you noticed,
but both
of their
stills are lit.
Hint, hint.
It's not quite
there yet,
I've still
got some heads
in there.
Daniel is getting ready
to light up.
I may not have
a lot experience
with direct fire,
but I do know
that once you scorch,
that flavor is gonna
transfer over
into the spirit
and it's gonna
be next to impossible
to remove it.
I started mixing it
as much as possible
just to keep
that convection flowing,
and so I didn't get any
scorching on the bottom.
I'm almost ready
to make my second cut.
-You haven't even put
your cap on yet.
-I know, right?
Uh-oh.
that's interesting.
You don't want to be
boiling that much.
You blew over?
oh, no,
I just ruined
everything.
I got too much
in my pot.
Oh, you puked.
Yeah, it's a little...
Little too hot.
That is not what you want
to see coming out
your worm spout.
no, no.
I was waiting
so long for it
to heat up
and I was getting impatient
so I turned up
the heat a little more
and when it started boiling,
it just started boiling
too vigorously.
Now we're back.
Still a little colorful,
but it's heads anyways.
Guys, two hours left.
starting to get some liquor.
- nice.
keith, you blending us
that perfect jar
we're looking for.
The taste is good,
but little lower proof
than I had wanted.
I was aiming
for about a 110
proof
and I didn't...
It didn't taste like it,
and it tasted low.
I think
I'm about ready
to cut this off.
30 minutes,
y'all.
are you happy
with your product
so far?
yeah, my heart's came out
great.
I think it's going
to turn out
really well.
you in tails or--
yeah, I'm in tails.
So, I probably
am nearly water
at this point.
But it still tastes
really good
like plum water almost.
I think I'm done.
All right, guys.
That's your final decision?
Yep, that's it.
-That's the one?
-That's the winner.
All right, guys.
Ten minutes left in your time.
Better be getting
us a jar picked out.
good luck, guys.
on the first run,
it's tough to keep
the proof up
and the flavor.
That's your final decision?
About what I can do, so.
You got
two minutes, daniel.
He likes to live dangerous,
don't he?
I felt like my heart's
right at, you know, probably
110 maybe, maybe a 100.
-You guys enjoy it.
That's it.
-That's your final decision?
Gather up that little bar
and take a break on us.
Good luck, daniel.
Let's get busy tasting
this other stuff.
Well, the first
one here is daniel.
that might be that 160 proof.
-It may be.
it has no bead,
so it's water
or alcohol one of two?
Yeah, probably for our sake,
we'd be better off it's water.
We'll say a little prayer
before we start drinking.
Like they always say,
you know,
you can't drink
all day unless
you get started.
You can't drink all
day drinking them
jet fuel either.
Look through the nose first.
Does it have plum coming in?
-Yeah.
-I wish I had
like maybe two more minutes
just to kind of dial it
in so we'll see
what we get.
That's a pretty good drink.
I'm thinking that's really
a low proof.
It is.
Or it would be
a whole lot harder
on your nose.
Let's get keith.
now keith made mention
that his proof
was a little low.
I tried to make it
a little bit hotter.
I used one of the higher
hearts.
I'm not at 140
I can tell you that.
I would say we got
a little water
with some flavor in it.
Low proof liquor.
Oh, I got good nose.
It'd tastes good if
it had some alcohol in it.
I don't taste any plum.
I think we've
got two jars
have been blended.
Yeah, way in.
I think they're blended,
tails with more tails.
I think we move on to nicole.
It looks like
the same jar,
same problem.
No alcohol in it.
I noticed yours
was a little cloudy.
Mine was really cloudy,
and I'm used to that
in practice.
But your guys'
were really clear
and that
made me really nervous.
Smells okay.
I believe she's high proof.
She's got some alcohol in it,
but it's not high proof.
No, it's not high proof.
Maybe, maybe 60 to 70.
We got a little something
to judge on now though.
I think we need
a true reading
with a hydrometer.
I think all of them
are very low proof.
I agree.
Nicole is probably
the highest.
I agree.
that is daniel
and we're at 67.
We're going to keith,
35 proof.
And nicole,
nicole is 71 proof.
Hopefully,
they're going
to bring
a little more alcohol
to the party where we
got a little something.
right now, keep
that flavor.
They've all got
flavor there.
They just got to get
some alcohol in it.
Well, you had
a little break.
Mark and dick and I
went over your three jars.
We just went
by taste profile.
What this gives us
is the pecking order
that you all go
with the still house
and pick your parts.
Daniel and keith both
have similar taste profiles.
Keith, your nose
is pretty strong more
than your proof.
Your proof is actually
lower than what
you think it is.
35.
And daniel, yours is good
too with the nose
and it tastes as good.
Your proof
is low too, 67.
And we kind
of look at it,
nicole is more
of a higher proof 71.
I don't know
how she did it
with so many jars,
but I think she must
have picked
that one out of the first jars
that come out where
maybe keith and daniel,
you all did some blending
and that may have
took down
the proof a little bit.
So you will have
a long ways to go
to catch up.
but what you have
to keep in mind here
is what kind of
still parts do you need
to assemble to get your proof
where it needs to be.
keith, you're number
three in the line.
Daniel, you're number two.
Nicole, you're number one.
Tickle?
what's going on?
I've got three candidates here
and they need to get
some more still parts.
Hey, I'll tell you what,
we got this.
-Y'all come on with me.
-There you go.
coming up.
what in the hell?
Nicole, are you second
guessing yourself?
You got one hour.
That's all
we have left?
You know, that's when
the monkey gave
the football back,
but the problem
was nobody really
wanted to touch it.
All right.
We are here
to pick
your still parts.
Y'all know
what y'all have got
to do with your liquor,
so pick these
parts accordingly.
Nicole, you are up first.
You're going
to have five minutes
starting now.
I have to bring up
the proof a lot.
So any time
that you can
add more rectification,
you can bring up
the proof a little bit.
So a column
is the best way
to do that.
Y'all better hope
she don't get everything.
yeah.
Because if
she gets everything,
then you better
hope she's nice.
Nicole, you've
got three minutes.
Oh, it's really getting noisy
in there now.
Yeah.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Oh, there you go.
She's swapping some stuff out.
I won't take it all
from you guys.
All right.
Five, four, three, two, one.
All right, nicole.
That is your time.
Hopefully, we're good.
Daniel,
you've got five minutes.
Your time starts
right now.
I'm going to get
a thumper this time
just to make sure I can
get that proof up
and also maybe
some of those aromatics
will get in there.
All right.
Okay.
Doubler, condenser.
I see three
big parts,
but I don't see
anything else.
Are you finding
what you need
in there, daniel?
I'm feeling good.
I'm grabbing stuff.
you're grabbing stuff.
-You're grabbing stuff.
Well, okay.
I will let you know that's
a step in the right direction,
daniel.
Let's see what we
got going on.
Okay.
Your time's up.
We'll let keith have
a shot at whatever
you left him.
Yeah.
You're going
to have five minutes
and your time
starts right now, brother.
I was shocked,
when they told me I was at 35.
I knew that I was lower than
what I was expecting.
But I didn't think it was 35.
all right,
let's see what else
keith's got here.
-I got what's left.
-You got what's left?
Is there anything else
in there?
nice.
You got everything.
I still see a few still parts.
Are you sure
you don't want them.
-You've got time.
-Might as well, right?
The worst thing
that can happen
is somebody else needs it.
It doesn't matter if you know
what it is.
-Put it in the box.
-Right.
Somebody else might.
It's not that hard, keith.
-There's three parts in there.
-Right.
All right.
- are you good?
-I'm good.
All right.
Y'all do the best
you can to grab
all that stuff.
We're gonna head back
in here and see
if we can get these things
put together.
-All right.
- all right.
-All right, fellas.
-All right.
They have
got all kinds of goodies
to build some stills with.
I can see that.
If they can't
make it with that,
they're out of luck.
We'll see you.
well, we've seen
what you can do with your
recipe with a simple still.
Now we're going
to get a little bit
more complicated,
but I have to say
y'all have bought
the most parts
from the still house
that we've ever seen.
I'm looking forward
to seeing what you
put together.
You've got one hour
starting now.
Good luck, guys.
Everybody got
a still pot.
Yeah.
Nicole, what's
the plan?
Not sure yet. I'm just
trying to figure out how
to get here to here now.
You going
to use that thumper?
Do you want it?
Yeah,
if you don't need it.
My biggest concern is
the proof.
Initially I wasn't
going to run a thumper,
but now I got to roll the dice
and work with a thumper even
though I'm unfamiliar with it.
I'll figure it out.
Guys, you're
30 minutes in,
halfway down.
what in the hell?
nicole, are you second
guessing yourself?
You're overlooking
something very simple.
There's got
to be a way to get
to here to here.
you can move
this over there.
-Just go straight down?
-Yeah.
Wow, wow.
Sometimes you can't see
the forest for the trees,
can you?
Keith, thank you.
You're welcome.
I'm ready.
nicole, she got
that column which
is the one thing I knew would
help my proof.
So I looked at it, I say,
"okay, I'm going to get
one of those too."
guys, you
got ten minutes.
I'm happy with mine.
We're just waiting
on daniel,
see where he lands.
It's a makeover for sure.
He's got this thing
set up over there
like a rocket ship.
I just hope
it doesn't blow up.
it's a different
looking critter, isn't it?
It would be
my first time running
a thumper like this.
It is a risk because
I've never done it before,
but I feel pretty
confident in where
I'm at.
I'm gonna run it nice
and clean,
get that proof
up like the judges wanted,
and I think I'll
be solid to win this thing.
Y'all brought
your recipes with you.
Now you built your stills
the way you want them.
Time to make
some slivovitz.
We want you best jar
on this table right over
here in four hours.
Your time starts now.
You sure you got
enough hoses over there,
daniel?
Yeah, I think so.
There's nine
connections in his still.
Everywhere that
there's a in,
you know, there's
a chance for a leak.
keith is putting the
whole mash in his thumper
to get some taste profile.
Very good idea.
this will
be my first time
running with the thumper.
So I'm looking forward
to trying it out.
I need to get my proof up
and I think that'll help.
I kept my mash behind
so that way I can try
my thumper with it.
talk to me, daniel.
How's it going?
Yeah, right now
I'm just straining out
the plum mash
I still have
leftover,
trying to up my proof
a little bit more.
okay.
That's a good plan
if it works.
yeah, we'll see.
All right, guys,
you got 3 hours
and 25 minutes.
Y'all are making
good time.
I should start getting
a drip any second.
There it goes.
- are you getting
product already?
- yeah.
How much
are you expecting
on this one?
I think
a 110 milliliters
of heads.
I'm a nerd and I also
am very analytical
and I like to write things
down consistently.
It could help me
make a decision down
the road.
At the end of the day,
it's all about sensory,
but I like to have something
else to look back
on and you can never
have too much data.
Oh, you're leaking
at the top by your condenser,
by your thumper.
that's a problem.
Too many connections.
You got water
going everywhere.
oh, you're leaking
at the top.
that's a problem.
There's a lot
of pieces, right?
A lot of hoses running
here and back and forth.
The water system's
so different.
Not what I'm used to doing.
You doing
all right, daniel?
think so.
But I was able to get
the hoses together
and plug everything in
and tighten
everything down
so the flow
of the water would
continue through the system.
I'm going
to cut the depth right here.
Well, I tried it.
Guys, two hours left.
come on,
little buddy.
Beautiful. That's what
we like to see.
I think I'm starting
to get close to the end
of my heads.
all right.
And my man,
keith,
you think you're going
to get a little bit
above 35 this time?
I hope to get
at least 40.
It's still
fricking good,
fricking sweet right now.
Just to keep you
on point,
you got one hour.
That's all we have left?
feels very low
for daniel.
Yeah, extremely low.
Yeah.
looks like
you got something.
All right.
Got some action finally.
I can taste the plums
in there.
flavor wise,
I felt pretty good.
It changed a lot
throughout the run and I kept
second guessing myself
whether
that was tails or not.
But I kept taking really
small cuts.
It's good.
All right, fellows,
I'm done.
- is that the one?
All right.
- that's the one.
All right.
Feel good about it?
yeah, I think so.
It's pretty hot.
When you hit that bar,
you get the first drink today.
It's on tim smith.
I believe keith
has decided on one.
- I found it.
- looks like it.
Got this for you guys.
All right.
the flavor
coming out of there was great.
Proof is important,
but the flavor to me
is more important.
Daniel,
25 minutes.
Bill, what is he doing
over there?
I can't see nothing.
- he's nosing
his liquor.
-He's nosing his liquor.
He's mixing together.
No, he's just sniffing
each one of them and taking
a little nose reading on them.
I smelled,
it and I knew it was a really
high quality spirit.
you think you're
going to get it up to 140?
I'm going to come close.
- yeah, okay.
With that setup, you should.
- I was happy.
I got my proof up and I
got good flavor and aroma,
so mission accomplished.
My friends, I think I got it.
All righty, dan, you set
her up there.
Head on out to them
other folks, get you
a drink on tim smith tonight.
Yeah.
All right.
-Run a bill up.
- thank you.
I'm going to tell you
I see three clear jars
of distill in here.
That is some
clear stuff.
Timmy, we ain't gonna
get done
if we don't get started.
all right,
let's get keith.
I'll tell you, that is one
clear jar right there.
yeah, he shook
the wheels off
of it before
he brought it over here
and it got a little
oxygen dissolved in it.
it looks pretty.
you got oxygen
dissolved in there like that
that shows a lot
of water content.
I don't know
if it's even needed.
Can smell it,
it's got a good aroma
coming out already.
you happy
with yours?
I am. I just threw
a splash of the tails
and a splash
of the spring water in there.
-Good flavor.
-Smell like slivovitz
to me.
-Wow.
-It's good, but it ain't got
no alcohol much in it.
Lower proof gives
you a better flavor,
but to be slivovitz,
it's got
to be 100 to 140
and he ain't there.
I'd call that plum brandy.
Well, let's move
on to the next one. Nicole.
Wow,
that's a super clean jar.
- yep.
- that's probably
up 120, 115, 120.
It's in the ballpark
of what we're looking for.
I'm a little nervous
about the proof.
It was as high as I could
get it and I know I blended
my fractions right
and I know
what they're looking for.
And I was debating
whether to water down or
not. So I guess we'll see.
That's really nice.
Yeah. That's almost
like a real intense plum.
Ooh. Yeah,
there's some
alcohol in that, boys.
Daniel,
that's a good looking
jar of liquor.
-That is one clean jar.
-Yeah.
Wow,
we're probably 120.
And that big
contraption of a still he put
together has paid off for him.
- and that's a full jar.
-Yeah, it's a full jar.
I think I got
the proof
close enough to 140.
I don't know if I hit
140 by the time I blended.
He's got
a different smell.
I get sweet
and I get
a tiny bit of fire.
Fire in the front end.
And then it follows,
nothing, there's
no aftertaste.
He's got the proof.
Yeah, he's got proof.
now I'm telling
you, he's--
-it's hot.
-That's pretty amazing.
We don't need to place
one, two, and three
here.
We just got to eliminate one.
that's pretty easy then.
I'm going to go fetch them.
-Go get them.
-All right.
Welcome back, guys.
We've reached a verdict.
All I have to say,
we had a lot of flavor.
Start with keith.
When you put
your finished mash back
into your doubler,
that really
enhanced that profile
that we're looking for.
You can definitely
distinguish the plum
out of there.
Proof might have been lacking
a little bit on it,
but still had great flavor.
Nicole, crisp clean
on the money, high proof.
A lot of flavor, front
to end and all in all,
a good jar.
-Real good jar.
-Thank you.
-Daniel...
-Yeah.
...I'm telling you, you pulled
a rabbit out of a hat.
I know you
were over
there sweating.
yeah,
I was a little bit.
-Just a little, you know?
- yeah. I saw that.
Fine job, doubled your
proof.
It was flavorful,
had a great nose on it.
Mad hatter
scientist, engineer, whatever.
During a competition,
I don't know that that's
the time to experiment.
-It's in my nature.
-But you did,
and it paid off for you.
One of you is leaving
here today,
but do not leave here
with your tail
between your legs.
Keith, we have to see better
than 100 proof,
that jar bought
you a ticket home.
I'm awfully sorry, buddy.
Being able to bring
a jar that the judges
liked the taste,
I think
is a big accomplishment
for a home distiller.
You got nothing
to be ashamed of.
Hopefully, I'll get a shot
at bringing another jar
in front of them someday
because I'd really like
to give it another chance.
Now comes the time
that you flavored
for those spirits,
and we want
to see what creativity
you come up with.
backwoods
distillers in eastern europe
will sometimes infuse
their slivovitz with fruits
and other local ingredients
to enhance the flavor,
and honey slivovitz
is a best seller.
For this challenge,
distillers will create
their own take
on an infused slivovitz
with their choice
of ingredients.
Their goal is to complement
and enhance the plum flavor.
Drop your jars off
the table and we'll be back
here in the morning
to let y'all flavor those
spirits.
Congratulations, y'all
head on out.
thank you.
Welcome back, guys.
As if y'all didn't have
enough to worry about, we
have a special guest judge.
My name is robert
bokuvka.
he knows everything
about making slivovitz,
drinking slivovitz.
Hell, he knows more
about slivovitz than
a jackrabbit knows
about running.
having someone
sitting there
that actually makes slivovitz
in czech
republic means a lot.
You got one hour.
Your time starts now.
Both of these folks
have done their homework,
they have notes, they're
working very methodically.
They're in it to win it.
my slivovitz recipe.
I want it to be aged
so I grab the chips.
American untoasted,
plus a little bit
of french oak heavy
toast to get some
of those toasted flavors.
And then I'm also
making a little tea
with a little bit of raisins.
And then
at the end, I'm gonna
add some wildflower honey.
going to start
with french oak because
I like the vanilla
and the sweetness,
that lighter toast,
I'm gonna use some ginger.
Ginger has kind of
like this citrusy aroma.
I think pairs well
with the plum brandy.
And then a little bit
of lime and then
for sweetness,
I'm going to hit
it with a little bit
of the honey.
we're 30 minutes
in, 30 minutes left.
- oh, *bleep*.
-Watch out.
well, that bursted.
Oh, it broke.
Bottom popped
off of it.
That throws a hitch
in your get along, don't it?
I had my tea bags
and some water
and some prunes
and some raisins
that I was trying to heat up
and all of a sudden,
I hear this pop.
The bottom completely came out
of the jar and I lost
everything that I was making.
yeah.
-yeah.
she's gonna live to 100.
-nothing like a little
liquor to kick you in gear.
well, that bursted.
The bottom completely came
out of the jar
and I lost everything
that I was making.
We'll just have to start over.
Twenty minutes, guys.
Daniel's in his own little
zone over here, ain't he?
I see him with the lime.
I'm going
to use a lime
because the aromatics
of the citrus I think kind of
pairs well
with the plum brandy
and also
to add a little acidity
so when you drink,
it's a little
more balanced.
I don't think
I've ever seen
a flavoring this intense.
I mean they're measuring.
They're weighing,
they're sipping,
they're tasting,
they're pinching,
and dubbing.
-I mean it's crazy. Yeah.
-Very precise.
That little seal
of approval...
I think she's lacking.
What's the use to taste it?
I'd drink it.
All right, guys, here we are.
With time to spare.
We'll be out to get
you in a little bit.
All right.
Good luck, daniel.
thanks.
Right now, daniel's got
the poker face from hell.
Yeah.
You can't tell
if he's liking it,
if he hates it.
Absolutely stoic.
He's going to lower the proof
50 milliliters of water.
Think I'm ready.
All right. Is that it?
Got it, yeah.
-Good luck to you,
daniel.
-Good luck.
Let's get some glasses
and get started tasting
this right here.
-Nicole's first up.
-I was dialed in.
I didn't even look
over at you.
I was like, I got
to get my stuff done.
-I'm on a clock.
- right, exactly.
-She started at 117.
I believe.
-She did.
Smells
really, really good.
You get your
nose there,
you smell plum, sweet plum.
get the smell.
yeah,
there's quite
a bit of alcohol.
-It's pretty high proof.
-I get honey, I get
raisin on nicole's.
It's buttery
on the finish. I like it.
It tastes great.
It tastes good.
this is good slivovitz.
Let's try ol' daniel's
out here, timmy.
Daniel,
still 100 proof easy.
It smells altogether
different than hers.
-Citrusy.
-Citrus, yeah.
Yeah, I get that lime,
don't you?
I like the taste
of it.
Well,
it's a lot of ginger
and I'm not digging that.
Used a little bit
more of the ginger,
but it was clouding up
so I didn't
want to push it too hard.
Yeah, it's again,
for me,
it's too much alcohol.
Daniel's is easier
on the nose, but it's more
harsh on the palate.
Yeah, it's going
to be a bad decision because
I really like both of them.
-I know where I'm at.
-Well, if we're locked
in, I'll go get them.
All right.
Nicole, daniel, I got
to hand it to y'all.
I've never seen anything more
methodical in the history
of this show.
It was impressive.
Just the meticulousness
which you approached
this kind of blew me away.
I'm an old moonshiner,
you know, and we don't
really do things that way.
But with that
being said, daniel,
you gave nothing away.
A little trickery went
on with you though, you
started adding some
different ingredients
that for me I think you
covered up the plum.
But it tastes really good.
oh, really?
okay. Yeah.
it held together
front to back.
The ginger was, like he said,
a little harsh, but you
could still pull the honey
and the lime out,
you know.
Taking everything into
consideration, I think it's
a pretty marketable drink.
Thank you.
Nicole. Now yours
was very, very good.
It was honey forward,
hit me right in the crease.
Your fruity flavor comes
out on the nose and then
you get the alcohol
when you taste it and then
on the back of the palate,
there we go, we got plum.
So we got plum all the way
through.
So all in all,
it was a great drink.
thank you.
Well, guys, you've
heard everything
that's been said right here.
Unfortunately, somebody
gets cut.
But the master
distiller, you're going
to win your bragging rights.
Beyond that, you'll win
a limited run of your liquor
at sugar lands distilling co.
In gatlinburg, tennessee.
Nicole, you're the next master
distiller.
Congratulations.
-Congratulations.
- thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm gonna bring everything
that I've learned here and
bring it back to my students
and hopefully
teach them a thing or two
about moonshining
and I'm excited
to actually have something
that people can buy
and put that to my name.
see you maybe
in the czech republic in our
distillery over there.
And congratulations
to you
and congratulations to you.
You all represented
well, did a fine job indeed.
-Knocked it out
of the park.
-Thank you.
I wasn't named master
distiller, but I definitely
learned a lot here.
-It was a great experience.
-Y'all head on out.
-We'll clean this mess up.
-Thank you, guys
so much.
- thank you
very much.
- thank you.