Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Moonshine Season Starts - full transcript
As the season approaches, moonshiner Tim searches the backwoods of Appalachia for a perfect site to set up his rogue whiskey operation. ABC Agent Jesse Tate is on the hunt for his first big arrest, but runs into a dangerous web of...
Narrator: hidden deep within
The hollows of a forgotten
Corner of America...
It's late summer in the
Mountains of Appalachia...
But to the renegades who call
This place home, a battle is
About to begin...
This is how we make
Moonshine!
[ laughs ]
Narrator: ...A centuries-old
War...
This is probably the most
Paranoid time it is.
Narrator: it's moonshine
Season.
It's a season lived under the
Gun.
[ gunshot ]
Police! Search warrant!
Police! Search warrant!
I like to tell people, at
Nighttime, I am the boogie man,
Because we gonna get you.
Narrator: to the best, the
Next three months can mean over
100 grand, tax-free.
I don't need my government.
Millions of dollars ride the
Enterprise.
You can really make big bucks
On this stuff.
Narrator: the victors become
The stuff of legend.
Yeehaw!
Narrator: the losers face the
Slammer.
Only takes one mistake.
One mistake, and you mess up.
Narrator: the earth provides
The raw materials.
That's gonna make some good
Liquor right there.
Narrator: money provides the
Motive.
Cold, huh?
Narrator: and Winchester
Provides the ammunition.
If you really love your
Country, you're gonna have to
Love moonshine.
Fire!
Moonshine is a part of our
History.
It exists but it doesn't,
Almost like a myth.
Bootlegging is more risky
Now.
All right.
[ gunshot ]
You're gonna win or you're
Gonna lose.
Is that a cop?
Change vehicles and change
Tags is what you got to do.
[ siren wailing ]
It's the end of the season.
Money's running out.
We got to do something to make
Some more.
Everyday look like I'm
Getting deeping, trying to get
Out of the getting deep.
This is how we're makin'
Moonshine!
[ chuckles ]
J.T., you got the shotgun?
My name is Tim.
I've been a moonshiner at least
40 of my 45 years.
Narrator: Tim lives in
Virginia, smack-dab in the
Middle of moonshine country.
Moonshine in these parts and
Probably in most of the southern
United states, it is kind of a
Tradition thing, but then again,
It's in the family.
My father did it.
My family tree goes back to the
Irish people 200 years.
I was born a mechanic, and my
Dad was a mechanic, so I don't
Have to go and get a book
Sometimes to read and learn how
To deal something or fix
Something.
I can look at it, and I can fix
Things because I'm just made
That way.
Moonshining is kind of the same
Way.
Narrator: moonshining dates
All the way back to the 1700s.
Early settlers landed in
America, built their stills, and
Started 'shining.
Today it's a $100 million per
Year industry, tax-free.
The season lasts from June to
October during the height of
Corn harvest.
It's also the perfect time of
Year for the foliage to hide the
Still.
Moonshine gets its name from how
It's made.
The safest time to make it is by
The light of the moon, away from
The prying eyes of the law.
Ah.
Everything been dropped off.
Narrator: Tim hits the ground
Running.
The most important ingredient he
Needs to start making moonshine
Is corn.
And it's ready for pickup.
Some guys done dropped off a
Couple of bags of corn for us.
So we're gonna pick it up.
Narrator: a 500-pound stash
Of corn has been dropped off at
A secret location.
Tim needs to run and gun.
Anybody buying this much corn is
A red flag for the law.
Tim knows what's at stake --
Tens of thousands in u.S.
Dollars or his freedom.
I'd say average moonshiner
Can make about $30,000 in three
Months.
I have heard of some guys making
$100,000 a year, but, yeah,
There's money to be made out
There as long as you don't get
Caught at it.
Narrator: a few miles to the
West, tightsqueeze, Virginia.
A new sheriff's in town.
Jesse Tate's got something to
Prove.
Fire!
My name's Jesse Tate.
I'm a special agent for Virginia
Department of alcohol beverage
Control.
Narrator: every hunter has
Its prey.
And in the case of the
Moonshiners, the hunters are the
Agents of Virginia’s ABC.
During his last season, Jesse's
Predecessor pulled down 200
Busts.
For Jesse, it's make or break.
That's it.
Millions of dollars are lost
Every year to the state of
Virginia because of illegal
Whiskey sales, whether it's
Illegally manufactured or
Illegal sell of it.
All right.
A lot of people think that
'cause they got moonshine
Whiskey, they got something
That's a lot more powerful than
They can get at the store.
They mystique, all that, just
Kind of drives the enterprise.
A clean gun is a happy gun.
Some of the most violent crimes
That I've ever witnessed as a
Police officer were fueled by
Alcohol.
And a lot of times, it was
Fueled by illegal whiskey.
Narrator: Tim is on his way
To pick up corn.
Unfortunately, the police keep
Close tabs on the supply line of
Raw materials, but Tim has his
Own covert method of getting
Quality ingredients.
This time of day, you never
Know who's out riding around.
And we just like dropping the
Stuff on the side of the road,
So you don't want no one to kind
Of, you know, see you.
You see like you got the general
Public that you're running into.
Then you got the law enforcement
That's trying to run around and
Try to catch you at the same
Time.
So right now we're gonna check
Out some corn right in here
Where this creek's at.
It's right in them bushes right
There.
I see it.
Ah, there's a car.
He didn't see what we was doing
No way.
Your stress level and blood
Pressure's blowing out your
Head.
And I busted the bag.
You know, you're looking behind
You, on top, you're watching
For airplanes, you're listening
To anything that moves.
It's not easy work.
I don't care how you look at it.
Okay.
Whew!
Right on the side of the road,
The right person shows up, he
Might want to question you about
What are you doing, can he see
Your driver's license.
Next thing you know, he might
Want to know why I got a
Shotgun.
You know, if he ask me about the
Shotgun, then time I get out of
The car, then he'll want to know
Why I got a pistol in my pocket.
So, you know, one thing leads to
The next.
Narrator: every season, an
Estimated 2,000 moonshiners are
On the loose.
Where we gonna drop off at
Tonight?
I think our drop-off guy take us
Near the creek, and we'll work
Our way through this wooded
Area.
Narrator: Jesse's already on
The tail of one of them.
A well-known moonshiner is
Mounting up another run.
A small fortune in distilling
Equipment is prepped at a hiding
Spot deep in the woods.
We think he got some stuff
Stored right there.
Yeah.
It looks like you got an old
Road leading here down to this
Creek bottom.
All right, well, let's go
Make it happen.
All right.
I got the door.
Tonight, we're dropping off
In the woods to do some
Surveillance.
I think our information's pretty
Good.
Those guys up here are making
Some moonshine whiskey up there.
And we're gonna go see what we
Can find.
We are right behind the bad
Guys' house up a hill little
Bit, so we're close on that.
It's probably 75 yards uphill.
A lot of times, they are
Experienced woodsmen, they are
Hunters.
They know what to look for.
It's just like you being in your
Backyard.
If you see something out of
Place, something's out of place.
Watch for tracks.
What we got right there is two
Pots.
They're probably about
450-gallon size in capacity.
One looks brand new, never been
Used.
He's got a lot of money invested
In them.
Narrator: the two 450-gallon
Pots could produce up to $2,000
Per week, tax-free.
We just want to come here
Like a ghost and get out like a
Ghost.
[ dog barking ]
We just spotted some dogs, so we
Got to be very careful now.
It's a big dog.
Narrator: coming up...
Tim hits a roadblock.
We got somebody trying to
Block us on the bridge.
Narrator: and a moonshine
Legend fires up.
Narrator: hot on the trail of
A moonshiner, an unexpected
Enemy pins down Jesse and Jim.
[ dog barking ]
We got very lucky.
I don't think he can figure out
What we are just yet because he
Can't see us too good.
Most encounters with dogs don't
Go that well.
Narrator: jesse's cover is
Blown.
He has to pull back.
There's somebody else in here
With us, so we got to be
Careful.
If you think you're just dealing
With just a bunch of silly
Country boys, you'll get your
Hat handed to you.
Because they are very good at
What they do.
That's how they've been getting
Away with it for hundreds of
Years.
Be careful.
He's got it buried all the way
Across here.
There's a possibility that he's
Got an electric motor down here,
Which is highly unusual.
Most of the time, the pumps that
They run for the liquor
Operations, the stills, they run
By gas generators, get the gas
Pumps.
[ dog barking ]
Let's pull back.
Let's pull back.
We got a lot of good intel
Tonight.
We just have to hunker down, be
Patient, wait for the darkness.
We're kind of on our own, so
We've got to use every advantage
We can to make sure that we get
In safe and get out safely
Without getting detected.
That's the name of the game.
Got to have a shovel.
Narrator: Tim calls in his
Partner in crime, a guy named
Tickle.
Look at that right there,
That old ringer washer.
"It's a-workin' still."
"It's a-workin' still."
That's right.
My name is tickle.
And I work with Tim.
[ chuckles ]
I like that one. "Moonshine."
Yeah.
When he calls me, I'm gonna
Be there, no matter what the
Situation.
That's just how this line of
Work...Works.
If not, you'll make one run, and
Both of you are in jail.
Is it like granny's recipe?
Yeah.
Ancient Chinese secret.
Narrator: an old moonshiner's
Secret for bug repellant --
Listerine.
We ain't gonna drink this,
Are we?
I hope not.
Least it cut off some of that
Bad breath, anyway.
Yeah. Yeah.
I don't know.
We may come up with something to
Sell to somebody.
Yeah.
I've been trying to sell
Something to somebody for years,
You know.
Maybe we'll come out with
Something that's legal to sell.
It's good money.
It's the type of liquor
Everybody wants and everybody
Loves because I guess it's the
Forbidden liquor.
You're not supposed to have it.
You gonna get the shotgun?
Got to have a shotgun, right?
Moonshining's a family thing.
And my dad and popcorn Sutton,
They been making moonshine all
Their life.
And they recently both passed
Away.
And I would like to go ahead and
Pass it on to my son before I
Pass it away.
Narrator: popcorn Sutton, the
Most notorious moonshiner that
Has ever lived.
His liquor was so valued that
People often used it as
Currency.
Tim follows popcorn's artisanal
Method of making moonshine --
Use the best water and use the
Highest-quality ingredients
Available.
Moonshine season is in full
Flow.
Tim's first pick up of corn went
Off without a hitch.
But that was the easy part.
Next step, finding a site to set
Up shop.
We're in a perfect still
Site, j.T.
We got to find where we got
Plenty of water.
That's always number one --
Number one.
Narrator: the perfect site
Needs to be near a water source
That'll be used to cool the
Still.
There's a whole lot of water
Right there.
But, yeah, that's what we need
Back here in the woods.
Posted property.
No fishing and trapping and
Hunting.
Well, we're not gonna do none of
That.
Don't slam your door, okay?
I want to show my son the art of
Making moonshine because it was
Passed down to me, and it was
Passed down by my father and his
Father.
It's important to know where it
Came from, 'cause if we lose
That -- I don't know.
If you go another 50 years,
Maybe no one'll know anything
About moonshining.
Nice cold water, but it don't
Look like it's all that clear.
You can put your hand in it,
That way you can see how clear
It is.
You can smell it, too.
You can smell it to see if it
Smells bad.
Narrator: every moonshiner
Has his own methods for finding
His ideal water source.
Tim uses his nose to find good
Water.
It smells okay.
I mean, it would probably be
Good water.
Narrator: popcorn Sutton has
Always relied on milkweed.
Hear that?
People nearby.
That's what I was saying.
Go to the spot and wait and
Listen.
See what you hear.
And I hear some people at a
Distance doing something
Somewhere.
I don't know what they're doing,
But that means they may be there
And they can hear us.
If we doing something,
Especially beating and banging,
Making noise, water pump
Running, they're gonna pick up
On that and come to see what
We're doing.
It's just not gonna work.
So I think we ought to look
Somewhere else.
Okay.
Ah, lookit.
We've got somebody trying to
Block us on the bridge.
That's not good.
A woman with a shotgun. Okay.
I guess he ain't gonna let me
Get back.
A mean-looking character,
Anyway.
Narrator: Tim and j.T.'s
Search for a still site has
Kicked up some trouble.
Ah, lookit.
We've got somebody trying to
Block us on the bridge.
Oh, they coming to get us now.
A woman with a shotgun. Okay.
I guess he ain't gonna let me
Get back, I guess.
Okay, let's see what this cat
Wants.
A mean-looking character,
Anyway.
[ sighs ]
I was just driving the road.
That's all I was doing.
A man just called and said
There was an old beat-up truck
Down here, didn't know what it
Was up to.
Yeah.
I see you got your wife over
There with your shotgun.
Yeah.
We'll use it, too.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, we got a shotgun with us,
Too, but we don't plan to use it
Right now.
We were just looking for a nice
Running creek, you know.
The shotgun is pretty good
Because when it reaches out far,
It spreads out, you know.
I don't know if I ever miss with
That shotgun.
I mean, I can shoot from a
Squirrel to a grown man.
It don't matter.
And the farther they get away,
The better I can hit them.
It looks like some nice-looking
Creek water right here.
Anybody ever set up any stills
Around here?
Oh, yeah.
Plenty of them on this creek.
Yeah?
A lot of them on this creek?
What would you say if somebody
Wanted to set up a still on this
Creek somewhere around here?
I wouldn't be able to let
Them do it.
If I knew that, I'd have to get
Them.
Yeah? Okay.
You won't allow that.
There's been plenty of them
On here I knew.
Yeah.
But you kind of want to keep the
Creek right to yourself?
Yeah.
I just don't want no trouble
With the lawman.
Hey, I can understand that.
I don't want any neither.
We just driving along, looking.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
See you sometime.
Glad you won't be a handful.
No. I'm good to go.
Good to go.
So we will be going on up the
Road.
All right.
Outstanding.
[ engine turns over ]
What I go through.
You would never know what I have
Been through all my life dealing
With people like this.
They know damn well what we
Doing.
The guy's with a shotgun on a
Four wheeler on a state private
Road.
I mean, he's not a
Law-enforcement guy.
I mean, I'm on a public road.
What the hell?
It wasn't like I was in his
Yard.
But, hey, this is what you're
Dealing with when you're in a
Climax.
I'm telling you.
I don't know about redneck, but
We're talking about rough-neck
Here.
Bunch of hillbillies.
That's my neighbor, you know.
She looked a little mean.
I wouldn't doubt she'll use it,
Too.
Narrator: in the 1930s,
Moonshine fever swept across
America.
In Appalachia, an estimated
1 out of every 3 people was
'shining.
By the 1990s, the largest
Operations were making over
1,600 gallons a week.
That's more than $2 million a
Year, tax-free.
Later that day, Tim picks up
Tickle, and they continue their
Search for a still site.
Hey, there's a creek down
There.
See that water?
Yeah.
A lot of moonshiners like Tim
Get misconstrued as somebody
That just wants to break the
Law, and that's not how it is.
We care about carrying on a
Tradition.
We want other people to know
That this is a part of American
Heritage.
Moonshiners and bootleggers --
They helped found and fund the
Declaration of independence, the
Funding of our very first
Government, and if you really
Love your country, you're gonna
Have to love moonshine.
All right.
I think we'll stop here and look
At this creek, check it out.
See, the water starts right up
There.
Looks like maybe two different
Spots where it comes in.
One thing about a dog is they
Got the instinct.
They can tell whether or not
It's good water, too.
All right, we got to get a
Little bit more water.
We have got to have a little bit
More flow.
We got another spring coming in
Right here.
So we got another one coming
Thisaway and one coming in
Thisaway.
See, that's two coming in.
Oh, yeah, that's a pretty good
Hole of water she's got into.
See, that dog comes in handy
Sometimes.
We can come down that bank right
There and bring them sandbags
In, dam it up right in there.
We got a lot of cover.
Looks like it's covered up
Pretty good.
It's pretty thick.
Nice open spot right here.
Once I get done camouflaging, be
Kind of hard to see it,
Especially from the air.
That's another thing I just
Noticed.
Feel how cold that water is.
Huh?
When it's cold like that, it
Ain't stagnating.
Yeah, that's good water.
That's gonna make some good
Liquor right there.
Why is it important to have
Cold water?
Well, cold water -- when you
Get running and that still that
Gets hot, we need to cool it
Down as fast as we can.
Then that temperature drop right
There, that's gonna change the
Vapor into alcohol, and that's
What you want.
Tastes good, too.
Let's get back up here and
Get these sandbags, see if we
Can't stop some of this water.
Narrator: in order to make
The water source easily
Accessible, Tim and tickle need
To carry in dozens of sandbags.
The dam ensures that Tim will
Have plenty of ice-cold water
For making mash, cooling the
Still.
Good moonshine -- it's a lot
Of hard work.
Them sandbags ain't light.
You got to pick one of them
Things up -- it weighs 80 to 100
Pounds.
You can't put it all on one man.
It's too much work for one man.
Got it?
Yep.
Well, we'll see what it does,
'cause right now that's gonna
Run over.
We got to get some more bags.
We got to secure this dam first.
If we can't get no water, we
Can't make no liquor.
That's right.
Narrator: coming up...
On today's operation, we're
Gonna have some audio and video
Equipment.
We're gonna make a controlled
Buy.
If anything gets funny, anything
Gets wrong, the word is "Help."
I got you.
We got to drop them gas tanks
Off for the gas man.
I'm getting them filled.
Lay them down under here.
Make sure nobody knows.
Narrator: after a dog blew
His covered on a stakeout, Jesse
Decides to take a different
Approach.
He's gonna use undercover
Officers to gather intel on a
New target.
We met up with confidential
Informant, got some information
On a guy that's been selling a
Lot of liquor.
You go cut the deal.
Then you say that my man here,
"I ain't never met you.
I told him how you was.
He's cool."
Okay.
He wants the same thing.
Narrator: their faces are
Blurred because they're
Confidential informants, also
Known as c.I.S
Do what you do best.
Just go up there and do the
Talk.
And try to get it there.
Just one.
Just get one.
Just carry a little bit extra.
On today's operation, we're
Gonna have some audio and video
Equipment.
That way, you know, it helps
Make our case.
We're gonna make this happen,
Go make a controlled buy.
I want you to just slip this in
Your pocket for we can listen to
What's going on.
If anything gets funny, anything
Gets wrong, the word is "Help."
Yeah.
We always plan for failure.
We always plan, if this thing
Goes bad, this is what we're
Gonna do.
The word is "Help."
And I got you.
How much time you want to give?
He'll call when he leaves.
I hate to call if he's still
In there, with how slow he's
Talking.
You did great, man.
Let me see what you got there.
Cold, huh?
This guy is a big player.
We're ready to kind of take this
Guy off and see where it's going
To lead us.
We got to drop them gas tanks
Off and get them filled.
I know a place where I can drop
Them off and get them filled up.
Narrator: now that Tim has
Found a still site, he needs to
Find the propane to fuel his
Operation.
All right.
Got the shotgun?
Yep.
Let's go.
You ride in the front.
All right, we're gonna get these
Tanks, and we'll sit them right
Here next to this trailer right
In front.
And then the guys will go ahead
And take care of us in the
Morning.
We'll come back and load them
Back up, and they'll be full.
And that way we'll take them
Down to the site, too.
We can actually just lay them
Down under there, under this
Trailer right here, just lay
Them down there.
'cause, you know, planes or
Whatever fly across may cause
Suspicion.
That's how you get in trouble.
Make sure nobody knows.
Make sure nobody knows.
Roll it now.
There you go.
You see the bottom end of them
Done rusted up a little bit.
I done carried them tanks for 20
Years.
All right.
We'll come back in the morning
Before light and pick them back
Up.
Should be full.
I already made contact with the
Gas man.
Everybody makes money all the
Way around.
Good business all the way
Around.
Helps the community out and
Makes everybody happy.
That's for sure.
I think they need us to help
The government in another way
'cause the government look like
They ain't running business too
Good.
Yeah.
Our business is booming.
Narrator: coming up...
Tim presses on.
I don't want no snakes.
Make sure you keep that shotgun
Ready.
And Jesse goes in for the
Kill.
Narrator: Tim and j.T. Are
Ramping up preparations for the
Still assembly.
We got to check the creek and
See what the creek look like.
About 2 feet of water.
Make sure you keep that shotgun
Ready.
May see a snake or something
Down here.
A lot of people think that
Moonshiners got shotguns for the
Revenue, ABC agents or whatever.
We don't want to shoot them.
We want to run from them.
But a snake, I kill it.
I don't want no snakes.
Or if I get a rabbit -- if I get
A rabbit, now, I'm gonna get
Him.
Tonight, what we're gonna do,
We're gonna drop off up in the
Country, and we'll take a look
And see what he's got.
And I think the information is
Pretty good that they storing a
Lot of liquor right there before
They move it up the road.
Narrator: Jesse and his
Partner Jim are back after dark
To track down the moonshiner
Whose dog they ran into earlier.
He's a pretty big supplier
For some of the nip joints.
It's not uncommon for him to
Travel to north Carolina back
Into Pennsylvania county area.
When they're transferring
Liquor, they're doing it this
Time of night, so they might
Come in on us, so we got to be
Ready if they come in on us.
A lot of people in communities
Will go, "Well, that's just poor
Old such-and-such.
He's just making a little
Liquor.
There's nothing wrong with
That."
But when it ends up at the shot
Houses and the nip joints,
That's where the violence comes
Out.
A lot of times at these nip
Joints, if something goes wrong,
They don't call 911.
We don't find out about it till
Somebody rolls up on the street
Beat up or stabbed or shot.
It's a gateway to a whole
Other atmosphere of crimes.
All right, let's go.
Right on.
We've had agents killed in the
Line of duty on illegal whiskey
Investigation.
It's a risk that we take very
Seriously.
Are you ready?
All right.
Yeah, let's go.
Narrator: Jesse has no idea
How many moonshiners or how many
Guns are in the house.
He decides to pack it in.
The violator is gonna hope
That it's too hot for us, that
We are scared of the bugs, that
We are scared of the snakes.
He's thinking that we're gonna
Get lazy, we're gonna get lax.
That's when he's gonna let his
Guard down.
I got news for him.
We in the hunt.
We gonna stay in the hunt.
We've been in the hunt for a
Long time, and we'll keep
Checking with informants, we'll
Keep checking the area, and then
We'll be able to keep putting
Pieces of the puzzle together.
Narrator: coming up...
Tim gets ready to fire up.
When we done, it ain't going
Back.
Airplane.
[ airplane whirring ]
Narrator: with the site
Prepped, the guys are ready to
Bring in the largest and
Heaviest part of the still --
The 800-gallon pot.
Come on back.
Narrator: the still is made
Up of several parts.
The largest is called the pot.
That's where the alcohol is
Actually fermented.
These types are called submarine
Pots.
Pick it up.
Just in case it rains.
All right.
In case it rains or somebody
Wants to look at it, right?
Yeah.
If they are, they gonna be in
The woods looking at it.
All right, we're going back in
The woods again, getting ready
To go and load this pot up.
Got a little camouflage and we
Got the berm.
Gonna take that down in here.
Got to try to every time we go
In, to take something with us.
Little bit early to take the pot
Into the location, but I just
Got to get to working on it.
We still got to build this blind
To go right here.
If somebody does a flyover with
A helicopter or something or a
Plane, they can see it right
There.
But if we block it off, kind of
Shade it a little bit, you can
See these pines to the right
Right there -- we'll take those
And cut them up and we'll have
To make a lean-to or something
For them to lean on.
Anything from the air, you know.
If they get that close and see
It, then it don't matter no way.
You know, you're done with
Anyway if they get that close.
But that's when you get them
Guys with the camouflage pants
Walking around through the
Woods.
First thing you think they're
Hunting or something.
The next thing you know, you
Find out he's got a badge on
Him.
Then you're in trouble.
All right, come on, j.T.
Narrator: the working
Sections of the still are
Onsite and ready to assemble.
That means Tim is close to
Starting his first batch of
'shine.
Just kind of want to ease it
Down to the ground.
All right?
Whew! Pretty heavy.
Think about when you get it
Full.
About 6,000 pounds when they're
Full.
So we got to make sure that's a
Good solid foundation we set it
On 'cause once it's full, you
Ain't lifting it no more.
When we done, it ain't going
Back.
I'm going to leave it down here.
I used this thing enough.
I ain't working with no more.
All right, j.T., you push a
Little bit.
We brought in a pot still.
We kind of leveled up some
Blocks.
Steve's a good hard-working
Digger.
I'll tell you, Steve’s one of
The goodest guys you'll ever
Find.
J.T.'s learning.
He's getting there.
You think we could stand the
Thing up and spin it around
Close and roll it down on it?
I mean, I don't know.
You know better than I do.
If you got four people.
Yeah.
Right now we're 2 1/2...
2 3/4.
Get on each side, kind of
Pushing.
Come on with it.
There you go.
Got the still set on top of the
Blocks.
That's good.
All right. Clear.
All right.
Tell you one thing -- looks
Pretty damn good.
Oh, yeah.
All right, getting this homemade
Burner for 800-gallon still.
We done got the burner fitted
Under the still, so I think
That's gonna work out good.
[ engine turns over ]
We got water look like it's
Working good.
We're gonna add some extra black
Pipe so I think we can reach
Everything.
Hopefully it'll all work out
Pretty god.
First ingredients -- we got to
Have water.
So we got to fill it up with
Water about at least
Three-quarters full.
Moonshining is a special art.
It's proven that what you put in
Is what you're gonna get out.
You gonna put some sugar in it.
We know the humidity changes
Things.
We know the different season
Changes things.
The temperature changes things.
But most of the time, it's the
Mash -- it's the raw goods that
You put in is what the finished
Product is coming out.
You're gonna put some water and
Sugar in it.
That's the main ingredients.
Then we put some cornmeal in it.
I don't really want to get into
Detail of how much percentages
Of stuff, but it's a whole lot.
I really can't show you
Everything we do because we're
Gonna get in trouble with the
Law.
We put some barley mix in it,
And then we add a little yeast
To get it going.
Narrator: the mash is a mix
Of water, corn, and sugar, which
Is heated until it boils.
Once it cools, yeast is added to
Begin fermentation.
[ airplane whirring ]
Airplane.
May have to listen for that
Again, see if he flies over
Again in the same direction
'cause they start marking a
Grid, and they start going,
Coming across.
Yeah, and they keep --
Long as he doesn't fly in the
Same grid again, then I'll be
Okay.
One good thing about it is if
We can't see them, they can't
See us.
That's right.
Put that tarp back on it.
Now, right in here I can see
That the light's coming in on
Those white bags, the sandbags.
I might have to get some
Camouflage and put over top of
That.
If a plane comes over, he may
See that dam there and wonder
Why someone put a dam in a creek
Out in the middle of the woods.
We want everything under cover.
That's something you learn in
The army.
Cover and concealment.
Camouflage.
Got to blend in with your
Background.
I've got to do some painting.
Narrator: Tim is putting the
Final touches on the still by
Camouflaging the proofing
Barrel.
The proofing barrel is where the
Distilled moonshine is diluted
With water.
Undiluted moonshine can be
Lethal.
Got to cover tracks.
Got to make sure that you don't
Get in trouble.
I never want to get in trouble.
Get in trouble, and then it's
Hard to get out of trouble.
Keeps going downhill.
You never go up. You go down.
Not there. Right here.
I got this area right here I
Need to build a blind.
Look like we're getting a lot of
Traffic in here.
And you can kind of see it's
Getting a little slick looking.
Pile up anything right in this
Area.
Kind of like somebody just, you
Know, cut some firewood or
Something there and left it
There.
There's a small percentage that
Someone is accidentally gonna
See this from the air, anyway.
Narrator: this season on
"Moonshiners"...
Moonshining is a special art.
It ain't made in china.
Damn right!
But you do need to know how
To do it, or you could wind up
Killing yourself.
[ grunts ]
Narrator: a sacred rite never
Seen before on television.
When I show up with
Moonshine, I've got a reputation
Of having some of the best.
[ coughs ]
*bleep*
End up drunk.
Yeehaw!
Narrator: and mother nature
Strikes back.
When he said this hurricane
Or something is coming in, we
Got to pick up everything we can
And get out of here.
Narrator: the law makes its
Move.
Soon as you're finished,
That's when they're waiting for
You.
ABC agents and everything else.
Stop!
Got a nip joint.
There's no rules, regulations.
It's just a free-for-all.
You getting ready to go to jail.
You just lay there and be quiet.
Narrator: the season has just
Started.
Who knows how it's gonna end?
I'm getting a little bit
Nervous.
That's for sure.
[ gunshots ]
I got an emergency.
I'm gonna have to go.
The hollows of a forgotten
Corner of America...
It's late summer in the
Mountains of Appalachia...
But to the renegades who call
This place home, a battle is
About to begin...
This is how we make
Moonshine!
[ laughs ]
Narrator: ...A centuries-old
War...
This is probably the most
Paranoid time it is.
Narrator: it's moonshine
Season.
It's a season lived under the
Gun.
[ gunshot ]
Police! Search warrant!
Police! Search warrant!
I like to tell people, at
Nighttime, I am the boogie man,
Because we gonna get you.
Narrator: to the best, the
Next three months can mean over
100 grand, tax-free.
I don't need my government.
Millions of dollars ride the
Enterprise.
You can really make big bucks
On this stuff.
Narrator: the victors become
The stuff of legend.
Yeehaw!
Narrator: the losers face the
Slammer.
Only takes one mistake.
One mistake, and you mess up.
Narrator: the earth provides
The raw materials.
That's gonna make some good
Liquor right there.
Narrator: money provides the
Motive.
Cold, huh?
Narrator: and Winchester
Provides the ammunition.
If you really love your
Country, you're gonna have to
Love moonshine.
Fire!
Moonshine is a part of our
History.
It exists but it doesn't,
Almost like a myth.
Bootlegging is more risky
Now.
All right.
[ gunshot ]
You're gonna win or you're
Gonna lose.
Is that a cop?
Change vehicles and change
Tags is what you got to do.
[ siren wailing ]
It's the end of the season.
Money's running out.
We got to do something to make
Some more.
Everyday look like I'm
Getting deeping, trying to get
Out of the getting deep.
This is how we're makin'
Moonshine!
[ chuckles ]
J.T., you got the shotgun?
My name is Tim.
I've been a moonshiner at least
40 of my 45 years.
Narrator: Tim lives in
Virginia, smack-dab in the
Middle of moonshine country.
Moonshine in these parts and
Probably in most of the southern
United states, it is kind of a
Tradition thing, but then again,
It's in the family.
My father did it.
My family tree goes back to the
Irish people 200 years.
I was born a mechanic, and my
Dad was a mechanic, so I don't
Have to go and get a book
Sometimes to read and learn how
To deal something or fix
Something.
I can look at it, and I can fix
Things because I'm just made
That way.
Moonshining is kind of the same
Way.
Narrator: moonshining dates
All the way back to the 1700s.
Early settlers landed in
America, built their stills, and
Started 'shining.
Today it's a $100 million per
Year industry, tax-free.
The season lasts from June to
October during the height of
Corn harvest.
It's also the perfect time of
Year for the foliage to hide the
Still.
Moonshine gets its name from how
It's made.
The safest time to make it is by
The light of the moon, away from
The prying eyes of the law.
Ah.
Everything been dropped off.
Narrator: Tim hits the ground
Running.
The most important ingredient he
Needs to start making moonshine
Is corn.
And it's ready for pickup.
Some guys done dropped off a
Couple of bags of corn for us.
So we're gonna pick it up.
Narrator: a 500-pound stash
Of corn has been dropped off at
A secret location.
Tim needs to run and gun.
Anybody buying this much corn is
A red flag for the law.
Tim knows what's at stake --
Tens of thousands in u.S.
Dollars or his freedom.
I'd say average moonshiner
Can make about $30,000 in three
Months.
I have heard of some guys making
$100,000 a year, but, yeah,
There's money to be made out
There as long as you don't get
Caught at it.
Narrator: a few miles to the
West, tightsqueeze, Virginia.
A new sheriff's in town.
Jesse Tate's got something to
Prove.
Fire!
My name's Jesse Tate.
I'm a special agent for Virginia
Department of alcohol beverage
Control.
Narrator: every hunter has
Its prey.
And in the case of the
Moonshiners, the hunters are the
Agents of Virginia’s ABC.
During his last season, Jesse's
Predecessor pulled down 200
Busts.
For Jesse, it's make or break.
That's it.
Millions of dollars are lost
Every year to the state of
Virginia because of illegal
Whiskey sales, whether it's
Illegally manufactured or
Illegal sell of it.
All right.
A lot of people think that
'cause they got moonshine
Whiskey, they got something
That's a lot more powerful than
They can get at the store.
They mystique, all that, just
Kind of drives the enterprise.
A clean gun is a happy gun.
Some of the most violent crimes
That I've ever witnessed as a
Police officer were fueled by
Alcohol.
And a lot of times, it was
Fueled by illegal whiskey.
Narrator: Tim is on his way
To pick up corn.
Unfortunately, the police keep
Close tabs on the supply line of
Raw materials, but Tim has his
Own covert method of getting
Quality ingredients.
This time of day, you never
Know who's out riding around.
And we just like dropping the
Stuff on the side of the road,
So you don't want no one to kind
Of, you know, see you.
You see like you got the general
Public that you're running into.
Then you got the law enforcement
That's trying to run around and
Try to catch you at the same
Time.
So right now we're gonna check
Out some corn right in here
Where this creek's at.
It's right in them bushes right
There.
I see it.
Ah, there's a car.
He didn't see what we was doing
No way.
Your stress level and blood
Pressure's blowing out your
Head.
And I busted the bag.
You know, you're looking behind
You, on top, you're watching
For airplanes, you're listening
To anything that moves.
It's not easy work.
I don't care how you look at it.
Okay.
Whew!
Right on the side of the road,
The right person shows up, he
Might want to question you about
What are you doing, can he see
Your driver's license.
Next thing you know, he might
Want to know why I got a
Shotgun.
You know, if he ask me about the
Shotgun, then time I get out of
The car, then he'll want to know
Why I got a pistol in my pocket.
So, you know, one thing leads to
The next.
Narrator: every season, an
Estimated 2,000 moonshiners are
On the loose.
Where we gonna drop off at
Tonight?
I think our drop-off guy take us
Near the creek, and we'll work
Our way through this wooded
Area.
Narrator: Jesse's already on
The tail of one of them.
A well-known moonshiner is
Mounting up another run.
A small fortune in distilling
Equipment is prepped at a hiding
Spot deep in the woods.
We think he got some stuff
Stored right there.
Yeah.
It looks like you got an old
Road leading here down to this
Creek bottom.
All right, well, let's go
Make it happen.
All right.
I got the door.
Tonight, we're dropping off
In the woods to do some
Surveillance.
I think our information's pretty
Good.
Those guys up here are making
Some moonshine whiskey up there.
And we're gonna go see what we
Can find.
We are right behind the bad
Guys' house up a hill little
Bit, so we're close on that.
It's probably 75 yards uphill.
A lot of times, they are
Experienced woodsmen, they are
Hunters.
They know what to look for.
It's just like you being in your
Backyard.
If you see something out of
Place, something's out of place.
Watch for tracks.
What we got right there is two
Pots.
They're probably about
450-gallon size in capacity.
One looks brand new, never been
Used.
He's got a lot of money invested
In them.
Narrator: the two 450-gallon
Pots could produce up to $2,000
Per week, tax-free.
We just want to come here
Like a ghost and get out like a
Ghost.
[ dog barking ]
We just spotted some dogs, so we
Got to be very careful now.
It's a big dog.
Narrator: coming up...
Tim hits a roadblock.
We got somebody trying to
Block us on the bridge.
Narrator: and a moonshine
Legend fires up.
Narrator: hot on the trail of
A moonshiner, an unexpected
Enemy pins down Jesse and Jim.
[ dog barking ]
We got very lucky.
I don't think he can figure out
What we are just yet because he
Can't see us too good.
Most encounters with dogs don't
Go that well.
Narrator: jesse's cover is
Blown.
He has to pull back.
There's somebody else in here
With us, so we got to be
Careful.
If you think you're just dealing
With just a bunch of silly
Country boys, you'll get your
Hat handed to you.
Because they are very good at
What they do.
That's how they've been getting
Away with it for hundreds of
Years.
Be careful.
He's got it buried all the way
Across here.
There's a possibility that he's
Got an electric motor down here,
Which is highly unusual.
Most of the time, the pumps that
They run for the liquor
Operations, the stills, they run
By gas generators, get the gas
Pumps.
[ dog barking ]
Let's pull back.
Let's pull back.
We got a lot of good intel
Tonight.
We just have to hunker down, be
Patient, wait for the darkness.
We're kind of on our own, so
We've got to use every advantage
We can to make sure that we get
In safe and get out safely
Without getting detected.
That's the name of the game.
Got to have a shovel.
Narrator: Tim calls in his
Partner in crime, a guy named
Tickle.
Look at that right there,
That old ringer washer.
"It's a-workin' still."
"It's a-workin' still."
That's right.
My name is tickle.
And I work with Tim.
[ chuckles ]
I like that one. "Moonshine."
Yeah.
When he calls me, I'm gonna
Be there, no matter what the
Situation.
That's just how this line of
Work...Works.
If not, you'll make one run, and
Both of you are in jail.
Is it like granny's recipe?
Yeah.
Ancient Chinese secret.
Narrator: an old moonshiner's
Secret for bug repellant --
Listerine.
We ain't gonna drink this,
Are we?
I hope not.
Least it cut off some of that
Bad breath, anyway.
Yeah. Yeah.
I don't know.
We may come up with something to
Sell to somebody.
Yeah.
I've been trying to sell
Something to somebody for years,
You know.
Maybe we'll come out with
Something that's legal to sell.
It's good money.
It's the type of liquor
Everybody wants and everybody
Loves because I guess it's the
Forbidden liquor.
You're not supposed to have it.
You gonna get the shotgun?
Got to have a shotgun, right?
Moonshining's a family thing.
And my dad and popcorn Sutton,
They been making moonshine all
Their life.
And they recently both passed
Away.
And I would like to go ahead and
Pass it on to my son before I
Pass it away.
Narrator: popcorn Sutton, the
Most notorious moonshiner that
Has ever lived.
His liquor was so valued that
People often used it as
Currency.
Tim follows popcorn's artisanal
Method of making moonshine --
Use the best water and use the
Highest-quality ingredients
Available.
Moonshine season is in full
Flow.
Tim's first pick up of corn went
Off without a hitch.
But that was the easy part.
Next step, finding a site to set
Up shop.
We're in a perfect still
Site, j.T.
We got to find where we got
Plenty of water.
That's always number one --
Number one.
Narrator: the perfect site
Needs to be near a water source
That'll be used to cool the
Still.
There's a whole lot of water
Right there.
But, yeah, that's what we need
Back here in the woods.
Posted property.
No fishing and trapping and
Hunting.
Well, we're not gonna do none of
That.
Don't slam your door, okay?
I want to show my son the art of
Making moonshine because it was
Passed down to me, and it was
Passed down by my father and his
Father.
It's important to know where it
Came from, 'cause if we lose
That -- I don't know.
If you go another 50 years,
Maybe no one'll know anything
About moonshining.
Nice cold water, but it don't
Look like it's all that clear.
You can put your hand in it,
That way you can see how clear
It is.
You can smell it, too.
You can smell it to see if it
Smells bad.
Narrator: every moonshiner
Has his own methods for finding
His ideal water source.
Tim uses his nose to find good
Water.
It smells okay.
I mean, it would probably be
Good water.
Narrator: popcorn Sutton has
Always relied on milkweed.
Hear that?
People nearby.
That's what I was saying.
Go to the spot and wait and
Listen.
See what you hear.
And I hear some people at a
Distance doing something
Somewhere.
I don't know what they're doing,
But that means they may be there
And they can hear us.
If we doing something,
Especially beating and banging,
Making noise, water pump
Running, they're gonna pick up
On that and come to see what
We're doing.
It's just not gonna work.
So I think we ought to look
Somewhere else.
Okay.
Ah, lookit.
We've got somebody trying to
Block us on the bridge.
That's not good.
A woman with a shotgun. Okay.
I guess he ain't gonna let me
Get back.
A mean-looking character,
Anyway.
Narrator: Tim and j.T.'s
Search for a still site has
Kicked up some trouble.
Ah, lookit.
We've got somebody trying to
Block us on the bridge.
Oh, they coming to get us now.
A woman with a shotgun. Okay.
I guess he ain't gonna let me
Get back, I guess.
Okay, let's see what this cat
Wants.
A mean-looking character,
Anyway.
[ sighs ]
I was just driving the road.
That's all I was doing.
A man just called and said
There was an old beat-up truck
Down here, didn't know what it
Was up to.
Yeah.
I see you got your wife over
There with your shotgun.
Yeah.
We'll use it, too.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, we got a shotgun with us,
Too, but we don't plan to use it
Right now.
We were just looking for a nice
Running creek, you know.
The shotgun is pretty good
Because when it reaches out far,
It spreads out, you know.
I don't know if I ever miss with
That shotgun.
I mean, I can shoot from a
Squirrel to a grown man.
It don't matter.
And the farther they get away,
The better I can hit them.
It looks like some nice-looking
Creek water right here.
Anybody ever set up any stills
Around here?
Oh, yeah.
Plenty of them on this creek.
Yeah?
A lot of them on this creek?
What would you say if somebody
Wanted to set up a still on this
Creek somewhere around here?
I wouldn't be able to let
Them do it.
If I knew that, I'd have to get
Them.
Yeah? Okay.
You won't allow that.
There's been plenty of them
On here I knew.
Yeah.
But you kind of want to keep the
Creek right to yourself?
Yeah.
I just don't want no trouble
With the lawman.
Hey, I can understand that.
I don't want any neither.
We just driving along, looking.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
See you sometime.
Glad you won't be a handful.
No. I'm good to go.
Good to go.
So we will be going on up the
Road.
All right.
Outstanding.
[ engine turns over ]
What I go through.
You would never know what I have
Been through all my life dealing
With people like this.
They know damn well what we
Doing.
The guy's with a shotgun on a
Four wheeler on a state private
Road.
I mean, he's not a
Law-enforcement guy.
I mean, I'm on a public road.
What the hell?
It wasn't like I was in his
Yard.
But, hey, this is what you're
Dealing with when you're in a
Climax.
I'm telling you.
I don't know about redneck, but
We're talking about rough-neck
Here.
Bunch of hillbillies.
That's my neighbor, you know.
She looked a little mean.
I wouldn't doubt she'll use it,
Too.
Narrator: in the 1930s,
Moonshine fever swept across
America.
In Appalachia, an estimated
1 out of every 3 people was
'shining.
By the 1990s, the largest
Operations were making over
1,600 gallons a week.
That's more than $2 million a
Year, tax-free.
Later that day, Tim picks up
Tickle, and they continue their
Search for a still site.
Hey, there's a creek down
There.
See that water?
Yeah.
A lot of moonshiners like Tim
Get misconstrued as somebody
That just wants to break the
Law, and that's not how it is.
We care about carrying on a
Tradition.
We want other people to know
That this is a part of American
Heritage.
Moonshiners and bootleggers --
They helped found and fund the
Declaration of independence, the
Funding of our very first
Government, and if you really
Love your country, you're gonna
Have to love moonshine.
All right.
I think we'll stop here and look
At this creek, check it out.
See, the water starts right up
There.
Looks like maybe two different
Spots where it comes in.
One thing about a dog is they
Got the instinct.
They can tell whether or not
It's good water, too.
All right, we got to get a
Little bit more water.
We have got to have a little bit
More flow.
We got another spring coming in
Right here.
So we got another one coming
Thisaway and one coming in
Thisaway.
See, that's two coming in.
Oh, yeah, that's a pretty good
Hole of water she's got into.
See, that dog comes in handy
Sometimes.
We can come down that bank right
There and bring them sandbags
In, dam it up right in there.
We got a lot of cover.
Looks like it's covered up
Pretty good.
It's pretty thick.
Nice open spot right here.
Once I get done camouflaging, be
Kind of hard to see it,
Especially from the air.
That's another thing I just
Noticed.
Feel how cold that water is.
Huh?
When it's cold like that, it
Ain't stagnating.
Yeah, that's good water.
That's gonna make some good
Liquor right there.
Why is it important to have
Cold water?
Well, cold water -- when you
Get running and that still that
Gets hot, we need to cool it
Down as fast as we can.
Then that temperature drop right
There, that's gonna change the
Vapor into alcohol, and that's
What you want.
Tastes good, too.
Let's get back up here and
Get these sandbags, see if we
Can't stop some of this water.
Narrator: in order to make
The water source easily
Accessible, Tim and tickle need
To carry in dozens of sandbags.
The dam ensures that Tim will
Have plenty of ice-cold water
For making mash, cooling the
Still.
Good moonshine -- it's a lot
Of hard work.
Them sandbags ain't light.
You got to pick one of them
Things up -- it weighs 80 to 100
Pounds.
You can't put it all on one man.
It's too much work for one man.
Got it?
Yep.
Well, we'll see what it does,
'cause right now that's gonna
Run over.
We got to get some more bags.
We got to secure this dam first.
If we can't get no water, we
Can't make no liquor.
That's right.
Narrator: coming up...
On today's operation, we're
Gonna have some audio and video
Equipment.
We're gonna make a controlled
Buy.
If anything gets funny, anything
Gets wrong, the word is "Help."
I got you.
We got to drop them gas tanks
Off for the gas man.
I'm getting them filled.
Lay them down under here.
Make sure nobody knows.
Narrator: after a dog blew
His covered on a stakeout, Jesse
Decides to take a different
Approach.
He's gonna use undercover
Officers to gather intel on a
New target.
We met up with confidential
Informant, got some information
On a guy that's been selling a
Lot of liquor.
You go cut the deal.
Then you say that my man here,
"I ain't never met you.
I told him how you was.
He's cool."
Okay.
He wants the same thing.
Narrator: their faces are
Blurred because they're
Confidential informants, also
Known as c.I.S
Do what you do best.
Just go up there and do the
Talk.
And try to get it there.
Just one.
Just get one.
Just carry a little bit extra.
On today's operation, we're
Gonna have some audio and video
Equipment.
That way, you know, it helps
Make our case.
We're gonna make this happen,
Go make a controlled buy.
I want you to just slip this in
Your pocket for we can listen to
What's going on.
If anything gets funny, anything
Gets wrong, the word is "Help."
Yeah.
We always plan for failure.
We always plan, if this thing
Goes bad, this is what we're
Gonna do.
The word is "Help."
And I got you.
How much time you want to give?
He'll call when he leaves.
I hate to call if he's still
In there, with how slow he's
Talking.
You did great, man.
Let me see what you got there.
Cold, huh?
This guy is a big player.
We're ready to kind of take this
Guy off and see where it's going
To lead us.
We got to drop them gas tanks
Off and get them filled.
I know a place where I can drop
Them off and get them filled up.
Narrator: now that Tim has
Found a still site, he needs to
Find the propane to fuel his
Operation.
All right.
Got the shotgun?
Yep.
Let's go.
You ride in the front.
All right, we're gonna get these
Tanks, and we'll sit them right
Here next to this trailer right
In front.
And then the guys will go ahead
And take care of us in the
Morning.
We'll come back and load them
Back up, and they'll be full.
And that way we'll take them
Down to the site, too.
We can actually just lay them
Down under there, under this
Trailer right here, just lay
Them down there.
'cause, you know, planes or
Whatever fly across may cause
Suspicion.
That's how you get in trouble.
Make sure nobody knows.
Make sure nobody knows.
Roll it now.
There you go.
You see the bottom end of them
Done rusted up a little bit.
I done carried them tanks for 20
Years.
All right.
We'll come back in the morning
Before light and pick them back
Up.
Should be full.
I already made contact with the
Gas man.
Everybody makes money all the
Way around.
Good business all the way
Around.
Helps the community out and
Makes everybody happy.
That's for sure.
I think they need us to help
The government in another way
'cause the government look like
They ain't running business too
Good.
Yeah.
Our business is booming.
Narrator: coming up...
Tim presses on.
I don't want no snakes.
Make sure you keep that shotgun
Ready.
And Jesse goes in for the
Kill.
Narrator: Tim and j.T. Are
Ramping up preparations for the
Still assembly.
We got to check the creek and
See what the creek look like.
About 2 feet of water.
Make sure you keep that shotgun
Ready.
May see a snake or something
Down here.
A lot of people think that
Moonshiners got shotguns for the
Revenue, ABC agents or whatever.
We don't want to shoot them.
We want to run from them.
But a snake, I kill it.
I don't want no snakes.
Or if I get a rabbit -- if I get
A rabbit, now, I'm gonna get
Him.
Tonight, what we're gonna do,
We're gonna drop off up in the
Country, and we'll take a look
And see what he's got.
And I think the information is
Pretty good that they storing a
Lot of liquor right there before
They move it up the road.
Narrator: Jesse and his
Partner Jim are back after dark
To track down the moonshiner
Whose dog they ran into earlier.
He's a pretty big supplier
For some of the nip joints.
It's not uncommon for him to
Travel to north Carolina back
Into Pennsylvania county area.
When they're transferring
Liquor, they're doing it this
Time of night, so they might
Come in on us, so we got to be
Ready if they come in on us.
A lot of people in communities
Will go, "Well, that's just poor
Old such-and-such.
He's just making a little
Liquor.
There's nothing wrong with
That."
But when it ends up at the shot
Houses and the nip joints,
That's where the violence comes
Out.
A lot of times at these nip
Joints, if something goes wrong,
They don't call 911.
We don't find out about it till
Somebody rolls up on the street
Beat up or stabbed or shot.
It's a gateway to a whole
Other atmosphere of crimes.
All right, let's go.
Right on.
We've had agents killed in the
Line of duty on illegal whiskey
Investigation.
It's a risk that we take very
Seriously.
Are you ready?
All right.
Yeah, let's go.
Narrator: Jesse has no idea
How many moonshiners or how many
Guns are in the house.
He decides to pack it in.
The violator is gonna hope
That it's too hot for us, that
We are scared of the bugs, that
We are scared of the snakes.
He's thinking that we're gonna
Get lazy, we're gonna get lax.
That's when he's gonna let his
Guard down.
I got news for him.
We in the hunt.
We gonna stay in the hunt.
We've been in the hunt for a
Long time, and we'll keep
Checking with informants, we'll
Keep checking the area, and then
We'll be able to keep putting
Pieces of the puzzle together.
Narrator: coming up...
Tim gets ready to fire up.
When we done, it ain't going
Back.
Airplane.
[ airplane whirring ]
Narrator: with the site
Prepped, the guys are ready to
Bring in the largest and
Heaviest part of the still --
The 800-gallon pot.
Come on back.
Narrator: the still is made
Up of several parts.
The largest is called the pot.
That's where the alcohol is
Actually fermented.
These types are called submarine
Pots.
Pick it up.
Just in case it rains.
All right.
In case it rains or somebody
Wants to look at it, right?
Yeah.
If they are, they gonna be in
The woods looking at it.
All right, we're going back in
The woods again, getting ready
To go and load this pot up.
Got a little camouflage and we
Got the berm.
Gonna take that down in here.
Got to try to every time we go
In, to take something with us.
Little bit early to take the pot
Into the location, but I just
Got to get to working on it.
We still got to build this blind
To go right here.
If somebody does a flyover with
A helicopter or something or a
Plane, they can see it right
There.
But if we block it off, kind of
Shade it a little bit, you can
See these pines to the right
Right there -- we'll take those
And cut them up and we'll have
To make a lean-to or something
For them to lean on.
Anything from the air, you know.
If they get that close and see
It, then it don't matter no way.
You know, you're done with
Anyway if they get that close.
But that's when you get them
Guys with the camouflage pants
Walking around through the
Woods.
First thing you think they're
Hunting or something.
The next thing you know, you
Find out he's got a badge on
Him.
Then you're in trouble.
All right, come on, j.T.
Narrator: the working
Sections of the still are
Onsite and ready to assemble.
That means Tim is close to
Starting his first batch of
'shine.
Just kind of want to ease it
Down to the ground.
All right?
Whew! Pretty heavy.
Think about when you get it
Full.
About 6,000 pounds when they're
Full.
So we got to make sure that's a
Good solid foundation we set it
On 'cause once it's full, you
Ain't lifting it no more.
When we done, it ain't going
Back.
I'm going to leave it down here.
I used this thing enough.
I ain't working with no more.
All right, j.T., you push a
Little bit.
We brought in a pot still.
We kind of leveled up some
Blocks.
Steve's a good hard-working
Digger.
I'll tell you, Steve’s one of
The goodest guys you'll ever
Find.
J.T.'s learning.
He's getting there.
You think we could stand the
Thing up and spin it around
Close and roll it down on it?
I mean, I don't know.
You know better than I do.
If you got four people.
Yeah.
Right now we're 2 1/2...
2 3/4.
Get on each side, kind of
Pushing.
Come on with it.
There you go.
Got the still set on top of the
Blocks.
That's good.
All right. Clear.
All right.
Tell you one thing -- looks
Pretty damn good.
Oh, yeah.
All right, getting this homemade
Burner for 800-gallon still.
We done got the burner fitted
Under the still, so I think
That's gonna work out good.
[ engine turns over ]
We got water look like it's
Working good.
We're gonna add some extra black
Pipe so I think we can reach
Everything.
Hopefully it'll all work out
Pretty god.
First ingredients -- we got to
Have water.
So we got to fill it up with
Water about at least
Three-quarters full.
Moonshining is a special art.
It's proven that what you put in
Is what you're gonna get out.
You gonna put some sugar in it.
We know the humidity changes
Things.
We know the different season
Changes things.
The temperature changes things.
But most of the time, it's the
Mash -- it's the raw goods that
You put in is what the finished
Product is coming out.
You're gonna put some water and
Sugar in it.
That's the main ingredients.
Then we put some cornmeal in it.
I don't really want to get into
Detail of how much percentages
Of stuff, but it's a whole lot.
I really can't show you
Everything we do because we're
Gonna get in trouble with the
Law.
We put some barley mix in it,
And then we add a little yeast
To get it going.
Narrator: the mash is a mix
Of water, corn, and sugar, which
Is heated until it boils.
Once it cools, yeast is added to
Begin fermentation.
[ airplane whirring ]
Airplane.
May have to listen for that
Again, see if he flies over
Again in the same direction
'cause they start marking a
Grid, and they start going,
Coming across.
Yeah, and they keep --
Long as he doesn't fly in the
Same grid again, then I'll be
Okay.
One good thing about it is if
We can't see them, they can't
See us.
That's right.
Put that tarp back on it.
Now, right in here I can see
That the light's coming in on
Those white bags, the sandbags.
I might have to get some
Camouflage and put over top of
That.
If a plane comes over, he may
See that dam there and wonder
Why someone put a dam in a creek
Out in the middle of the woods.
We want everything under cover.
That's something you learn in
The army.
Cover and concealment.
Camouflage.
Got to blend in with your
Background.
I've got to do some painting.
Narrator: Tim is putting the
Final touches on the still by
Camouflaging the proofing
Barrel.
The proofing barrel is where the
Distilled moonshine is diluted
With water.
Undiluted moonshine can be
Lethal.
Got to cover tracks.
Got to make sure that you don't
Get in trouble.
I never want to get in trouble.
Get in trouble, and then it's
Hard to get out of trouble.
Keeps going downhill.
You never go up. You go down.
Not there. Right here.
I got this area right here I
Need to build a blind.
Look like we're getting a lot of
Traffic in here.
And you can kind of see it's
Getting a little slick looking.
Pile up anything right in this
Area.
Kind of like somebody just, you
Know, cut some firewood or
Something there and left it
There.
There's a small percentage that
Someone is accidentally gonna
See this from the air, anyway.
Narrator: this season on
"Moonshiners"...
Moonshining is a special art.
It ain't made in china.
Damn right!
But you do need to know how
To do it, or you could wind up
Killing yourself.
[ grunts ]
Narrator: a sacred rite never
Seen before on television.
When I show up with
Moonshine, I've got a reputation
Of having some of the best.
[ coughs ]
*bleep*
End up drunk.
Yeehaw!
Narrator: and mother nature
Strikes back.
When he said this hurricane
Or something is coming in, we
Got to pick up everything we can
And get out of here.
Narrator: the law makes its
Move.
Soon as you're finished,
That's when they're waiting for
You.
ABC agents and everything else.
Stop!
Got a nip joint.
There's no rules, regulations.
It's just a free-for-all.
You getting ready to go to jail.
You just lay there and be quiet.
Narrator: the season has just
Started.
Who knows how it's gonna end?
I'm getting a little bit
Nervous.
That's for sure.
[ gunshots ]
I got an emergency.
I'm gonna have to go.