Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Outlaw Brotherhood - full transcript
Hidden deep within
The hollows of a forgotten
Corner of America...
A battle is raging.
This is probably the most
Paranoid time it is.
It's moonshine
Season -- a season lived under
The gun.
We in the hunt.
We gonna stay in the hunt.
We've been in the hunt for a
Long time.
Only takes one mistake.
One mistake, and you messed up.
The next three
Months can mean over 100 grand,
Tax-free.
Yee-haw!
If you really love your
Country, you're gonna have to
Love moonshine.
Coming up...
That thing got more motor
Than the law ever thought about
Having.
You're not outrunning this.
Six weeks into the
Season, one moonshiner and his
Partner are on the move.
But they're not alone.
And one lawman's wide net is
Tightening.
Right now, we got undercover
Agents going to guy's house
That's moving a lot of liquor.
You sending people right into
The hornet's nest.
A chance run-in
Puts the moonshine brotherhood
To the test.
With fall
Approaching, Tim and tickle are
Forced to camouflage the still
Site before the leaves fall.
We got these pallets that
We've nailed together...
...So we can hurry up and cover
This thing.
Don't you fall.
Watch, watch, watch!
*bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
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.
You're gonna win, or you're
Gonna lose.
Is that a cop?
Change vehicles and change
Tags -- that's what you got to
Do.
It's the end of the season.
Money's running out.
We got to do something to make
Some more.
Every day look like I'm
Getting deeper, trying to get
Out of the getting deeper.
This is how we make the
Moonshine.
Deep in the
Mountains of Appalachia,
Moonshine season is in full
Swing.
Tim and his partner tickle are
Nearing the end of their first
Run, but a setback threatened
The operation.
Hear that?
Yeah.
But the bootlegger
Shows up early, so they need to
Race to finish bottling the
Moonshine.
We just got to give him what
We got, 'cause he's got to go,
Man.
He can't be sticking around
Here.
No, he's go to go.
To protect everyone
Involved, Tim has arranged,
Through a third party, for an
Unknown driver to pick up the
'shine.
Take a walk up by that field,
See if you can find that guy.
All right.
This is known as a
Double blind.
Moonshine is made at the still
Then transported to stash
Houses.
Later, it's picked up and
Trucked to distributors in towns
And cities.
Distributors sell the moonshine
At up to $100 a gallon to local
Nip joints and individuals with
A taste for potent corn liquor.
Everyone in the moonshine supply
Chain uses the double-blind
System as added protection
Against arrest.
Brewers never meet transporters.
Transporters never meet
Distributors.
Anonymous middlemen arrange all
The payment and drop locations.
If anyone in the chain is
Caught, there are no names to
Give the police.
Okay. Just keep your eyes
Open and your ears open.
This is the part that you get
Kind of paranoid the most.
As soon as you finish, that's
When they're waiting for you.
Tickle?
Yeah?
Tickle?
All right.
Tickle?
Yeah?
Just come in the back end
Like we talked about.
Tell that driver to stay in the
Truck.
Don't get out.
Tim needs to move
Quickly.
The exchange of moonshine is an
Opportune time for the ABC to
Make a bust, having both shiner
And bootlegger.
There's a couple thousand
Dollars at stake on this run.
All right.
Well, that's a little bit of
Rush, but I'm glad that part's
Over with.
At least it's in his hands and
Not my hands.
We just had a good,
Successful run.
I think we need another taste
Test.
Oh, need another one.
That's the good spot for it.
It floats.
If it ain't no good, it
Sinks.
I always know where it's at.
That's right.
Since the early
Days of brewing, moonshiners
Like popcorn Sutton believe that
Beyond its intoxicating
Properties, moonshine has the
Power to heal just about
Anything.
I can't drink too much of
That.
We still got to get the jugs.
I know it.
But with moonshine
Still flowing, Tim’s relief is
Temporary.
They still need to bottle the
Remaining 'shine and immediately
Get it away from the site.
A few miles to the west,
Tightsqueeze, Virginia.
ABC agent Jesse Tate is on the
Move.
A week ago, Jesse busted an
Illegal nip joint.
He's riding high.
All told, I think about
37 charges is gonna come out of
This nip joint, so this is a
Very successful long-term
Operation.
But now he's on the
Lookout for a big-time kingpin
Who's responsible for selling to
The area's nip joints.
This guy is a guy that had
Been caught before.
He decided to come back into the
Business.
Bad timing on his part.
We gonna step it up a little
Bit with this guy.
We gonna buy a case tonight.
We got to go.
Tim hides the
Remaining 15 gallons of
Moonshine until he can make
Arrangements for transport.
The stash is worth up to a cool
1,000 bucks.
I can't leave this stuff
Around here.
We done made the moonshine, and
We got to get rid of it.
As soon as I call this guy,
We'll be ready.
Well, you right, we can't
Have this stuff around here.
You heard what happened to
*bleep*, didn't you?
What happened?
*bleep* got busted, man.
Busted again?
They busted him with
Everything -- the still, the
'shine.
Got everything.
Got him while he was making
The moonshine?
Yeah, he was jugging it and
Had another pot going.
They all looking.
I'm gonna call this guy.
I know this guy that can take
This stuff off our hands.
We'll load the Pontiac up.
We'll just take it and drop it
Off somewhere.
We won't even see us, and we
Won't see him.
Sound good to me.
I'll get everything ready in
Here.
This time, Tim is
Being forced to soup up his
Hot rod and deliver the final
15 gallons of moonshine himself.
Moonshiners want the car to
Run perfect -- fast as possible
When they need it -- because
They're gonna get caught if they
Don't.
Worst-case scenario is, you got
A load of moonshine in the car,
And you're trying to go from
"A" to "B," and a man gets
Behind you and your engine
Cuts off.
Adding a
High-performance 4-barrel
Carburetor to the 400cc engine
Of his 1974 Pontiac lemans will
Increase air/fuel intake and
Give them a lot more speed.
We putting a lot of
Modifications on the engine that
Normally the engine didn't have.
Get it. Yeah.
So everything don't fit like it
Should.
It is exciting to get this thing
Together.
Now that the final
Touches have been put on the
Hot rod, Tim and tickle are
Ready to make their run.
I think that is -- leave it
Like that.
Stock-car racing is
One of America’s great pastimes.
Little do people realize that
Stock-car roots are deeply
Planted in moonshine.
During the great depression,
When farmers couldn't sell their
Crop, they turned to moonshining
To survive.
Bootleggers would distribute
This tax-free liquor throughout
The south but not without the
Notice of the law.
These high-speed pursuits gave
Moonshiners the experience they
Needed to later dominate the
Track.
Their vehicles were stock cars
With no external add-on features
To draw suspicion.
In 1936, Daytona beach, Florida,
Began hosting official stock-car
Races to boost tourism.
Bootleggers dominated these
Races, and stock-car racing was
Born.
I got a call from the fire
Department.
Guys are up there doing
Inventory, and I had to borrow
These bolt cutters, you know?
So, as soon as I got the
Bolt cutters, the guys come in
And started doing the inventory.
Well, they found out the
Bolt cutters are missing, so now
I got to run back up here and
Take these bolt cutters back.
Oh, man, I'll tell ya.
I got them.
I know y'all is missing these.
Bolt cutters.
Yeah, yeah.
The chief told us we was
Supposed to sign stuff out,
So...
I am the chief.
I know. All the more reason
You should lead by example.
I just borrowed them for a
Few minutes.
How you been?
Where I been, how I been?
How you been?
Oh, how I been.
I been doing okay. Doing good.
What you been up to?
I'm working.
Doing a whole lot of work.
We see you go by every now
And then.
Yeah, I'm doing a whole lot
Of running up and down the road
Nowadays -- you know, a lot of
Places to go and...
Can't you stop, when you
Come by, and see us?
I ain't got time.
Well, I do.
When we get a call, I come.
That don't count. Okay?
I got to go right now.
Okay.
Y'all keep on doing what
You're doing and...
Stop in and see us sometime.
I will. All right, see ya.
See ya.
He's gone again.
Let me show you the car.
Look a whole lot different than
The last time you saw it.
Yeah, it does.
I cleaned it up a little bit.
That thing is looking nice.
Oh, man, we can run a lot of
Liquor in this.
Go back out to the back.
Watch this.
Oh, yeah, let me see this.
Sounds great!
That's the way it goes, man.
Uh-huh! Yeah!
That thing got more motor than
The law ever thought about
Having.
You're not outrunning this.
yeah!
That is beautiful.
With the hot rod
Up and running, Tim and tickle
Set out.
Ready?
Yeah, sounds good.
Coming up, a master
Bootlegger enters the scene...
This is not white distilled
Vinegar.
...As Tim starts
His run.
With the hot rod
Complete, Tim and tickle set off
To deliver the remaining
Moonshine.
No, don't need it, no.
They'll leave the
'shine at a drop point in the
Woods, where later it'll be
Picked up by a distributor.
Tim would prefer to make this
Run under the cover of darkness,
But he doesn't have that luxury.
Burning up a whole lot of
Gas.
With the buyer
Waiting, he has to make this run
In broad daylight.
Getting caught transporting
Illegal moonshine is a class 1
Misdemeanor and could include
Prison time.
Even though running
'shine is new to Tim...
The same can't be said for
Master bootlegger don wood.
Don's a living legend, and he's
On a run from the mountains of
Tennessee to the flatlands of
Kansas.
That's a portrait of
Popcorn Sutton -- probably the
Most famous moonshiner in all of
Appalachia.
Don carries on an
Almost a 200-year-old renegade
Tradition -- distribution of
Tax-free moonshine whiskey.
A bootlegger for almost
10 years, don's in the middle of
An 800-mile journey to deliver
50 jars of moonshine.
This is not white distilled
Vinegar.
Our government turned it into a
Profit center.
It's all about revenue.
Don't think for a moment that
They're concerned about your
Health.
There are men in our community
Who have been involved with
Moonshine for 80-plus years.
I'm don wood.
I cherish the time that I get to
Talk to them.
It wasn't about the artisan side
Of it.
It wasn't about the fame or the
Notoriety or any of that.
They were trying to feed their
Babies.
At the end of the day, the
Product is there.
Nobody questions where it really
Came from.
What do you think of that?
Good-looking stuff.
Don tempers his
Moonshine using a classic recipe
Known as apple pie.
He charges $50 per jar, all
Tax-free.
American jars for American
Jobs made in the u.S.A.
There's people in America that
Want to work, and they can't
Find work 'cause all the jobs
Have been shipped overseas.
There's a lot wrong with this
Country.
We need to get back to some of
The old ways, taking care of
Our own.
Moonshining is one of those
Processes that it's kind of like
You're sticking it to the man.
This hasn't been taxed, it
Hasn't been weighed, it hasn't
Been measured.
People that would drink out of
These jars are trusting that I
Have done right.
Don still has
300 miles to go and a lot of
'shine to deliver.
Meanwhile, Tim and tickle are on
A run to drop off moonshine to a
Third-party buyer.
They suspect they're being
Followed.
He's still behind us.
He done turned everywhere we
Done turned.
If we run into the law right now
And they wanted to search the
Car, we gonna wind up in some
Trouble.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I don't like it.
That's why I think I'll drop
It off at this boat dock.
Yeah, turn right here.
We might have to make a detour.
As long as they don't see us.
Make sure no boaters are around.
I believe we just find a place
Right here behind one of these
Trees and just drop it off,
And I tell the guy to come
Down here.
Pick it up whenever he
Wants to.
I'm gonna see if he goes on
That already.
Maybe we're scared.
Maybe. He don't need to know
Anything what we got going on.
Coming up...
We've got some big concerns
Here with a storm warning.
Mother nature
Strikes back.
They're talking about
60-miles-an-hour wind coming.
We got to pick up everything we
Can and get out of here.
Tim and tickle are
On a run to drop off moonshine
To a third-party buyer, but they
Suspect they're being followed.
Yeah, he went on by.
I think we scared him.
Look how fast he's going.
Yeah, he come on by pretty
Quick.
The main thing is, he's gone.
You ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
All right, let's do this.
Placing a colored
Cloth at an agreed-upon location
Is an old moonshiner's trick to
Indicate that the drop has been
Made.
Let's go.
In the next county
Over, ABC agent Jesse Tate is
Hot on the trail of a kingpin
Distributor.
Right now, we've got
Undercover agents going to a
Guy's house that's moving a lot
Of liquor.
We gonna try to make a
Controlled buy.
We're buying from a mid-level
Distributor, but I would almost
Guarantee that he's armed.
It can be nervewracking.
You sending people right into
The hornet's nest.
50 miles southeast,
Tim gets some bad news.
Let's show you where we stand
Right now.
We've got some big concerns here
With a storm warning extending
Across the coast of
North Carolina, all the way up
Through Virginia.
A major storm is
Rolling in.
Sustained winds are expected
In these areas.
Tim and j.T. Need
To batten down the hatches to
Prevent major damage to the
Still site, but the still weighs
3,000 pounds and there's no way
He's moving it.
I got like $5,000 or $6,000
Right here, so we got to pick up
Everything we can and get out of
Here.
They're talking about
60-miles-an-hour wind coming.
So we got to camouflage and add
Protection from the weather.
Put this over top of all of this
Here.
Go to that side over there.
The camouflage is because the
Leaves will get blowed off the
Trees when the wind comes.
So got the tanks camouflaged and
Sealed up.
All right, baby.
Stay cool. Stay here.
Got the thumper and the worm
Concealed.
Be back to see you soon.
In Franklin county,
Jesse briefs an undercover agent
With instructions on making a
Controlled buy from a major
Moonshine kingpin who's armed
And dangerous.
I want you to buy a case.
All right.
Just go in there and just go
With the flow.
Something goes bad, the word is
Just "Help."
Okay.
If you holler "Help," I'm
Coming.
In the next county
Over, a storm cuts a path
Through the mountains of
Appalachia.
But Tim’s still is safe.
Now that the storm has passed,
The guys head out to the still
Site to plan their next move.
Pretty good head shot, too, huh?
Uh-huh, yeah.
Yeah.
We got a rabbit.
Got something to eat.
Ain't nothing to a rabbit.
Mnh-mnh.
I'll go wash him up a little
Bit.
Pretty good, right there.
I don't think you can get that
In a restaurant nowhere.
Put it in that cooler.
All right.
Always treat a shotgun as if
It was loaded at all times.
And then keep it loaded at all
Times, 'cause it ain't no good
If it ain't loaded.
That's right.
Let's go.
As his undercover
Agent attempts a controlled buy
Of moonshine, Jesse waits nearby
And listens.
Coming up...
We got more orders to fill
Than we can handle right now.
...Tim makes a big
Move...
We gonna have to put another
Pot in.
...While Jesse hits
A roadblock.
They leaving.
We probably couldn't get it all.
In Franklin county,
Virginia, ABC agent Jesse Tate
Has decided to send in an
Undercover agent to make a
Controlled buy from a kingpin
Who's known to be armed and
Dangerous.
They doing a deal now.
He said he carried four cases
To martinsville this morning.
But things don't go
Jesse's way.
Jesse's luck has run out.
They leaving.
We probably couldn't get it all.
They made the buy,
But it's not enough to justify
Storming the nip joint.
We didn't get a complete
Case, but we did make our buy.
This guy's moving a tremendous
Amount of liquor.
He dropped five of them off at
One spot.
And I know that he's delivering
To way more.
What did he say when you come up
About being there?
Really?
So you good now to come back
When you want to?
Why don't we try calling him
Again?
I can get it.
Tell him, "I had some of your
Stuff.
It's good. I want some more."
I need a full case.
What you doing, man?
I'm gonna cook us something
To eat.
Look.
Yeah.
I got a rabbit in my hat.
Looky there.
Oh, yeah.
He's like, "*bleep* I think
You been drinking too much."
No.
You know, I'm down here in
The woods, trying to make a few
Dollars 'cause j.T.'s getting
Ready to, you know, get old
Enough to go to college.
And I need the extra money, but
I don't need to get caught.
My dad got caught moonshining
When I was a little kid.
I can still remember the first
Time that our house was raided.
Police come in, open up cabinets
And doors, going under the
House, looking in cars.
They told my dad to just stay in
The kitchen.
They said, "We found so many
Gallons of untaxed whiskey.
We've arrested you."
And they read his rights.
But I didn't never think that
They would come in and arrest
Him for it, 'cause, I mean,
We've been doing it all my life.
I thought it was just the thing
To do.
Being arrested is
Tim's greatest fear.
Not only did the police arrest
His father, but they also got
His older brother troy.
It caused great hardship in the
Family and a strain Tim feels to
This day.
My father didn't want me to
Do moonshining.
My dad always told me to do
Things right.
We kept moonshining here for
Years, and the goal is, one day,
To do it legally.
That's the goal.
That way, I can make moonshine,
I can keep on the heritage, and
Make money without worrying
About getting arrested.
Well, that'd be real nice.
But, you know, that costs money.
You have to have the money to
Buy the license.
Tim’s at a
Crossroads -- the outlaw life or
Going legit.
If you get caught, you paying
The government money.
If you legal, you paying the
Government money.
The difference in being legal
And illegal is, at least you're
Not in jail.
But we got to keep it running.
We got to make some more money
Right now.
We're going to have to put
Another pot in.
If we get another one in, then
We can be a little bit more
Full-time.
Another still can
Net Tim and tickle tens of
Thousands of dollars, but to get
It up and running this season,
These outlaws are going to have
To take an enormous risk --
Increase production while the
Forest cover falls.
That's getting ready.
There you go.
Drink, eat, work, and get
Paid.
Back out on the
Road with legendary bootlegger
Don wood, there's still a whole
Lot of territory to cover.
On some runs, don will make up
To 20 stops, but for this run,
It's one straight shot.
Gonna head due north.
We'll be in Osborne, Kansas,
Around 3:00, 4:00 this
Afternoon.
A bootlegger never
Knows what he'll be walking into
On a moonshine drop.
Anyone from bikers to lawmen
Might be lingering around the
Next corner.
All kinds of methods have been
Used to transport moonshine.
Back in the early days, 'shiners
Would transport illegal liquor
In their boots, which gave birth
To the term "Bootlegging."
Moonshiners used everything from
Secret pockets in saddlebags to
Concealed compartments in
Wagons.
Some bootleggers were even known
To have fake funerals.
They would fill the coffins with
Illegal booze.
In the prohibition era, cars
Were specifically modified to
Carry hundreds of gallons in
Secret compartments.
Nowadays, moonshine is disguised
As legal liquid placed in
Harmless-looking containers to
Avoid prosecution from the law.
Don arrives to make his first
Delivery of illegal moonshine.
Almost 12 hours to make it
287 miles.
And, of course, every state
Trooper or d.O.T. Agent.
The thought crossed my mind --
Is this the time I'm going to
Jail?
Once don makes the
Drop-off, he'll run and gun the
400-mile trip back home.
Within the first 15 minutes
Of being here, we sold 5 quarts.
They're being passed around
Right now.
Don makes the
Drop-off.
Now it's run and gun back home.
Back in Virginia, moonshiner Tim
Is anxious about his own illegal
Operation and how he can stay
One step ahead of the ABC.
If Tim really does want to go
Legit, there's only one other
Member of the outlaw brotherhood
He can talk to.
I've been making moonshine
Legal since 1987.
I really don't want to expand on
Anything prior to that.
Chuck miller was
One of the biggest moonshiners
Around.
Ours is the best moonshine in
All of Virginia.
He was carrying on
A tradition passed on to him by
His grandfather, also a legend
In his own time.
Some compared him to
Popcorn Sutton.
They raided the house one
Day, and grandpa got in a big
Fight.
It was like 12 against 1.
They beat him up pretty bad.
Grandma had to call the priest
In to give him last rites.
He recovered, went on back to
Business again.
After a few brushes
With the law of his own, chuck
Went legit.
But for Tim, it's a big risk.
If word gets out that he's
Thinking of going legit, he'll
Be shut out and his 'shining
Days will be over for good.
You know, I think about if I
Don't make it.
What if the government says,
"No, we don't want an illegal
Moonshiner becoming a legal
Moonshiner."
Then it's kind of like I can't
Go back now.
You know, I can't go back
Illegal, because everyone knows
I've been putting myself out
There in the light.
I feel like I'm on a train and I
Can't get off of it.
You know, I done got on it and
It doesn't stop.
Tim’s about to get
A heavy dose of reality.
I'm glad you could make it
Today.
Now, I want you to learn the
Right way to do things.
Maybe one day you'll go legal.
You never know, huh?
I hope so.
Come on in, Tim.
I think a legal distiller is
Gonna be a lot different.
First thing, I never worked
Inside of a building.
You got a pretty nice place.
I'm still in a tree.
When you're out in the woods,
It's kind of out of control and
You're always looking around and
Worried about somebody getting
Ready to arrest you or
Something.
I think, from a legal point, you
Can just have fun at it.
All right, Tim, this is a
USDA-approved rake.
I ain't never in my life
Heard of such.
See, when you go legal, Tim,
All these things you got to
Think of.
Okay.
First, you got to get your
Formula approved.
Uh-huh.
Then, your label's got to be
Approved and then you got to
Get the state to accept it.
If you go legal, you got a sand
Filter, water softener, carbon
Filter, pre-filter,
Reverse-osmosis filter, a
Positive- and a negative-ion
Filter, .02-micron filter, and a
U.V. Light.
Yeah.
This is the alcohol, tobacco,
And firearms "Code of federal
Regulations" cfr 27.
You need one of these books.
Then, you got to go read it.
Once you get into all them
Books, now they have to start
Telling you how to keep all of
Your records.
Yeah, they want to know how much
Corn you used, how much mash you
Used.
They're making me keep track of
Everything in and out the tanks,
Every time I bottle it.
That's one thing about
Moonshining.
You don't have to worry about
No regulation.
We don't have no regulation.
We just got our own laws, and we
Do what we want to do.
Now, the government wants me
To send that tax money in here.
Just those two tanks over there,
I got to send a check to the
Government for $13,500.
The state actually gets more
Than that.
This is the part that tells you
How big your bond's got to be.
You got a bond?
What's the bond?
You got to have a bond to
Make alcohol.
You got to have a bond to
Make alcohol?
Yeah. You gonna be a
Distiller and a processor, you
Got to have a bond of $200,000.
$200,000?
Yeah.
Coming up...
Get that going over there.
...Tim hits the
Ground running...
We decided we're gonna add
Another pot.
We just getting deeper in
Trouble.
Are we building a house, or
Are we building a roof over the
Liquor still?
...While tickle
Hits the ground.
Let me jump down in there.
Watch, watch, watch!
*bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
Tim’s just gotten a
Dose of reality.
Going legit ain't cheap.
You got to have a bond of
$200,000.
There's only one
Way he can come up with that
Kind of cash.
He'll have to expand his still
Operation and go full bore into
The fall and winter.
Let's finish this one right
Here.
Me and Steve got up early this
Morning.
We want to build a shelter for
That still site, because the
Leaves are falling, it's getting
Cooler weather.
And when it is cooler, that's
When we want to run more.
We decided we're gonna add
Another pot.
Gonna be strong enough?
And add another pot and
Staying in the same location,
Leaves falling, we're just
Getting deeper in trouble.
Put your foot on and hold.
And we're gonna camouflage it
Pretty good once we get the top
On it.
We'll get some pallets together,
Some rough wood, and we got to
Get it done.
I don't care if it rains or not.
So, you get on this corner right
Here.
Tickle, get that side.
Yeah, all right. Watch out.
If there were not moonshiners
And bootleggers, this country
Probably would not have made it,
Right off the start.
That's one.
Get that going over there.
I tell you what --
Moonshining ain't easy, but it
Sure is fun.
What you got there?
You got the cooler?
Yeah.
Yeah, we gonna need this.
We'll take it, but I think we
About eyeballed everything.
You gonna try the plumbing and
Squaring?
You spend all day down there
Trying to get the thing right.
Let's see if we can get that
Here without all this falling
Off the truck.
Tim’s venturing
Into uncharted territory.
Moonshiners always close up shop
When the leaves fall, so Tim’s
Camouflage will be the first and
Only line of defense against the
Law.
I want to get the tin laid
Over here on the ground.
And I want to get the 2x6s from
Under there, 'cause that's the
Frame for the top, for the roof.
I'm gonna lay it on the ground
And kind of mark it off how it's
Gonna fall.
That way, we'll know what trees
To cut.
First, Tim needs to
Remove the foliage to make room
For the structure.
I love the sound of a
Chain saw.
I'm just glad the plane's
Gone.
Yeah.
We put the thing right where
The plane's traveling.
See what I'm saying? The plane?
There's one up there
Right now.
The site only has
Enough foliage to cover one
Still, and planes are already
Appearing through the bare
Branches.
Yes, sir, that's a lot of
Work.
I know, I had to pick a spot
With the most roots in it,
Didn't I?
Yeah.
I know it.
I'm always trouble like that.
Carpenters and moonshiners is
Both dying breeds.
It's a lot more work than it
Look like it, ain't it?
Can move this in where you
Want to.
Why don't you put it halfway?
I got a plan.
Don't sound good to me.
It is. I promise you.
I got a good plan.
Oh, god, this is getting bad.
Maybe by 4:00 in the morning,
We'll get this thing built.
Getting confused already.
He has an idea, and I have an
Idea, so it's already getting
Confused.
What are you doing now?
Tim needs to
Work...
And tickle, well...
That post is crooked as hell.
Supposed to be inside to
Inside.
Uh, tickle.
This post need to go here.
Everything is 9 foot.
9 foot, 9 foot, 9 foot.
No, these, 10 feet.
What'd you do on the other side?
Look on the other side?
I put the posts in a
Different spot.
No, we can't do this.
You said, "We in the damn
Woods.
Get it up."
That's what we're gonna do.
Well, that's what I was
Doing.
Now, where's tickle?
Coming up, a chance
Run-in puts Tim’s head on the
Chopping block.
...And one misstep could end
Tim's next run.
Let me jump down in there.
Watch, watch, watch!
*bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
In addition to
Tracking moonshiners in the
Woods, Jesse and the ABC’s other
Responsibilities include working
With licensed alcohol businesses
To make sure they're selling
Liquor legally and are paying
Their taxes.
Ready to put you guys in
Business today.
In the course of
Conducting this routine
Business...
Thanks a lot.
Give me a holler if you need
Something.
...Jesse
Unexpectedly bumps into a former
Moonshiner.
You had four 800-gallon pots?
There's a code of
Honor among moonshiners --
Don't ever talk to the law...
...As any and all information
Will be used in the hunt against
Other moonshiners.
Yeah?
Call you Detroit?
This is a dangerous
Moment for Tim.
Anything his brother says puts
Tim's entire operation at risk.
You let somebody else do the
Selling, huh?
Well, listen, be careful.
Take care of yourself.
Troy upholds the
Code that bonds all moonshiners.
Doesn't reveal a thing.
Yeah, yeah.
One county over,
Moonshiner Tim and his partner
Tickle are working hard to
Expand their still site.
Dude!
Tim found out that
He has to raise a substantial
Percentage of a $200,000 bond if
He wants to go legal.
He's decided to double his
Output and work into the fall
And winter to get a jump on
Raising the money.
Tim has his work cut out for
Him.
Now, don't let it slide off,
Now.
Gonna kill me if it slide off.
No, we ain't letting it
Slide off.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Leave it right there for now.
All right, be careful, it's
Gonna try to kick back on us.
You see what I'm saying?
All right, come on.
Watch. Watch.
I got it.
Watch yourself.
All right, push it over there.
All right, you got it.
Beautiful.
Hold it.
Slide it over on the piece of
Wood I'm standing on.
Be careful.
Have to go on the ground and
Do that.
It's crooked as hell.
Don't you fall.
Oh, if I fall, I'll just
Break something.
Yeah.
I've broke all kinds of stuff
Before.
All right.
I've been run over three
Times by a damn truck.
I ain't worried about falling
No 7 foot.
It broke my head and all kinds
Of...
It involved a bunch of
Moonshine, actually, if you
Really want to know.
Things like that happen,
Especially when you're people
Like me.
All right, I'm gonna pull the
Truck up.
All right, well, hang on.
Let me jump down in it.
You got your drill?
Yeah. I can give it to j.T.
Let me jump down in there.
Watch, watch, watch!
Next time on
"Moonshiners"...
With tickle on the sidelines...
I'm bandaged up pretty good.
Hold on!
...Tim must bring
In new help to expand his
Operation.
Oh, damn!
What are you doing?!
There it is.
Drop your camera.
...While Jesse
Closes in on a major moonshiner.
Something's going on.
The hollows of a forgotten
Corner of America...
A battle is raging.
This is probably the most
Paranoid time it is.
It's moonshine
Season -- a season lived under
The gun.
We in the hunt.
We gonna stay in the hunt.
We've been in the hunt for a
Long time.
Only takes one mistake.
One mistake, and you messed up.
The next three
Months can mean over 100 grand,
Tax-free.
Yee-haw!
If you really love your
Country, you're gonna have to
Love moonshine.
Coming up...
That thing got more motor
Than the law ever thought about
Having.
You're not outrunning this.
Six weeks into the
Season, one moonshiner and his
Partner are on the move.
But they're not alone.
And one lawman's wide net is
Tightening.
Right now, we got undercover
Agents going to guy's house
That's moving a lot of liquor.
You sending people right into
The hornet's nest.
A chance run-in
Puts the moonshine brotherhood
To the test.
With fall
Approaching, Tim and tickle are
Forced to camouflage the still
Site before the leaves fall.
We got these pallets that
We've nailed together...
...So we can hurry up and cover
This thing.
Don't you fall.
Watch, watch, watch!
*bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
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.
You're gonna win, or you're
Gonna lose.
Is that a cop?
Change vehicles and change
Tags -- that's what you got to
Do.
It's the end of the season.
Money's running out.
We got to do something to make
Some more.
Every day look like I'm
Getting deeper, trying to get
Out of the getting deeper.
This is how we make the
Moonshine.
Deep in the
Mountains of Appalachia,
Moonshine season is in full
Swing.
Tim and his partner tickle are
Nearing the end of their first
Run, but a setback threatened
The operation.
Hear that?
Yeah.
But the bootlegger
Shows up early, so they need to
Race to finish bottling the
Moonshine.
We just got to give him what
We got, 'cause he's got to go,
Man.
He can't be sticking around
Here.
No, he's go to go.
To protect everyone
Involved, Tim has arranged,
Through a third party, for an
Unknown driver to pick up the
'shine.
Take a walk up by that field,
See if you can find that guy.
All right.
This is known as a
Double blind.
Moonshine is made at the still
Then transported to stash
Houses.
Later, it's picked up and
Trucked to distributors in towns
And cities.
Distributors sell the moonshine
At up to $100 a gallon to local
Nip joints and individuals with
A taste for potent corn liquor.
Everyone in the moonshine supply
Chain uses the double-blind
System as added protection
Against arrest.
Brewers never meet transporters.
Transporters never meet
Distributors.
Anonymous middlemen arrange all
The payment and drop locations.
If anyone in the chain is
Caught, there are no names to
Give the police.
Okay. Just keep your eyes
Open and your ears open.
This is the part that you get
Kind of paranoid the most.
As soon as you finish, that's
When they're waiting for you.
Tickle?
Yeah?
Tickle?
All right.
Tickle?
Yeah?
Just come in the back end
Like we talked about.
Tell that driver to stay in the
Truck.
Don't get out.
Tim needs to move
Quickly.
The exchange of moonshine is an
Opportune time for the ABC to
Make a bust, having both shiner
And bootlegger.
There's a couple thousand
Dollars at stake on this run.
All right.
Well, that's a little bit of
Rush, but I'm glad that part's
Over with.
At least it's in his hands and
Not my hands.
We just had a good,
Successful run.
I think we need another taste
Test.
Oh, need another one.
That's the good spot for it.
It floats.
If it ain't no good, it
Sinks.
I always know where it's at.
That's right.
Since the early
Days of brewing, moonshiners
Like popcorn Sutton believe that
Beyond its intoxicating
Properties, moonshine has the
Power to heal just about
Anything.
I can't drink too much of
That.
We still got to get the jugs.
I know it.
But with moonshine
Still flowing, Tim’s relief is
Temporary.
They still need to bottle the
Remaining 'shine and immediately
Get it away from the site.
A few miles to the west,
Tightsqueeze, Virginia.
ABC agent Jesse Tate is on the
Move.
A week ago, Jesse busted an
Illegal nip joint.
He's riding high.
All told, I think about
37 charges is gonna come out of
This nip joint, so this is a
Very successful long-term
Operation.
But now he's on the
Lookout for a big-time kingpin
Who's responsible for selling to
The area's nip joints.
This guy is a guy that had
Been caught before.
He decided to come back into the
Business.
Bad timing on his part.
We gonna step it up a little
Bit with this guy.
We gonna buy a case tonight.
We got to go.
Tim hides the
Remaining 15 gallons of
Moonshine until he can make
Arrangements for transport.
The stash is worth up to a cool
1,000 bucks.
I can't leave this stuff
Around here.
We done made the moonshine, and
We got to get rid of it.
As soon as I call this guy,
We'll be ready.
Well, you right, we can't
Have this stuff around here.
You heard what happened to
*bleep*, didn't you?
What happened?
*bleep* got busted, man.
Busted again?
They busted him with
Everything -- the still, the
'shine.
Got everything.
Got him while he was making
The moonshine?
Yeah, he was jugging it and
Had another pot going.
They all looking.
I'm gonna call this guy.
I know this guy that can take
This stuff off our hands.
We'll load the Pontiac up.
We'll just take it and drop it
Off somewhere.
We won't even see us, and we
Won't see him.
Sound good to me.
I'll get everything ready in
Here.
This time, Tim is
Being forced to soup up his
Hot rod and deliver the final
15 gallons of moonshine himself.
Moonshiners want the car to
Run perfect -- fast as possible
When they need it -- because
They're gonna get caught if they
Don't.
Worst-case scenario is, you got
A load of moonshine in the car,
And you're trying to go from
"A" to "B," and a man gets
Behind you and your engine
Cuts off.
Adding a
High-performance 4-barrel
Carburetor to the 400cc engine
Of his 1974 Pontiac lemans will
Increase air/fuel intake and
Give them a lot more speed.
We putting a lot of
Modifications on the engine that
Normally the engine didn't have.
Get it. Yeah.
So everything don't fit like it
Should.
It is exciting to get this thing
Together.
Now that the final
Touches have been put on the
Hot rod, Tim and tickle are
Ready to make their run.
I think that is -- leave it
Like that.
Stock-car racing is
One of America’s great pastimes.
Little do people realize that
Stock-car roots are deeply
Planted in moonshine.
During the great depression,
When farmers couldn't sell their
Crop, they turned to moonshining
To survive.
Bootleggers would distribute
This tax-free liquor throughout
The south but not without the
Notice of the law.
These high-speed pursuits gave
Moonshiners the experience they
Needed to later dominate the
Track.
Their vehicles were stock cars
With no external add-on features
To draw suspicion.
In 1936, Daytona beach, Florida,
Began hosting official stock-car
Races to boost tourism.
Bootleggers dominated these
Races, and stock-car racing was
Born.
I got a call from the fire
Department.
Guys are up there doing
Inventory, and I had to borrow
These bolt cutters, you know?
So, as soon as I got the
Bolt cutters, the guys come in
And started doing the inventory.
Well, they found out the
Bolt cutters are missing, so now
I got to run back up here and
Take these bolt cutters back.
Oh, man, I'll tell ya.
I got them.
I know y'all is missing these.
Bolt cutters.
Yeah, yeah.
The chief told us we was
Supposed to sign stuff out,
So...
I am the chief.
I know. All the more reason
You should lead by example.
I just borrowed them for a
Few minutes.
How you been?
Where I been, how I been?
How you been?
Oh, how I been.
I been doing okay. Doing good.
What you been up to?
I'm working.
Doing a whole lot of work.
We see you go by every now
And then.
Yeah, I'm doing a whole lot
Of running up and down the road
Nowadays -- you know, a lot of
Places to go and...
Can't you stop, when you
Come by, and see us?
I ain't got time.
Well, I do.
When we get a call, I come.
That don't count. Okay?
I got to go right now.
Okay.
Y'all keep on doing what
You're doing and...
Stop in and see us sometime.
I will. All right, see ya.
See ya.
He's gone again.
Let me show you the car.
Look a whole lot different than
The last time you saw it.
Yeah, it does.
I cleaned it up a little bit.
That thing is looking nice.
Oh, man, we can run a lot of
Liquor in this.
Go back out to the back.
Watch this.
Oh, yeah, let me see this.
Sounds great!
That's the way it goes, man.
Uh-huh! Yeah!
That thing got more motor than
The law ever thought about
Having.
You're not outrunning this.
yeah!
That is beautiful.
With the hot rod
Up and running, Tim and tickle
Set out.
Ready?
Yeah, sounds good.
Coming up, a master
Bootlegger enters the scene...
This is not white distilled
Vinegar.
...As Tim starts
His run.
With the hot rod
Complete, Tim and tickle set off
To deliver the remaining
Moonshine.
No, don't need it, no.
They'll leave the
'shine at a drop point in the
Woods, where later it'll be
Picked up by a distributor.
Tim would prefer to make this
Run under the cover of darkness,
But he doesn't have that luxury.
Burning up a whole lot of
Gas.
With the buyer
Waiting, he has to make this run
In broad daylight.
Getting caught transporting
Illegal moonshine is a class 1
Misdemeanor and could include
Prison time.
Even though running
'shine is new to Tim...
The same can't be said for
Master bootlegger don wood.
Don's a living legend, and he's
On a run from the mountains of
Tennessee to the flatlands of
Kansas.
That's a portrait of
Popcorn Sutton -- probably the
Most famous moonshiner in all of
Appalachia.
Don carries on an
Almost a 200-year-old renegade
Tradition -- distribution of
Tax-free moonshine whiskey.
A bootlegger for almost
10 years, don's in the middle of
An 800-mile journey to deliver
50 jars of moonshine.
This is not white distilled
Vinegar.
Our government turned it into a
Profit center.
It's all about revenue.
Don't think for a moment that
They're concerned about your
Health.
There are men in our community
Who have been involved with
Moonshine for 80-plus years.
I'm don wood.
I cherish the time that I get to
Talk to them.
It wasn't about the artisan side
Of it.
It wasn't about the fame or the
Notoriety or any of that.
They were trying to feed their
Babies.
At the end of the day, the
Product is there.
Nobody questions where it really
Came from.
What do you think of that?
Good-looking stuff.
Don tempers his
Moonshine using a classic recipe
Known as apple pie.
He charges $50 per jar, all
Tax-free.
American jars for American
Jobs made in the u.S.A.
There's people in America that
Want to work, and they can't
Find work 'cause all the jobs
Have been shipped overseas.
There's a lot wrong with this
Country.
We need to get back to some of
The old ways, taking care of
Our own.
Moonshining is one of those
Processes that it's kind of like
You're sticking it to the man.
This hasn't been taxed, it
Hasn't been weighed, it hasn't
Been measured.
People that would drink out of
These jars are trusting that I
Have done right.
Don still has
300 miles to go and a lot of
'shine to deliver.
Meanwhile, Tim and tickle are on
A run to drop off moonshine to a
Third-party buyer.
They suspect they're being
Followed.
He's still behind us.
He done turned everywhere we
Done turned.
If we run into the law right now
And they wanted to search the
Car, we gonna wind up in some
Trouble.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I don't like it.
That's why I think I'll drop
It off at this boat dock.
Yeah, turn right here.
We might have to make a detour.
As long as they don't see us.
Make sure no boaters are around.
I believe we just find a place
Right here behind one of these
Trees and just drop it off,
And I tell the guy to come
Down here.
Pick it up whenever he
Wants to.
I'm gonna see if he goes on
That already.
Maybe we're scared.
Maybe. He don't need to know
Anything what we got going on.
Coming up...
We've got some big concerns
Here with a storm warning.
Mother nature
Strikes back.
They're talking about
60-miles-an-hour wind coming.
We got to pick up everything we
Can and get out of here.
Tim and tickle are
On a run to drop off moonshine
To a third-party buyer, but they
Suspect they're being followed.
Yeah, he went on by.
I think we scared him.
Look how fast he's going.
Yeah, he come on by pretty
Quick.
The main thing is, he's gone.
You ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
All right, let's do this.
Placing a colored
Cloth at an agreed-upon location
Is an old moonshiner's trick to
Indicate that the drop has been
Made.
Let's go.
In the next county
Over, ABC agent Jesse Tate is
Hot on the trail of a kingpin
Distributor.
Right now, we've got
Undercover agents going to a
Guy's house that's moving a lot
Of liquor.
We gonna try to make a
Controlled buy.
We're buying from a mid-level
Distributor, but I would almost
Guarantee that he's armed.
It can be nervewracking.
You sending people right into
The hornet's nest.
50 miles southeast,
Tim gets some bad news.
Let's show you where we stand
Right now.
We've got some big concerns here
With a storm warning extending
Across the coast of
North Carolina, all the way up
Through Virginia.
A major storm is
Rolling in.
Sustained winds are expected
In these areas.
Tim and j.T. Need
To batten down the hatches to
Prevent major damage to the
Still site, but the still weighs
3,000 pounds and there's no way
He's moving it.
I got like $5,000 or $6,000
Right here, so we got to pick up
Everything we can and get out of
Here.
They're talking about
60-miles-an-hour wind coming.
So we got to camouflage and add
Protection from the weather.
Put this over top of all of this
Here.
Go to that side over there.
The camouflage is because the
Leaves will get blowed off the
Trees when the wind comes.
So got the tanks camouflaged and
Sealed up.
All right, baby.
Stay cool. Stay here.
Got the thumper and the worm
Concealed.
Be back to see you soon.
In Franklin county,
Jesse briefs an undercover agent
With instructions on making a
Controlled buy from a major
Moonshine kingpin who's armed
And dangerous.
I want you to buy a case.
All right.
Just go in there and just go
With the flow.
Something goes bad, the word is
Just "Help."
Okay.
If you holler "Help," I'm
Coming.
In the next county
Over, a storm cuts a path
Through the mountains of
Appalachia.
But Tim’s still is safe.
Now that the storm has passed,
The guys head out to the still
Site to plan their next move.
Pretty good head shot, too, huh?
Uh-huh, yeah.
Yeah.
We got a rabbit.
Got something to eat.
Ain't nothing to a rabbit.
Mnh-mnh.
I'll go wash him up a little
Bit.
Pretty good, right there.
I don't think you can get that
In a restaurant nowhere.
Put it in that cooler.
All right.
Always treat a shotgun as if
It was loaded at all times.
And then keep it loaded at all
Times, 'cause it ain't no good
If it ain't loaded.
That's right.
Let's go.
As his undercover
Agent attempts a controlled buy
Of moonshine, Jesse waits nearby
And listens.
Coming up...
We got more orders to fill
Than we can handle right now.
...Tim makes a big
Move...
We gonna have to put another
Pot in.
...While Jesse hits
A roadblock.
They leaving.
We probably couldn't get it all.
In Franklin county,
Virginia, ABC agent Jesse Tate
Has decided to send in an
Undercover agent to make a
Controlled buy from a kingpin
Who's known to be armed and
Dangerous.
They doing a deal now.
He said he carried four cases
To martinsville this morning.
But things don't go
Jesse's way.
Jesse's luck has run out.
They leaving.
We probably couldn't get it all.
They made the buy,
But it's not enough to justify
Storming the nip joint.
We didn't get a complete
Case, but we did make our buy.
This guy's moving a tremendous
Amount of liquor.
He dropped five of them off at
One spot.
And I know that he's delivering
To way more.
What did he say when you come up
About being there?
Really?
So you good now to come back
When you want to?
Why don't we try calling him
Again?
I can get it.
Tell him, "I had some of your
Stuff.
It's good. I want some more."
I need a full case.
What you doing, man?
I'm gonna cook us something
To eat.
Look.
Yeah.
I got a rabbit in my hat.
Looky there.
Oh, yeah.
He's like, "*bleep* I think
You been drinking too much."
No.
You know, I'm down here in
The woods, trying to make a few
Dollars 'cause j.T.'s getting
Ready to, you know, get old
Enough to go to college.
And I need the extra money, but
I don't need to get caught.
My dad got caught moonshining
When I was a little kid.
I can still remember the first
Time that our house was raided.
Police come in, open up cabinets
And doors, going under the
House, looking in cars.
They told my dad to just stay in
The kitchen.
They said, "We found so many
Gallons of untaxed whiskey.
We've arrested you."
And they read his rights.
But I didn't never think that
They would come in and arrest
Him for it, 'cause, I mean,
We've been doing it all my life.
I thought it was just the thing
To do.
Being arrested is
Tim's greatest fear.
Not only did the police arrest
His father, but they also got
His older brother troy.
It caused great hardship in the
Family and a strain Tim feels to
This day.
My father didn't want me to
Do moonshining.
My dad always told me to do
Things right.
We kept moonshining here for
Years, and the goal is, one day,
To do it legally.
That's the goal.
That way, I can make moonshine,
I can keep on the heritage, and
Make money without worrying
About getting arrested.
Well, that'd be real nice.
But, you know, that costs money.
You have to have the money to
Buy the license.
Tim’s at a
Crossroads -- the outlaw life or
Going legit.
If you get caught, you paying
The government money.
If you legal, you paying the
Government money.
The difference in being legal
And illegal is, at least you're
Not in jail.
But we got to keep it running.
We got to make some more money
Right now.
We're going to have to put
Another pot in.
If we get another one in, then
We can be a little bit more
Full-time.
Another still can
Net Tim and tickle tens of
Thousands of dollars, but to get
It up and running this season,
These outlaws are going to have
To take an enormous risk --
Increase production while the
Forest cover falls.
That's getting ready.
There you go.
Drink, eat, work, and get
Paid.
Back out on the
Road with legendary bootlegger
Don wood, there's still a whole
Lot of territory to cover.
On some runs, don will make up
To 20 stops, but for this run,
It's one straight shot.
Gonna head due north.
We'll be in Osborne, Kansas,
Around 3:00, 4:00 this
Afternoon.
A bootlegger never
Knows what he'll be walking into
On a moonshine drop.
Anyone from bikers to lawmen
Might be lingering around the
Next corner.
All kinds of methods have been
Used to transport moonshine.
Back in the early days, 'shiners
Would transport illegal liquor
In their boots, which gave birth
To the term "Bootlegging."
Moonshiners used everything from
Secret pockets in saddlebags to
Concealed compartments in
Wagons.
Some bootleggers were even known
To have fake funerals.
They would fill the coffins with
Illegal booze.
In the prohibition era, cars
Were specifically modified to
Carry hundreds of gallons in
Secret compartments.
Nowadays, moonshine is disguised
As legal liquid placed in
Harmless-looking containers to
Avoid prosecution from the law.
Don arrives to make his first
Delivery of illegal moonshine.
Almost 12 hours to make it
287 miles.
And, of course, every state
Trooper or d.O.T. Agent.
The thought crossed my mind --
Is this the time I'm going to
Jail?
Once don makes the
Drop-off, he'll run and gun the
400-mile trip back home.
Within the first 15 minutes
Of being here, we sold 5 quarts.
They're being passed around
Right now.
Don makes the
Drop-off.
Now it's run and gun back home.
Back in Virginia, moonshiner Tim
Is anxious about his own illegal
Operation and how he can stay
One step ahead of the ABC.
If Tim really does want to go
Legit, there's only one other
Member of the outlaw brotherhood
He can talk to.
I've been making moonshine
Legal since 1987.
I really don't want to expand on
Anything prior to that.
Chuck miller was
One of the biggest moonshiners
Around.
Ours is the best moonshine in
All of Virginia.
He was carrying on
A tradition passed on to him by
His grandfather, also a legend
In his own time.
Some compared him to
Popcorn Sutton.
They raided the house one
Day, and grandpa got in a big
Fight.
It was like 12 against 1.
They beat him up pretty bad.
Grandma had to call the priest
In to give him last rites.
He recovered, went on back to
Business again.
After a few brushes
With the law of his own, chuck
Went legit.
But for Tim, it's a big risk.
If word gets out that he's
Thinking of going legit, he'll
Be shut out and his 'shining
Days will be over for good.
You know, I think about if I
Don't make it.
What if the government says,
"No, we don't want an illegal
Moonshiner becoming a legal
Moonshiner."
Then it's kind of like I can't
Go back now.
You know, I can't go back
Illegal, because everyone knows
I've been putting myself out
There in the light.
I feel like I'm on a train and I
Can't get off of it.
You know, I done got on it and
It doesn't stop.
Tim’s about to get
A heavy dose of reality.
I'm glad you could make it
Today.
Now, I want you to learn the
Right way to do things.
Maybe one day you'll go legal.
You never know, huh?
I hope so.
Come on in, Tim.
I think a legal distiller is
Gonna be a lot different.
First thing, I never worked
Inside of a building.
You got a pretty nice place.
I'm still in a tree.
When you're out in the woods,
It's kind of out of control and
You're always looking around and
Worried about somebody getting
Ready to arrest you or
Something.
I think, from a legal point, you
Can just have fun at it.
All right, Tim, this is a
USDA-approved rake.
I ain't never in my life
Heard of such.
See, when you go legal, Tim,
All these things you got to
Think of.
Okay.
First, you got to get your
Formula approved.
Uh-huh.
Then, your label's got to be
Approved and then you got to
Get the state to accept it.
If you go legal, you got a sand
Filter, water softener, carbon
Filter, pre-filter,
Reverse-osmosis filter, a
Positive- and a negative-ion
Filter, .02-micron filter, and a
U.V. Light.
Yeah.
This is the alcohol, tobacco,
And firearms "Code of federal
Regulations" cfr 27.
You need one of these books.
Then, you got to go read it.
Once you get into all them
Books, now they have to start
Telling you how to keep all of
Your records.
Yeah, they want to know how much
Corn you used, how much mash you
Used.
They're making me keep track of
Everything in and out the tanks,
Every time I bottle it.
That's one thing about
Moonshining.
You don't have to worry about
No regulation.
We don't have no regulation.
We just got our own laws, and we
Do what we want to do.
Now, the government wants me
To send that tax money in here.
Just those two tanks over there,
I got to send a check to the
Government for $13,500.
The state actually gets more
Than that.
This is the part that tells you
How big your bond's got to be.
You got a bond?
What's the bond?
You got to have a bond to
Make alcohol.
You got to have a bond to
Make alcohol?
Yeah. You gonna be a
Distiller and a processor, you
Got to have a bond of $200,000.
$200,000?
Yeah.
Coming up...
Get that going over there.
...Tim hits the
Ground running...
We decided we're gonna add
Another pot.
We just getting deeper in
Trouble.
Are we building a house, or
Are we building a roof over the
Liquor still?
...While tickle
Hits the ground.
Let me jump down in there.
Watch, watch, watch!
*bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
Tim’s just gotten a
Dose of reality.
Going legit ain't cheap.
You got to have a bond of
$200,000.
There's only one
Way he can come up with that
Kind of cash.
He'll have to expand his still
Operation and go full bore into
The fall and winter.
Let's finish this one right
Here.
Me and Steve got up early this
Morning.
We want to build a shelter for
That still site, because the
Leaves are falling, it's getting
Cooler weather.
And when it is cooler, that's
When we want to run more.
We decided we're gonna add
Another pot.
Gonna be strong enough?
And add another pot and
Staying in the same location,
Leaves falling, we're just
Getting deeper in trouble.
Put your foot on and hold.
And we're gonna camouflage it
Pretty good once we get the top
On it.
We'll get some pallets together,
Some rough wood, and we got to
Get it done.
I don't care if it rains or not.
So, you get on this corner right
Here.
Tickle, get that side.
Yeah, all right. Watch out.
If there were not moonshiners
And bootleggers, this country
Probably would not have made it,
Right off the start.
That's one.
Get that going over there.
I tell you what --
Moonshining ain't easy, but it
Sure is fun.
What you got there?
You got the cooler?
Yeah.
Yeah, we gonna need this.
We'll take it, but I think we
About eyeballed everything.
You gonna try the plumbing and
Squaring?
You spend all day down there
Trying to get the thing right.
Let's see if we can get that
Here without all this falling
Off the truck.
Tim’s venturing
Into uncharted territory.
Moonshiners always close up shop
When the leaves fall, so Tim’s
Camouflage will be the first and
Only line of defense against the
Law.
I want to get the tin laid
Over here on the ground.
And I want to get the 2x6s from
Under there, 'cause that's the
Frame for the top, for the roof.
I'm gonna lay it on the ground
And kind of mark it off how it's
Gonna fall.
That way, we'll know what trees
To cut.
First, Tim needs to
Remove the foliage to make room
For the structure.
I love the sound of a
Chain saw.
I'm just glad the plane's
Gone.
Yeah.
We put the thing right where
The plane's traveling.
See what I'm saying? The plane?
There's one up there
Right now.
The site only has
Enough foliage to cover one
Still, and planes are already
Appearing through the bare
Branches.
Yes, sir, that's a lot of
Work.
I know, I had to pick a spot
With the most roots in it,
Didn't I?
Yeah.
I know it.
I'm always trouble like that.
Carpenters and moonshiners is
Both dying breeds.
It's a lot more work than it
Look like it, ain't it?
Can move this in where you
Want to.
Why don't you put it halfway?
I got a plan.
Don't sound good to me.
It is. I promise you.
I got a good plan.
Oh, god, this is getting bad.
Maybe by 4:00 in the morning,
We'll get this thing built.
Getting confused already.
He has an idea, and I have an
Idea, so it's already getting
Confused.
What are you doing now?
Tim needs to
Work...
And tickle, well...
That post is crooked as hell.
Supposed to be inside to
Inside.
Uh, tickle.
This post need to go here.
Everything is 9 foot.
9 foot, 9 foot, 9 foot.
No, these, 10 feet.
What'd you do on the other side?
Look on the other side?
I put the posts in a
Different spot.
No, we can't do this.
You said, "We in the damn
Woods.
Get it up."
That's what we're gonna do.
Well, that's what I was
Doing.
Now, where's tickle?
Coming up, a chance
Run-in puts Tim’s head on the
Chopping block.
...And one misstep could end
Tim's next run.
Let me jump down in there.
Watch, watch, watch!
*bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
In addition to
Tracking moonshiners in the
Woods, Jesse and the ABC’s other
Responsibilities include working
With licensed alcohol businesses
To make sure they're selling
Liquor legally and are paying
Their taxes.
Ready to put you guys in
Business today.
In the course of
Conducting this routine
Business...
Thanks a lot.
Give me a holler if you need
Something.
...Jesse
Unexpectedly bumps into a former
Moonshiner.
You had four 800-gallon pots?
There's a code of
Honor among moonshiners --
Don't ever talk to the law...
...As any and all information
Will be used in the hunt against
Other moonshiners.
Yeah?
Call you Detroit?
This is a dangerous
Moment for Tim.
Anything his brother says puts
Tim's entire operation at risk.
You let somebody else do the
Selling, huh?
Well, listen, be careful.
Take care of yourself.
Troy upholds the
Code that bonds all moonshiners.
Doesn't reveal a thing.
Yeah, yeah.
One county over,
Moonshiner Tim and his partner
Tickle are working hard to
Expand their still site.
Dude!
Tim found out that
He has to raise a substantial
Percentage of a $200,000 bond if
He wants to go legal.
He's decided to double his
Output and work into the fall
And winter to get a jump on
Raising the money.
Tim has his work cut out for
Him.
Now, don't let it slide off,
Now.
Gonna kill me if it slide off.
No, we ain't letting it
Slide off.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Leave it right there for now.
All right, be careful, it's
Gonna try to kick back on us.
You see what I'm saying?
All right, come on.
Watch. Watch.
I got it.
Watch yourself.
All right, push it over there.
All right, you got it.
Beautiful.
Hold it.
Slide it over on the piece of
Wood I'm standing on.
Be careful.
Have to go on the ground and
Do that.
It's crooked as hell.
Don't you fall.
Oh, if I fall, I'll just
Break something.
Yeah.
I've broke all kinds of stuff
Before.
All right.
I've been run over three
Times by a damn truck.
I ain't worried about falling
No 7 foot.
It broke my head and all kinds
Of...
It involved a bunch of
Moonshine, actually, if you
Really want to know.
Things like that happen,
Especially when you're people
Like me.
All right, I'm gonna pull the
Truck up.
All right, well, hang on.
Let me jump down in it.
You got your drill?
Yeah. I can give it to j.T.
Let me jump down in there.
Watch, watch, watch!
Next time on
"Moonshiners"...
With tickle on the sidelines...
I'm bandaged up pretty good.
Hold on!
...Tim must bring
In new help to expand his
Operation.
Oh, damn!
What are you doing?!
There it is.
Drop your camera.
...While Jesse
Closes in on a major moonshiner.
Something's going on.