Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 3, Episode 5 - Hush Money - full transcript

Tonight on "Moonshiners"...

This territory right here,
It's mine.

Two years and we still don't
Have any *bleep* moonshine.

...Two groups
Of shiners go head-to-head...

I see somebody coming
Right now.

...The law starts closing in...

Oh, no.

...And a legend nears the brink.

Now you're
Stressing me out.

I'm not sure
This is gonna work out at all.

This is how
We make the moonshine!



Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

Moonshine season
Is in full swing.

Lot of alcohol
Coming out of there.

From secret sites
Across appalachia,

Shiners are pumping out liquor
By the gallon

And making thousands of dollars,
All of it tax-free.

In north carolina,

Jeff and mark
Are just hours away

From sparking up
The largest still in the region.

Their streamlined operation
Is capable of producing

150 gallons of liquor every day.

Getting caught now

Would put them in prison
For close to a decade.

What gives you the right
To be on my property?



We didn't know it was your
Property when we set up here.

Well, you know now.

What are we gonna do
About this?

Won't be nobody
Go to jail.

Yeah, we, uh --
We got a little surprise today.

The landowner
Actually slipped in on us.

We was busy.

But we worked us out a deal,
Cut him in on what we're doing.

And, you know,
If he keeps his mouth shut,

Everything will be fine.

If they were legally distilling,

The amount in taxes

Jeff and mark would have paid
To the government

Pales in comparison
To the unofficial tax

They must now pay
To the landowner.

You know,
He wants $2,000 up front,

800 bucks a week.

That means we're gonna
Have to run an extra run a week

Just to pay him.

It's a lot of liquor
To run to give him,

But if we don't give it to him,
He'll turn us in, I'd say.

Yep.

Jeff and mark
Aren't the only ones

In danger of getting turned in.

Down south
On the edge of the bayou,

A mississippi moonshiner's
Been exposed.

This'll be the last one here,

And then we're gonna move
This still.

I can't keep running it out here
'cause it in the wide open.

For years, darlene operated

Under the radar of both the law
And the other shiners

By hiding in plain sight.

I train horses for a living,

So I decided to hide it
In stalls.

Nobody's the wiser.

But a rival moonshiner knows

When something looks suspicious.

I didn't know
You made moonshine.

I didn't say I did.

Mike and darlene
May be friendly,

But two shiners operating
This close together

Is a recipe for disaster.

You just
Better be careful.

One of them
May not last the season.

Mike saw my still at the barn,
So that kind of blows my cover.

So now I'm gonna have to
Move my still.

It was in a perfect spot.
Been in here for so long.

Nobody's seen it.

But the way mike acted,

I bet he's doing something
On his own hisself.

I think we are full.

Got that all ready.

And just light it up
And let it cook.

Put the gas on.

There we go.

Made of 3/8-inch-thick
Stainless steel

With an integrated thumper,

Darlene's custom-designed still

Puts out shine
That packs a wallop.

180.

Oh.

I got a feeling
That's gonna be some strong.

All right.
Let's see what we got.

That's really good.

This is 140 proof.

Darlene's known around the bayou

For making high-quality shine
With a twist.

I want something
That tastes good,

Not so much that alcohol
That you can taste in there.

Whoo, I don't know
If I can tell my secret recipe.

Everybody wants the apple pie,
So I'm trying to make some.

I've got enough
For about two more batches,

And one batch
Will make eight jars.

We want to pull the women in.

Not a lot of women drink
Moonshine 'cause it's so strong.

I got like
Six different flavors.

This is a cherry bomb.

They like those, too.

Those cherries
Will soak up that alcohol.

There's a lot of risk
In moonshining,

But that's the chance
You have to take.

The money may be too good
For darlene to back out,

But the risk of jail time
Is a high price to pay.

And right now, lawmen are
Fanning out across the country,

Looking to strike.

It's a crime with roots dating
Back to the days of prohibition.

Authorities discovered
A whiskey still

Capable of cooking

Up to 200 gallons of corn mash
At a time.

We're talking about
Serious felony charges.

A whiskey still explosion

Left behind smoke damage,
Cracks,

And a broken garage door.

Obviously, it's highly explosive
And it's really dangerous.

Over in tennessee,

Tickle may be on the road
Back to virginia,

But he's bringing a piece of
The smoky mountains with him --

10 gallons of shine

And a brand-new
Copper pot still.

I came to tennessee
Seeking out knowledge.

I think it could considerably
Step up my production

In making liquor.

Tickle's cargo will
Give him the foothold he needs

To start producing shine
Full time.

But this late in the season,

He can't afford
Any more setbacks.

Ohh.

Damn.

Oh, no.

What's going on,
Brother?

Not a whole lot,
Just passing through.

You know why
I pulled you over?

Why's that, sir?

You didn't give your
Signal light back there
When you turned off.

I'm kind of new
To the area.

Turn run up on me a little
Quicker than I expected.

You got a driver's license
On you and I.D.?

Yes, sir, I do.

You got anything illegal
In the vehicle?

No. I got no need
To have anything illegal.

I believe I know who you are,
And I know what you do.

You need to keep
Your nose clean

While you're in *bleep* county,
You hear?

I'm not here
To start any trouble.

Traveling through,

My best advice to you is
Just keep on trekking.

Yes, sir.All right?

All right.
I appreciate it.

You have a better day.

Thank you.

Oh *bleep*

Tell you what.

The last thing I need is
To get pulled over now

For forgetting
To put my seat belt on

And give him a reason
To pull me right back over.

He might not be so nice
The next time.

Tickle's not the only shiner

At risk of getting caught
By the law.

In graham county,
North carolina,

One lawman
Has made it his mission

To wipe out moonshining
In the area.

Deputy chuck
Has been on the hunt

Since he found
A shot-up still...

...Damning evidence

That shiners are fighting
For control of his territory.

Somebody's pulled over here.

Sometimes you can get
A good footprint or something.

Less than a mile away,

Rookie shiner wayne has no idea
That he's drawn attention.

So far, his season has been
A series of bad decisions.

But he's finally getting around
To security.

I want to set up our early
Warning detection system.

The old-timers
Would take a string,

Tie it up low to the ground,

Maybe tie some bells or cans
Or something to it.

And they would hear them

And know that
Somebody was coming.

This is what deer hunters use
To alert them

That there's game
Coming down the trail.

'cause I don't want to
Get caught with my pants down.

We're gonna turn it on and walk
And let's see if it works.

If I hear this go off...

...I'll know to skedaddle,

Go hide,
And look and see who it is.

These upgrades
Might be too little too late

Because wayne's mistakes may be
About to catch up with him.

I made me a platform
Here to stand on.

This makes it a lot easier.

Moonshining's
Really a dying art.

A lot of it's been made
In this area,

And I just want to
Keep that tradition alive

And make a little money
Doing it.

*bleep*

Coming up...

A new shiner fires up...

Now, that's a fire.

...Tickle's got trouble...

Man!
I'm gonna need a tow.

...And tim hits
His breaking point.

It's like he's tracking me down.

Now you're
Stressing me out.

Across appalachia,

Lawmen are closing in
On moonshiners.

And rookie shiner wayne
Could be the next to go down.

Damn.

Jim tom, you old fool.
What are you doing?

Wayne may have
Lucked out this time,

But deputy chuck's hunt
Is far from over.

You know, you get
A lot different information,

And some of it be good,
Some of it's not good.

It's a lot of work.

I didn't know
What the hell was going on.

That old fool jim tom,
What's he doing up here?

He's not supposed to be
Sneaking around.

Hell, back in the day,
He'd have got shot.

Taste it
And see what you think.

It's good, but it ain't --
It ain't good as mine.

With jim ton on board,

Wayne's shine could pose a
Serious threat to mark and jeff.

But mark and jeff can't focus
On other shiners just yet.

They've been exposed,
And it cost them.

They don't plan on getting
Caught a second time.

It's one of my jobs
To camouflage everything up.

We protect our still
By putting ourself a gate here.

Fishing wire,
Tin cans, camouflage,

And even claymore mines
Have been used

To enhance security
At still sites

Since the first days of shining.

And for traditionalists
Like jeff and mark,

The tried and true methods --

Using mother nature's
Resources --

Are still the best.

Up in kentucky,

Moonshiner tim smith
Is looking for trusted help

As he prepares to take on
The heavy hitters

In the liquor industry.

Hey, tim.

Hey, steve.

This is chico.
Now he works for us.

Can you give us a minute?

Yeah, no problem.

I don't know
Anything about him.

I don't usually hire people
I don't know anything about.

He is a felon.

For chico,
The job at the distillery

Is a chance
To turn his life around

And learn tim's secrets
To making moonshine.

I was born
In spring view hospital

Down here in lebanon.

7 days old, my house burnt,
Mom and dad was struggling.

I growed up right here.
I've never left.

Except for my turn
At the penitentiary,

But I was still
In the state of kentucky then.

I've got my fiancée.

I've got a 4-year-old daughter
And a 2-year-old son.

That's my world.
That's my home, you know?

Without that,
I'm nothing, you know?

You know, I've got felonies
On my record and what have you.

I can't go down here somewhere
And get a job

And put on my little tie
Every morning and work.

And it's just
A never-ending struggle for me.

I'm just trying
To keep my head above water.

I've always been a fan
Of good, clear moonshine.

I love it.

Working with tim smith
Is a privilege and an honor.

In south carolina,

Josh and bill have yet to
Produce a single drop of shine.

With every minute that passes,

They're getting closer to having
Another disastrous season.

Time's really, really short.

Our mash is ready.
Our still's still not built.

We got to get this thing
Together.

I think it needs a big old tall,
Crazy-looking cap on it.

Man, I don't want it looking
Too crazy.

If we got 10
At the bottom,

And at 20 inches up,
How wide we gonna be?

That's a substantial cap.

It needs to be
A little wider than that.

Well, it needs to come out.
It needs to match a little bit.

I think visually it's gonna be
A little bit more massive.

But we'll do it.
We'll do it.

I'm tired of arguing.

That looks pretty good.

That's it.

Heck yeah, man.
That's what I'm talking about.

To me, it just looks
Too massive and too tall,

Almost cartoonish.

I just think it's
A little out of proportion.

You gonna wait
Till after we get it built

To give me a hard time
About how tall it is?

I think, honestly, bill has to
Call me out on anything I do

Whether it's good or bad.

I'm usually a lot more
Of function over form.

I think it looks killer.

It just -- the cap just looks
A little massive.

Not when you get an arm
On there, man.

It's perfect.

Still looks
A little big to me.

We're gonna roll with it.
I mean, I'm gonna roll with it.

I just thought
It looked a little big.

Looks
A little massive.

I mean, as long as we get
Some good liquor out of it,

I don't care
What it looks like.

Back up in virginia,

Tickle has thirsty customers.

And thanks to his trip
To tennessee,

He finally has something
To sell them.

I need to get some money
Back into my pocket.

I like to make moonshine

Because it's a sense of heritage
Around where I'm from

That I don't want
To see that die out.

This territory right here,
It's mine.

With tim gone, there's
Gonna be a big land grab.

If my shine's not out there,

They're gonna buy it
From whoever else is selling.

I got the camper
Back up and running.

Next thing to do is

Get a bunch of shine
Over in this water tank.

That's what I use
To haul my liquor on.

How's it going?

Pretty good.
How about you?

Thank you.
All right.

Take me a little bit of time
To fill this thing up.

But you know, it's a lot
Of shine going down the road

And nobody taking
A second look at me.

But these few gallons
Won't even put a dent in demand.

By now, tim would have moved
Hundreds of gallons

To buyers across the county.

I'm heading out
To the senior center today.

I tell you what.

Them seniors,
They sure do love their shine.

Coming up...

Josh has a stroke of genius...

What if we run the worm
Down the creek bank

Where we can just catch
The liquor?

That's an awesome idea.

...And tickle is down and out.

Man!

In north carolina,

Rookie shiner wayne
Has made a smart call --

Joining forces with a legend.

Get all that.

In mississippi,

Moonshiner darlene
Is dealing with the fallout

Of her recent exposure.

I didn't know
You made moonshine.

Her still site is compromised,
And she won't be safe

Until she can find
A new place to hide.

I've been a little lucky
For too long,

So I think I need to put it
Somewhere else.

Darlene's son chris,
Concerned about his mother,

Has come by
To help relocate her operation.

Hi, mom.
So, still ain't hid too good.

Somebody's
Gonna end up noticing it.

All the people you have
Come over here

Looking at horses
And everything.

You need to hide it
Somewhere.

Yeah.

It is against
The law up here, and I
Live in a dry county.

And I sure don't want
To go to jail.

We need to move it somewhere.

That'd be a good idea.

Nobody'd ever think
To look behind the house

In the dang swimming pool.

Well, you got to have it
By friday.

I'm having a pool party.

We're gonna put the still
In the pool.

And we're gonna try
To cover this with a deck

So we're right here
At the house.

We have water.
We have electricity.

Around.

Yeah, they did.

It was
A bad storm, man.

I'm glad I have chris with me

Because I couldn't do it
By myself.

All right.
Go get your thingamajig.

By moving the still

Into the swimming pool
Behind her house,

Darlene will once again
Hide in plain sight.

Come in
And turn around.

Put your blade down.

He's so hard-headed.

We have to hurry up
And light it on fire
Before it rains.

See if I can't
Blow something up.

Using my lawn mower gas.

There.

Look at that black smoke.

Now, that's a fire.

Back in south carolina,

Josh and bill have finished
Their still pot.

All that's left
Is to build a condenser.

Well,
The tarp's still there.

Yeah,
The tarp's still there.

That's a good sign
That the dam's still there.

It's still in place.

Well, let's figure out
Where we're gonna set our worm.

Do you want to hear
My thoughts on it?

Yes, sir.
I'd love to.

What if we build
The still up here

And we run the worm
Into the creek

And down the creek bank where
We can just catch the liquor?

Don't build a worm box.
Run the worm in the creek.

It's got enough fall on it
Between here and there.

I think
It should be all right.

Can you think
Of any negatives?

I think
It's an awesome idea.

I mean,
Instead of building a drum,

Go ahead
And using the creek.

Using what's already here,
Already what god gave us.

Josh's plan is revolutionary.

Set the still upstream
From the dam.

Then a straight run
Of copper pipe in the creek

And out the front of the dam

Will serve as the worm,

Eliminating the need
For a condenser barrel.

Putting the worm in the creek
Is a little bit unorthodox.

Now, I can't say for sure

If we're the first people
In the world

To ever think about this.

I'm sure that we're not,

But I wasn't even thinking
Anywhere close to that.

Right here
Could be our work area

Because
It would be high enough

That we could still get a jar
Underneath the worm.

What are your thoughts
On that?

Is that too far away?

No. No.
That's perfect.

The end of our worm
Is gonna end up

Down in that little holler
Right there.

Shoot it through the dam
Somewhere.

We were trying to find
The bad parts of my idea,

And we couldn't
Really think of any.

Run our copper
Straight down the creek.

That's an awesome idea.

Let's go get this done.

400 miles to the northeast,

Tickle's all alone,

Trying to sell
The last of his tennessee shine.

Every moment that passes

Puts tim's territory
Further out of reach.

There's gonna be people

Trying to move their shine
In around my territory,

And I can't have that.

This territory right here,
It's mine, you know?

I've got to be the one
Getting my shine out there.

What the *bleep* man.

I just got
This thing right, man.

Man! I'm gonna need a tow.

I got an rv out here
On the side of the road.

The rv full of shine

Was one of tickle's
Greatest ideas.

But now that
He's dead in the water,

It could lead
To serious jail time.

You're right about that.
It is always something.

Coming up...

Trail by fire...

Whoo!

...And josh's pipe dream
Becomes a nightmare.

What's our total length?Oh *bleep*

Damn you.

In south carolina,

Josh and bill
Have precious little time

Before their mash
Turns to vinegar.

They're going to save time

By laying pipe directly
In the stream bed.

All we got to do now
Is be able to cool our worm.

This might just work.

But the plan is
More complicated than it looks.

What's our total length?Oh *bleep*

That ain't gonna solder
Worth a *bleep*

I got it.

Damn you.

Alcohol vapor
Must be evenly cooled

In order to produce
Quality shine.

*bleep* damn you,
Son of a bitch.

But the rocky creek bed
And varying water level

Won't consistently provide
Cooling.

This is
Aggravating as hell.

I'm having second thoughts
About it.

There's just not really
Enough water in this creek

To make this really efficient

Without it being
A pain in the ass.

We throw
A log across of it

And just get a piece
Of baling wire,

Then we could get
A consistent run

All the way out
The downside of our dam.

It's gonna be
Like this, man.

We're gonna have a puking,
Bouncing *bleep*

I wish I had not
Have mentioned this idea.

This is one idea that
You've took and run with.

This is a great idea.

Bill's trying to convince me
To stick with my own idea.

I think it'll work perfect
Like this, man. I really do.

Very ironic.

In north carolina,

Jim tom is schooling wayne
In the ways of a master shiner.

You think it's right?

How's it
Supposed to taste?

Good to run, though.

All right, so I'm gonna
Start pouring some of this.

What kind of proof do you think
We're gonna get out of this?

That'll work.Yeah.

Okay.

Looky there.

Hey, pull that now.
Let me set this one under.

I want to
Show you something.

Okay.

Okay.

Oh, I think I...

Using the term "Proof"
To indicate alcohol content

Had its beginnings
As far back as the 18th century

When british sailors
Developed a test

To determine whether their daily
Ration of rum was watered down.

They soaked a small amount
Of gunpowder with the rum.

If the liquor-drenched powder
Would still ignite,

Then it was proof that the booze
Was at least 40% alcohol.

They'd take black powder...Uh-huh.

...And then they'd pour
Some of their alcohol

They were wanting to proof
On top of it.

Then they'd light that.

If it sparks,
Then it's high proof.

Wowzer.

Whoo-whee!

damn.

That's some proof.

Ahh.

All right.

Just a few miles away,

Jeff and mark have yet
To produce anything,

And the pressure is on.

Their new landlord
Is siphoning off profits.

And little do they know

Their competition
Is already up and running.

After an hour of coaxing,
Jeff finally has a fire.

Once they add the mash,
The marathon begins --

Keep the fire going
For the next 15 hours

Or lose the entire batch.

Limestone branch.

With steve back in the office
Pushing paper,

Tim is free to do
What he does best.

Chico, you ready
To make some moonshine?

I'm ready to make moonshine
Period.

I kind of want to start him off

With the basic knowledge
Of how to make it work.

Right over
Next to the door

There's two bags of sugar
Over there.

Okay.

Get us
A couple pounds of sugar.

I had no clue he was even gonna
Try to teach me how to do this.

I mean, I thought

I was gonna be packing bags
And sweeping floors.

This a little closer to what
You do out the woods, ain't it?

I'm just trying to get you
Back to the basics

So you know the basics
Of what we're doing here.

All right, we need to put
Some grain in it now.

So, we get a little bit
In that one

And a little bit more
In that one.

Oh, wow.

I mean,
It's hillbilly science, man.

We're gonna put some yeast
In that mash we started.

The yeast
Starts the whole process.

It gets the sugar going
Out of there,

Then converts it
Back to alcohol.

Got to let it
Do its thing.

We're just kind of helping it
Right now.

He's wanting to pass
This knowledge on to me,

And I will just learn
As much as I can learn.

It's amazing.

All right,
Looks pretty.

Back in virginia,

Tickle's got thirsty customers,
An rv filled with shine,

And no way to bring it to them.

But he's got a plan.

I'm going down here
To levi's junkyard.

Hopefully he'll just let me get
Some stuff out of the camper,

Everything will be all right.

Hey, levi!

Levi!

You down here, man?

You could spend days
Looking for him in this place.

Hey, levi.

Hey, hey.
Where you been, boy?

Man, I been running all over
The junkyard looking for you.

Yeah, you found me.

I did. I found you.
What you know good about?

About the same.
What about you?

Oh, man.
I can't call it.

Camper's sitting
Over here ready.

All we need is
Some green stamps.

I got just about
All the money for it.

But I had a couple things
In there

I kind of needed to get out
Of it if you didn't mind.

I'd just rather have
All the money

Before you get anything.

You just bring
That money on,

You can get the camper
And anything in there out of it.

You know, it was just
A few small things.

I'm gonna start charging storage
If you don't come on.

No, I'll tell you want.

Give me a week,
I'll be back with the money.

All right, come on back.

I'll do it.

I'll see you in a week.All right.

All right.

He's wanting
All his money up front

Before I get the camper
Or anything out of it,

And I ain't got the money
To pay the man

Unless I can get this shine
And sell it.

I don't know
What I'm gonna do right now.

I'm gonna have to think of
Something and think of it quick.

That's all I know.

Coming up,
Tempers flare...

Now you're
Stressing me out.

I'm not sure if this is
Gonna work out at all.

...And it's brew
Or bust for jeff and mark.

In kentucky,

Tim and steve are avoiding
Conflict by avoiding each other,

And it's leading to problems.

What's going on?
What are you doing there?

Oh, just yeasting this.

Yeasting what? This?Yeah.

I come in,

Steve's out there
Trying to put more yeast

In the mash
That I already put yeast in.

Got to let it
Do its thing.

We're just kind of helping it
Right now.

I just put yeast in it.

I put yeast in it
Like an hour ago.

Where's it say that?

Tim doesn't even know
The paper exists,

So that's extra work for me

Because then I have to go back
And double-check everything.

If you don't write it down,

How's anybody supposed to know
What you're doing?

Well, I mean --I'm not a mind-reader.

I'm used to not everybody
Knowing what I'm doing.

Got to write it down.

Maybe if you was here,
You could have wrote it down.

But you weren't here.
See, that's why --

Well, maybe then you need
To wait till I'm here

Before you do it.

Oh, I wouldn't never get nothing
Done, I got to wait on you.

I'm used to just getting things
Done in the woods.

We're not out in the woods.

I wouldn't want nobody
To look at what I wrote down,

What I put in it.

You need to start
Writing things down.

Now you're stressing me out,
Writing stuff down.

You're dealing with
The government now,

And they want it
All written down.

It's like he's tracking me down.

You know, it's like he's working
For the government here.

I thought we was paying
The government off.

He doesn't realize

That government can come in
At any time and inspect records,

And they expect
Complete, accurate records

Or you can get
Into serious trouble.

You got to keep things
Recorded.

I'm getting ready
To go to the bathroom.

You got a piece of paper, say,
"Tim went to the bathroom."

It is frustrating.

And I got steve
Tracking everything I do.

If I had all that time
To write it down,

I wouldn't have no time to make
The mash and make the moonshine.

So, to me, it's about
Getting a job done.

And right now,

I'm not sure if this is gonna
Work out at all.

North carolina.

Fighting wet wood
And exhausting hours,

Jeff and mark need to get
Their 500-gallon mega-still

Up and running.

If they can't push through,

They'll never make ground
On jim tom and wayne....

Ahh.

...Or pay off their debt
To the landowner.

Burning pretty good.
It ain't smoking hardly as bad.

About ready to run, jeff.

Maybe it's got that dried up to
Where it'll go to burning good.

What do you think?

Taste it.

Stand back.
Go ahead.

In virginia,
Tickle's shine is locked away,

And the only way
He can get it back

Is by breaking
A new set of laws.

Technically, it's trespassing,

But what I'm coming here to get
Is mine.

I got to get some of this shine.

That's the only way
I can pay levi off

And get my camper
And the rest of the shine.

I want to pay the man.
He done the work.

This is just the only way
I can do it.

Got a dog barking over there.

Next time on "Moonshiners"...

All this money's
Hard to give up at one time.

...Payback time
For jeff and mark...

Put the money right there.

I'm gonna stay here
To make sure he picks it up.

...Josh and bill's bad batch...

I ain't never seen liquor
That color before.

...Do or die for tickle...

We're good to go.
Good to go.