Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 4, Episode 1 - Shine On - full transcript

Tim is on the run after his operation was set on fire. Jim Tom prepares for his second coming as a moonshiner. Tickle and Tyler take their partnership to a new level. Josh and Bill sell ...

[ synthesizer plays ]

[ imitates
helicopter whirring ]

[ slow-tempo music plays ]

¶ and today I... ¶

[ synthesizer plays ]

Narrator:
Tonight on the season premiere
of "moonshiners"...

[ groans ]

A moonshine icon
is forced into hiding.

Tim:
Someone tried to start a fire.

I don't know whether
he was trying to kill me

Or interrupt my life.



Narrator: A kentucky cavern
becomes a fortress of shine.

Chico: Holy [bleep]

A legend returns
to his roots.

Uh-huh.

A young blood steps up.

It's the biggest payday
in moonshine history...

And everyone wants
a piece of the action.

Josh:
Got 800 bucks, man?

If you're a moonshiner,
you got to be paranoid.

Bill: I can't wait to get back
in the woods.

[ laughs ]

I won't hit it low this time.

That's what I'm talking about.

Whoo-hoo!
Yep, it's ready.



We got to be
a little more careful.

Every mountain you see --
I've been on it.

There's the way to do it.

Jim tom:
It's a dying art, anyway.

Tickle: Fire it up.

Put some heat on it.

Ah, yeah.

If you really love your country,

You're gonna have to love
moonshine.

Time to make the shine.

[ laughs ]

Tyler:
Moonshining's not a crime.

It's a tradition.

[ siren wailing ]

Let's get out of here.
Go, go!

Aah!

Golly, that's good.

I can smell it.

We'll get you tore up
from the floor, up.

Man: This is how
we make the moonshine!

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Narrator:
The icy late-winter rains

Have loosened their grip
on appalachia.

Creeks are high,
and grain silos are at capacity.

But as the warm weather returns,

So do outlaws.

[ dog barks ]

The wait is over.
It's time to make the shine.

[ radio chatter ]

But one legendary shiner
won't be returning to the woods.

For moonshiner tim smith,
success has come with a price.

Right now we just got a call

That someone tried to burn down
the distillery.

Fire chief just got here.
He's looking at everything.

It was an intentional
act of arson.

We got some broken glass
in the back.

We got arson investigators
coming in.

They say somebody
tried to break in the place.

Now they're trying to look
at the whole thing

To see if any other damage
was done to the building.

I don't know.

They won't let me go back there

Because, you know,
it's a crime scene.

[ radio beeping ]

Narrator: Last year,
tim shocked the world

When he turned his back
on 35 years of illegal shining

And went legit...

Welcome to the distillery.

...Partnering with the limestone
branch distillery in kentucky.

Your reputation
has preceded you.

Tim:
Hopefully, we can get it

In every state
in the United States.

Narrator:
Tim thought he'd left

The dangers
of the outlaw life behind,

But moonshiners
don't take kindly

To their brethren
breaking rank.

The whole point of going
from illegal to legal

Was I don't have to look back

And I don't have to worry
about anything.

Maybe they didn't want me
to make my moonshine

At limestone branch.

Maybe they don't want me
to make it in kentucky.

And then I got somebody --

I don't know whether
he was trying to kill me

Or interrupt my life.

Now I'm really concerned about
my family, my son and wife.

I really don't know
what I'd do

If something happened
to my family, you know.

Especially if it looked like

That I brought it
onto my family.

If it's personal,

They may show up
in climax, virginia,

And try to burn my house down.

You know, you got to be afraid
all the time.

Narrator:
Over the last two decades,

The public thirst for moonshine
has been on a steady rise.

Illegal-still busts have risen
600% in the last five years,

And the state of virginia alone
loses an estimated $12 million

In tax revenue
to illegal moonshine every year.

[ engine turns over ]

With that much money
on the line,

The law is always close behind.

Well, a moonshine operation
is closed for business.

Now their suspect
is behind bars.

Alcoholic beverage
control agents

Have seized what's described
as a sizeable illegal operation.

If we catch you, we've got
no choice but to charge you.

Narrator:
But in the rugged mountains
of north carolina,

One lawman hasn't had
a major bust in two years --

Sheriff's deputy chuck stewart.

Local shiners
have repeatedly dodged

Chuck's efforts
to bring them to justice.

Now things are personal.

But chuck
may have caught a break.

Last season,
he discovered several drop boxes

That moonshiners were using
to distribute their shine.

He spent the winter
setting up trail cameras.

Should get a good shot of them
coming out of the vehicle.

Narrator:
Chuck's collecting his cameras.

He'll soon see if he's caught
any shiners red-handed.

Sugar and corn
are the building blocks of mash.

Yeast is then added to convert
the sugar into alcohol.

Across appalachia,

Stills are prepped
and ready to fire up.

But one team of moonshiners
are already ahead of the game.

Josh, bill,

And the muscle of
their operation -- cutie pie.

I don't want to jinx it, man,
but we're about to hit a stride.

Yeah, knock on wood.

Towards the end of last season,

We got slinging
around 75-gallon buckets.

We ended up losing track of two

That a buyer
was supposed to come pick up

That we just got leftover.

So we're gonna be starting
the season out a lot better

Than we started
any season before.

Narrator: Last season,
josh and bill's shine production

Was rocked
by personal disputes...

So, you gonna throw me
under the bus?

I'd rather not have my name
attached to something

That's got fruit on it.
Whatever, man.

...And a disastrous shine run.

Bill: Ain't no way in hell
we gonna be able to sell

Blue liquor
that's supposed to be clear.

By the end of the season,
they finally got it right.

It's about time
we got some clear running.

It's clear as the sky.

Now, armed with experience

And $800
worth of tax-free liquor

Leftover from last year,

They're on their way
to becoming moonshine kingpins.

We've seen some trials
and tribulations, brother.

Maybe the good lord will keep us
straight this year.

They've already got
a customer lined up,

But it's someone
they've never sold to before.

I'm a little nervous
about it.

Traditionally, shiners never
sold directly to consumers.

They stayed in the woods
and brewed.

When they had enough shine
to ship,

They contacted a middleman

And told him
where the hidden drop point was.

The middle men would then
disclose the location

To a trusted bootlegger

Who would pick up the shine
and leave payment

At the drop point.

This series
of anonymous transfers

Kept everyone safe.

If one man in the chain
was apprehended,

He had no way of ratting out
the other parties to the police.

So, where'd you meet
this dude?

I know the contact he come from,
but I don't know him directly.

That's breaking the moonshiners'
code right there.

I know we agreed we weren't
gonna do that anymore, but...

I'm nervous as hell about
meeting somebody I don't know.

We're also trying
to get rid of this liquor

As quick as we can
and get our money made back.

Well, as long as he ain't
the law and his money's green,

I'm good to go.

You gonna make
the exchange?

Yeah.

Right on.

I'll stay in the car
and have the gas pedal ready

In case we got to peel out.

There he is right there.

[ sighs ] [bleep]

Here we go.

Hey, buddy.

Man: What's up?

How you doing, man?

Yeah, man.

You got 800 bucks, man?

You under arrest!
[bleep]

Coming up...

Tickle and the kentucky boys

Head into the heart
of darkness...

We need to get down here in
this spot that I got lined up.

I don't know. It's kind of
making me wonder now.

Narrator: ...A rookie
is pushing his limits...

...Jim tom's back in business...

...And tim's got chico
in his cross hairs.

I don't know what
the law enforcement is doing.

I kind of heard
they talked to you.

Narrator:
On a secluded back road...

Bill: I'll stay in the car
and have the gas pedal ready

In case we got to peel out.

...Josh and bill are making

Their first moonshine sale
of the season.

But they've thrown the dice
on an unvetted buyer.

How you doing, man?

In south carolina,
even a first offense

Transporting and selling shine
can lead to serious jail time.

Josh:
Got 800 bucks, man?

You under arrest!

[bleep]

Bill: [ laughing ]

Josh: Ahh!

What's up, brother?

How's it going?

Going great.

Come on, josh.

Bill: I'm usually not much
on practical jokes,

But I kind of couldn't resist.

[ laughs ]

You think
that's [bleep] funny?

We went down
to make this liquor sale

To a pretty good friend of mine,

And I had to pretend
he was a lawman

Trying to grab ahold of josh.

Man, I about broke
my damn leg.

He bruised up
his shin pretty bad.

Look at that [bleep]
now he's mad at me.

I'm sorry
to do that to you.

That's [bleep] up.

Man, you took off
like a damn rabbit.

I can't believe
you all did me like that.

Thank you, sir.
Hey, good to see you, man.

Look at that bruise on my leg
right there already.

Good to see you, brother.
[bleep]

Well, let me tell you,
bill really got me good.

I guess it is kind of funny.

You're a [bleep]

Narrator: This $800 sale
is the earliest in the season

That josh and bill
have ever turned a profit.

Further north, one moonshiner
hasn't had the same luck.

Watch, watch, watch.

Longtime still hand tickle.

Tickle:
If you really love your country,

You're gonna have to love
moonshine.

Tim: Watch out!

Narrator:
After spending years

As the right-hand man
to legendary moonshiner

Tim smith...

I can smell
your hair.

Yeah, burned the hair
on my arm.

...Tickle was given
the keys to the kingdom

When his boss went legal.

Just don't get in trouble,
all right?

[ siren wailing ]

Got anything illegal
in the vehicle?

...But on his own,
tickle seemed to be better

At drinking the shine
than making it.

Son of a bitch!

So he headed down
to kentucky

To form an alliance
with two local good ol' boys --

Chico and tyler.

Chico: There we go.
Tickle: Oh, yeah.

Yes, sir.

This season,
they hope to satisfy

Tim's former client base

And expand it, developing
an interstate moonshine dynasty.

Tickle:
Tyler and chico, you know,

I'm gonna keep my eye
on both of them.

We'll all be dealing

With a whole lot bigger money
this year.

You really see
a different side of people

When the money starts going up.

I'm on my way to kentucky
right now.

I called tyler up.

I told him to go ahead
and get this mash going.

I want to be ready to roll
when I get up here.

I ain't got no time to waste.

Kentucky, man,
it's a long haul.

We got to figure a few things
out about this season.

I want to run a whole lot
more liquor than what we did.

Hey, what do you know
good about it, tyler?

What's going on, man?

That's all right.
That's all right.

We're gonna get a head start
on things

With this smaller setup.

We got that bigger still,
but I got a spot in mind.

But we can't hardly get
that big setup in there,

That big 100-gallon pot.

Where are you looking
at setting up at?

This place --
it's a really special place.

You just put a little faith
in what I'm telling you.

When you see it --
I'm just wondering,

If we can't get
a bigger still

In this spot
where we're going now,

Why even bother
starting it?

This small still
just isn't gonna cut it.

We're not gonna be able to
produce enough out of this, man.

You could easily get
10 gallons a day.

You might have to sit with it
and put some time into it.

I don't even know
if you gonna get that out of it.

Well, you know, we got to crawl
before we can walk.

I mean,
we're happy to look at it,

But, I mean, I don't know.

It's kind of making me
wonder now.

What are y'all doing up here,
playing grab-ass?

It's about time
you showed up, man.

How's it going, man?
How's it going?

We was waiting for you
to get up here to do that.

I'm just working
on this thumper here.

We're gonna run
this 50-gallon pot here.

We need to get down in this spot
that I got lined up.

Now, what is this spot?

That's what I've been
wanting to know.

It's something that's been
in my family for generations.

So, are we safe?
Oh, yeah.

Yeah, exactly.
We got to be safe.

It is one hell of a spot.

Narrator: On the back roads
of north carolina,

A legend is on the move.

[ humming ]

[ horn honks ]

Narrator:
Over the past few years,

Jim tom has kept himself busy

Building stills for others
and mentoring newcomers.

Would you help me
with my first run a little bit?

Absolutely, I will.

But you can't keep a true shiner
out of the woods forever.

That ought to be good.

He wants to return
to selling shine,

So he's called a meeting
with an outlaw

Who's seen
and done it all...

[ sighs ]

...Roy.

Hello in there.

Well, come in, roy.

How are you this morning
on this rainy day?

Wonderful.
How are you?

Only thing that bothers about me
on a day like this --

I got a little bit
of arthritis.

And I can tell
when it's gonna rain.

Outside of that,
I'm in good shape,

For an old man, that is.

Yeah.

I've known roy for, I'd say,

30 to 40 years
at the least, maybe more.

Just a little.

We gonna set it up,
or just building one?

Every bit of it.

Uh-huh.

Start at scratch
and build the still,

Then set it up.

All right.

Does that suit you?

Oh, yeah.

That settles that.

Narrator:
Jim tom's shine could sell
for up to $110 per gallon.

But unlike the old days,
he's going to have competition.

Just a few miles away,

Two shiners are preparing
a stainless-steel behemoth --

The biggest still
these woods have ever seen.

Mountain men mark and jeff
were once jim tom's disciples.

It's better now,
jim tom, than it was.

For the last few seasons,
they've been on their own,

And they've become
kings of the mountain.

Jeff:
Uhp. There she goes.

It's running.

To them, moonshine is more
than just booze.

[ speaks indistinctly ]

It's a tradition passed down
for at least five generations.

[ echoing ] hello?

What side you say
it was again?

If I didn't misfigure.
It holds 760 gallons.

That's a lot.

Mark: Last season,
had a little stuff happen

That I sort of regret a little.

We shot a fellow's still.

Sort of felt a little bad
about it.

You want to take
this shot, mark?

Then we messed around,
shot his car...

And sort of overdone it
on that, I guess.

Whoa!

Sort of feel a little bad
about it.

Narrator:
Back at the house...

The third member of the team

Is getting ready
for guard duty --

Jeff's son, lance.

Lance:
Security, it's real important.

When we're transporting
and meeting runners, you know,

You never know,
one of them could try to rob us

Or, you know,
could try to kill us.

Narrator: But lance is still
earning his wings.

Lance: Dad, he's
a seventh-generation moonshiner.

He's been doing it all his life,

And I've got a lot to learn
from him.

But I definitely hope that
this year I'll get to handle

A lot more responsibilities.

At this point, I kind of feel
like I've earned my keep.

Yeah.

Narrator: Coming up...

High times in kentucky.

Chico: Holy [bleep]

Tyler: We're gonna make
some money back here.

And tim gets closer
to the truth.

You have any ideas
who might have started the fire?

No.
What about that guy you hired?

You think chico?
Yeah.

Narrator: Tickle and his crew
are on the hunt

For a new still site

Deep in the backwoods
of kentucky.

Man,
you ain't kidding.

I'm telling you,
we gonna make some money.

You don't like getting caught,
do you?

Chico: I don't like
getting caught, but damn.

Tyler: Here in kentucky,
it's kind of like the wild west.

So, you know, there's a lot of
underground [bleep] going on.

We've been damn walking forever,
man, it seems like.

When you're dealing
with other people

That's doing illegal stuff,

Especially in a state
like kentucky,

You never know
what you're getting into.

You're liable to wind up in
a river or a sinkhole somewhere.

Narrator: Moonshining
has a long history of violence

Written in blood.

And nowhere did the bodies
pile up as high

As in the state of kentucky.

Known for their large-caliber
rifles and tenacity,

Kentucky shiners
brazenly targeted

Law enforcement during
the moonshine wars of the 1930s,

When at least 35 federal agents
were murdered.

During one sheriff's
four-year term,

16 of his deputies were
shot to death by moonshiners.

Holy [bleep] man.
Look at this crap.

Why don't we
just set up here?

It's probably gonna be
about the damn same anyway.

Oh, here comes
another hill.

Y'all ought to be happy
about this.

Yeah, I knew it.

Chico: Thus far, I've not
been happy the whole tour.

I wouldn't walk back here
my damn self

Unless it was something
real good back here.

Tyler:
They're a little skeptical,
but I think once they see it,

There's not gonna be any doubt.

They're gonna be
just happy as [bleep]

We almost there.

I've been hearing that

For a long time,
you know that?

Y'all just don't want to do
a little walking is what it is.

No, I don't mind doing
a little walking.

But a little walking
was about three miles back.

Narrator:
Over 400 miles away...

Hang a left right here.

...A group
of north carolina shiners

Are on the hunt
for a still site of their own.

In the off-season...

Jeff and lance
acquired a massive still

Capable of pumping out

Thousands of dollars' worth
of liquor in a single run.

But it would take an army
to get a still that size

Into the backwoods.

So mark and jeff
are going to take

The biggest risk
of their moonshining career.

They're going to come down from
the mountains and move indoors.

Jeff: Yeah.

Narrator: Shiners look
for several qualities

When moving indoors.

The site should be abandoned,

With high ceilings,
multiple exits,

And privacy
from snooping neighbors.

I can do that.

Just a few miles away,

Two shiners are buying copper
to build a new still.

Well, got a busy day, roy.

Yep.

[ imitates
squirrel chattering ]

[ both laugh ]

Lay low, buck.

[ laughs ]

[ chattering continues ]

[ laughs ]

Jim tom and roy
are known shiners.

A big copper purchase
is bound to raise suspicions,

But a good moonshiner
always has an alibi.

With materials in hand,

Jim tom and roy
need to pack it up and go

Before some nosy do-gooder
puts two and two together.

Back in kentucky,
after time away with his family,

Tim is returning
to the scene of the crime.

Tim: This whole thing
about this fire is,

Is it somebody
that just don't like me?

Somebody that didn't like
that I went legal?

Am I taking away
their business?

Or is it just some nut
out there?

You know, nuts --
they do crazy stuff.

Man, you don't know
what they're gonna do.

Steve: Hey, tim.

You know, we're back up to speed
after the fire.

Yeah, the fire
interrupted everything.

I see you got it
running there.

Yeah.

You have any ideas
who might have started the fire?

No, I ain't never had nobody
try to burn a distillery down.

You didn't make nobody mad,
did you?

No, I'm not making
anybody mad.

Well,
I ain't made nobody mad.

What about that guy
you hired and fired?

Chico?

You making moonshine?

Maybe a little.

You're jeopardizing
the whole operation here.

Get your stuff and get out.

Chico was messing up.

Chico was making moonshine
on the side.

Yeah.

Well, I mean,
I didn't make him mad

That he'd burn
a distillery down.

You think chico?

Never had any issues
before he came here, so...

Well, I didn't either
till I came here.

Coming up...

It's time to shine.

Josh: We got a lot of liquor
we got to sell this year.

A lot of orders we got to fill.

It's gonna be a hard row to hoe.

Narrator:
In the mountains of kentucky,

It's been a long March,

But the boys are finally nearing
the promised land.

We as close now
as we've been.

I hope so.

You've been saying
we was close for a while.

Well, I can guarantee
one thing we ain't close to,

And that's the road
or the vehicle.

Being a ways away
is good for making shine.

I just hope
it's what you say it is.

Holy [bleep]

Damn, tyler.

I ain't ever in my life
seen anything quite like that.

Yeah.
This right here...

That's wild.

It's the perfect spot
for making shine.

We far enough away.

Ain't nobody else
coming around here.

[ chuckles ]

Well, there's not many places
like this in kentucky, you know.

And there is --
there's a few places.

Yeah, but they
national forests and [bleep]

We ain't making
no liquor there.

This is some
private [bleep] here.

Ain't nobody knows
where this is.

You sure about that?

The people in my family.

Narrator: A 150-foot-high by
300-foot-wide slab of limestone

Creates a 150-foot-deep overhang
at its base,

Providing perfect seclusion
for outlaw activity.

That waterfall stay
like that all the time?

Yeah, all year long.

Make some good mash
with that water.

Tickle:
Yeah, I reckon you can.

We gonna make
some money back here.

Get that still
fired up today.

Narrator:
With the cash they made

From their first sale
of the season,

Josh and bill bought corn,
yeast, and sugar for mash.

All right.

Now they're going
for a personal record --

Their earliest run ever.

Bill:
I've been kind of itching to get
back in the woods all winter.

Something about
just making liquor --

I mean, once you start making
liquor, it's hard to quit.

All right.

That's nice.

Josh:
We worked so hard last year,
and we had so many failures.

It's time to make some of this
hard-earned money back.

Narrator: To save time,
they're using their still site

From last season.

And just like last year,
they're taking every precaution.

You go and run the hose down the
hill. I'll get her pumped in.

The law provides
additional charges

For moonshiners
caught with mash

Within 50 yards
of their still site.

Tell him to put
some pressure to it.

And we'll be ready
to make a run.

So josh and bill have come up
with an ingenious plan

To get around it.

I got a few pounds
of pressure on her.

When they're just about ready
to brew...

You about ready up there?

Yeah, that'll do.

...They'll use
a pressurized system

To pump the mash
down to the still

From barrels
located 100 yards away.

All right, there it is.
You got it coming out?

Yeah.

Josh: We got a lot of liquor
we got to sell this year,

A lot of orders we got to fill.

We got to get a move on.

It's gonna be a hard row to hoe.

Narrator:
Moonshine has been made

The same way
for thousands of years.

Fermented mash is heated
in a large pot

Until it reaches
173 degrees fahrenheit --

The point at which
alcohol vaporizes.

The alcohol vapors
rise from the mash

Into another chamber
called the cap,

Where any remaining water
drops back into the pot.

The partially distilled
alcohol vapor

Then travels through a pipe
called the arm

To the thump keg,
or doubler,

Where the vapor distills
a second time.

That refined alcohol vapor
then travels to a coil of copper

Set in a barrel of water
called the worm box,

Where the distilled
alcohol vapor is condensed

Into liquid moonshine.

Squeeze every last

Drop of liquor
out of this batch of mash.

All right,
I'm gonna fire it up.

Right on.

Here, I got it.

Put some heat
on this thing.

Ah, yeah.

Bill:
Once you fire that still up,

I mean,
there's a good bit of waiting.

You got to wait
for your mash to get ready,

Then once you put it
in the pot and heat it up,

I mean, you got to wait
for the liquor to come out.

She's hotter than hell.

Oh, yeah,
she's starting to steam.

That steam
is going into the creek.

She'll be ready
in a minute.

We got some coming out.

We're pretty much hitting
the ground running this season.

Not a bad start
to the year.

It's been going
real smooth today,

Getting this run
of liquor started.

Time for the taste test.

Whoo-hoo!
[ laughs ]

Let me try
a little bit more again.

I do too much taste-testing,
I ain't gonna be worth a damn

For the rest of the day.
That's pretty good.

That's more than pretty good.
That's damn good.

It's about 130, 140.

We'll tore up
from the floor up

By the time we get
all this liquor run down.

Right here's the master shiner
right here.

[ laughs ]

Cutie pie's the brains
of the outfit.

She's kind of like
our mascot.

[ coughs ]

Josh: So far, this has been
our best shine season yet.

We've already made some sales.

We've made some brand-new,
fresh moonshine.

Put a lid on that.

If this keeps up all season
long, we're gonna be rich.

I always find myself
buzzed about middle of the run

And then wanting to pass out
before the end of the run.

I'm gonna try to stay away
from too much taste-testing.

[ yawns ]

Narrator:
Across the state line,

A deputy sheriff is looking
for the smoking gun

That will finally put
the region's

Most notorious moonshiners
behind bars.

Sheriff's deputy chuck
has spent the off-season

Placing trail cameras at areas

Rumored to be
moonshine drop points.

We got a 30-30
shell casing here.

Should be another one
somewhere.

There it is.

I ain't rode a horse
in 20 years.

I chose the little horse
'cause I'm a little fella.

This horse, actually,
my kids and women ride.

You know, she's pretty easy
to get along with.

But even this little one --
it outweighs me by four times.

His knowledge of horses
is questionable.

We'll see how it goes.

All right, brother,
you ready?

Yes, sir.
I reckon I am.

Now, I'll hold her.

Oh [bleep]

[ laughs ]

Dang!

Here, we got you.

Easy.
There we go.

All right.

Here we go.
Now you a [bleep] cowboy.

He's going down.

Hey, look, this horse
is about to be --

There you go.

[ laughs ]

Ah [bleep]

Ah, damn.

[ laughs ]

And she even
got scared.

Narrator: In a lonely corner
of north carolina,

Lance is on a mission.

He's sitting surveillance
on a boarded-up warehouse.

If it proves empty,

It can be the perfect
indoor site

For their massive new still.

Lance: We're gonna make sure
it's abandoned

Before we set anything up
or do anything down there.

Probably gonna sit on it
for about a week.

Around here,

There's so many just old,
abandoned houses and stuff.

You can pretty much be parked
around here for a couple days

And nobody really pays
that close of attention.

Narrator: There's no risk
of property forfeiture

If they get arrested,
so abandoned warehouses

Make excellent
indoor still locations.

Lance:
I've got me a gun here.

It was easy just to grab this
'cause it's got the scope on it.

It's unloaded and safe.

Dad and mark -- they told me

That they're gonna
trust me more.

Now I'll get the chance
to prove myself to them.

And hopefully
I don't let them down.

Oh, right there's somebody.

I guess
he's just another passerby.

Just, you know, kind of looked
a little odd to me, so...

Hate to get caught because
we didn't check up on something.

[ thunder rumbles ]

Narrator: In a state known
for its history

Of moonshine violence...

Somewhere we got to find out
who started this fire.

Narrator: ...Tim's on his way
to question a man he thinks

Could be involved in the arson
at the distillery --

His former still hand.

Chico lives in the backwoods,
as you can tell.

You got to go through this creek
to get to his house.

[ dog barks ]

I'll see if he's around here.

[ truck door closes ]

Chico.

What's going on?

Everything's
going all right?

Lights still on?

What have you been doing,
anyway?

I don't know how to say it, but
I just want to get to the point.

You know, they had the little
fire at the distillery?

You know,
we don't know who it is.

Have you heard
anything about --

I mean, somebody talking
about it, maybe?

I don't think
I made nobody mad.

Well, yeah,
I could have, I guess,

But right now
I don't know.

I don't know what
the law enforcement is doing.

You know, they said they
got to investigate and all that,

But, I mean...

I kind of heard
they talked to you.

Yeah.

All right.

All right.

Yep.

You know, we know somebody
tried to burn the distillery.

We know that part.

But, you know,
chico is saying

That he didn't have
nothing to do with it.

He has an alibi.
He was somewhere in lexington.

But he was a little...

I just want to get to the bottom
of this story.

Narrator:
Tim's back is to the wall.

He can't be sure
who started the fire,

Who to trust,
or which way to turn.

For a craft loved by so many,

Moonshining always brings more
than its fair share of trouble.

This season on "moonshiners"...

Boy, the [bleep]
y'all getting me into.

All right, bub.

You ain't in an easy spot right
there to be working on anything.

You getting worried
about one little leak.

Well, then you'd have been
hollering to me about it.

I've heard
all I'm gonna hear.

[ clang ]

Woman: This thing has slipped.
Come on, come on, come on.

[ gunshot ]
[ laughs ] yeah!

[ speaks indistinctly ]

[ glass shatters ]
there went my window.

What happened?

Aah!
[ grunts ]

There she goes.
All right.

Dude, what's wrong
with making --

Just make it right here.

What the [bleep]