Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 5, Episode 1 - American Spirits - full transcript

♪♪

Even though making
Moonshine seems harmless,

Cops really are after us.

And it is considered
A criminal offense.

But, you know,
I don't look at it that way.

We ain't hurting nobody.

It's all about
Being self-sufficient.

To me, there's something
To be said for a man

That can make his own drink
And grow his own food

And survive off the land

That he's paid for
With the sweat of his brow.



Why is that illegal?

From shadowy hollows
To wooded peaks,

America's southern heartland
Is the stage for a ritual

As old as the hills.

Moonshine season
Is about to begin.

This is our culture,

And this is what they call
Grain to the bottle.

And the shine is now flowing

To major american cities
Coast to coast.

But one of virginia's
Legendary craft shiners

Has his back against the wall.

Now, we've been friends
A long time.

You got a relationship,
But you also got business.

Really?



My only options
Is to expand or die.

In louisiana...

It doesn't matter what kind
Of risk you have to take.

You're just gonna do it --
It's an addiction.

...Shine season
Moves fast.

Here it comes.

Might want to
Slow down with that.

And in the great
Smoky mountains,

One crew's whole shine season
Comes crashing down...

Look out! Falling drum.

*bleep*
Fire! Run!

Get out of there!

While on the piedmont...

I'd say he's hitting the bottle
Pretty hard, wouldn't you?

...Two shiners
Have become masters...

There's no duplicating
The flavor

Of a small batch in the woods.

...But they still
Remain outlaws.

It's the damn law.

♪♪

♪ no one can hold me down
Or make me change my ways ♪

♪ so don't waste your breath
Saying crime never pays ♪

♪ going for a ride ♪

♪ running to survive ♪

♪ when living outside the law ♪

♪ when living outside the law ♪

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

This is
How we make the moonshine!

Is that a creek
Down there?

Oh, yeah.

Well, right now, we're trying
To find us a new still site,

And that's one hard thing
To come by.

You've got
To have good water for one.

That's the main thing.

How about this
Creek up here?

Check this out.

Even if you get good water,
It's hard to get somewhere

Where you can hide
That you can get to.

There's probably other folks
Going to it.

Right on that bank
Where it goes around the curve,

We got that little flat spot
In the middle.

Right here's
Some boot tracks. Look.

Somebody's been through here,
Like, in the last day or so.

Things have just changed.

The woods have changed.
The people have changed.

Making moonshine
The traditional way

Is a really, really
Hard thing to do.

There's a bunch of turkeys
And stuff around here,

So they're probably in here
Turkey hunting and stuff.

Listen. Listen.

*bleep*

We in the danger zone.

Might want
To get back on up here.

Can't believe this *bleep*

You always got to
Look over your shoulder

'cause you never know
When they coming after you.

Josh and his partner, bill,

Are just two of the estimated
80,000 americans

Risking their freedom

For one of the country's
Oldest traditions --

Moonshine,
The original american spirit.

It's been refined
By farmers and frontiersmen,

Who overcame the harsh wilds

And the law to keep
The heritage whiskey flowing.

But change is in the air.

Across america,

Everyone from soccer moms
To old country lawyers

Have acquired a taste
For classic white lightening.

In the last decade, the number
Of legal, small-batch distillers

Has grown nearly 7,000%.

Now shiners are challenging
Big whiskey

For a piece
Of the american market.

But while the opportunities
Are unprecedented...

So are the risks.

An increase
In moonshine still busts

Has the johnson county sheriff
Worried.

In the last two years,
Authorities have seized

Millions of dollars worth
Of illicit alcohol.

But some die-hard shiners
Are refusing to give in.

I'd say
There's more 55-gallon drums

Over in the, uh...

There's three below the bobcat
In that next bay.

On a farm outside
Spartanburg, south carolina,

The dawn of spring heralds
The start of shine season.

Plentiful mountain springs
And the thick forest canopy

Provide the perfect environment
For making shine.

Will it fit?
Close enough.

And the first step
For any shiner looking

To get their season in gear --

Prepping their mash,

The mixture from which
The whiskey is distilled.

Mash barrel is one of the most
Important things to clean.

You get a wild strain
Of yeast in there,

It'll turn your whole batch
Of mash sour.

And we country farmers don't let
That happen these days.

From the start...

What the *bleep*

...Josh and bill's path
To hard liquor hasn't been easy.

What the *bleep* man?

They faced every hurdle...

Police!
Stop! Police!

...But they overcame it all...

We'll have liquor
In no time.

Mastering
A premium whiskey recipe

That netted them 60 grand
Last season.

This year, they plan to raise
The standard of their whiskey

To crack the high-end market
For a record six-figure take.

Just set everything
Right here, brother.

Really gonna need
A water hose.

Now, I'm just thinking
Shoot for higher quality.

Well, we know we can get
Top dollar for it on the market.

There's no duplicating
The flavor

Of a small batch in the woods.

There's just no faking that.

Very important
You clean your still out

'cause this thing
Will tarnish on you,

And you don't want to
Drink that green stuff

'cause it's poison.

It'll kill you.

For centuries, shiners
Have built stills from copper,

A metal
That can be soldered easily,

Distributes heat evenly,

And naturally removes
The foul sulfurs

In fermenting mash.

I think we got everything.

I think the next step
Will just be getting the truck.

Come on, cutie pie.
Come on, baby.

Josh's faithful companion
Cutie pie is starting the season

By getting the new guy
Up to speed.

Yeah,
Cutie pie's got a new buddy.

We got a new pet raccoon.

Haven't exactly came up
For a name with it yet.

I'm still working on it.

I'm thinking about bandit
Or smoky or I don't know.

With the equipment prepped,

All that's left is to get
Their mash ingredients.

We'll go and get this
Grain and get it working.

All right. Here we go.

♪♪

It's right on.

Chuck, you rolling?

Yeah, we're making your product
Here today, huh?

I know, but I'm selling
More product, too.

I'm glad you're rolling.

The largest moonshine rush

Since prohibition has distillers
Scrambling to keep up.

And in culpeper, virginia,
Legal shiner tim smith

Has been stretched to the limit.

I just got
Some more contracts.

You did?Yeah. Got some more states.

I didn't realize you were gonna
Sell so much, tim.

I know, but I'm rolling fast.

Since I come back to virginia,
It's just awesome.

Business is just booming.

Right now, we can run about
30,000 cases per year.

But I can't hardly keep up
With the demand.

After his past
As an outlaw shiner barred him

From making legal liquor
In his native state...

"At this time,
We cannot grant distribution,

The commonwealth of virginia."

...Tim traveled
Far and wide on his quest

To put authentic virginia
Moonshine on the map.

In just two years,

Tim sold over 50,000 cases
Of his brand nationwide,

Forcing the state of virginia
To open the door for tim

To sell on his own turf.

First of bottle
Of climax moonshine

Made in the state of virginia.

Now, he's back on native soil,

Producing his whiskey
At belmont farm,

One of america's oldest
Craft distilleries.

But the antique operation isn't
Keeping pace with modern demand.

And with tim facing
A production shortfall,

The sharks are closing in.

The big distilleries,
They got all the resources,

They're well-connected,
And they got everything.

I want to compete
With the big guys,

But I'm not gonna
Sacrifice this process.

My dad taught me how to make it.

I do miss some of
The outlaw atmosphere here.

When I was back in the woods,

All I had to do was worry about
Just the risks.

I'm gonna pull off the road
Here.

I'm just gonna
Show you something here.

This is where I started.

This is actually an old
Still site that was raided

Back when I was younger.

This was actually
About a 1,000-gallon still.

Someone had put
Their axe to it there.

I can't tell you everything.

They were raided when there was
About 100 gallons of moonshine

Loaded on to a pickup truck.

And then, one guy
Actually got in the truck.

An abc agent
Jumped in the back of the truck,

And he pulled out his gun

And started shooting
Because he's gonna kill him

The way he was driving
Through the woods,

Doing about
50 to 60 miles an hour

Through these trees.

And then, finally,

Abc guy actually got
Thrown out of the truck.

And the truck actually got away,
With a lot of damage done.

The law enforcement guys

Wanted to know
Who the truck belonged to,

So they kind of
Cut the truck up.

And this is where
The truck wound up at.

When I come out here,
It just reminds me

Of how bad it was,
How dangerous it was,

How risky it was.

You know, it's still
Risky business to go legal,

But, really, I mean,
It's just weight off my back

That I don't have to worry
About that stuff no more.

♪♪

These people are gonna have
The 100% corn,

No growth hormones,
Just plain corn.

Three miles
From the state border,

Josh and bill are on a run
For fresh supplies.

We're already up here.

We might as well
Go ahead and stock up

And, like,
Get the hell back out of dodge.

That's what I'm thinking.

Before they can get cooking,

They'll need to restock
Their stores of corn,

One of the primary ingredients
In moonshine mash.

To make mash,

Milled corn or rye and sugar
And water are brought to a boil.

Once the mixture cools,

Yeast is added to begin
The fermentation process.

Over the next 3 to 10 days,

The yeast converts the sugar
And starch into alcohol.

Damn. There's the damn law.

Don't panic. Go left.

I'm just
Getting my seat belt on.

You panicking.
Let's not give him a reason to.

Don't even look at it.

Buying huge quantities
Of cracked corn

Can tip off the law.

As much liquor
As we ended up

Them spreading out
Around here last year,

They ain't gonna
Forget about us.

We're totally on the radar.

But they damn sure
Got a hell of a lot better

*bleep* to do than be chasing
Josh and bill around

Over a little bit of
Moonshine.

To avoid the police,

They're using
The old bootlegger tactic

Of zigzagging across
State lines.

Everybody in the world

Knows what you're doing
With ground-up corn.

By me traveling
All over the place,

I feel like that keeps me
Out of jail a lot longer.

Y'all hang tight.

What's up, weebob?We rolling?

You know it.

I ain't saying it's illegal

To sit on as much corn
As we got,

But we can't be feeding
That many chickens with it.

We bought enough grain
To make at least

Them 200 gallons of mash
With what we got.

It's the damn law.

He's got me.

Coming up, tim's
Business hangs in the balance.

We have got the exact way
To make it, and it's all --

I know,
But I can't make enough.

In louisiana, moonshining
Is a different game...

My main concern
Is being put in jail

And not being able
To be with the kids.

...And the heat is on
In north carolina.

♪♪

We bought enough grain

To make at least
Them 200 gallons of mash.

On the back roads
Of south carolina...

I mean, I ain't saying
We got enough corn

To last us the whole season
Or nothing, but --

But we got...

Josh and bill's moonshine season
May have hit a roadblock.

Oh *bleep*

Though not technically
Illegal,

Their 500-pound payload
Of cracked corn

Is a dead giveaway
For moonshine activity.

I don't know if they're
Coming back to get us or not.

Think he's coming back?

Whew.
Good.

I mean,
He clearly wasn't after us.

Man,
I about *bleep* myself.

You see him run off the doggone
Road when he went by us?

I love making moonshine.

It's exciting, it's thrilling,
You know?

And you make money.

But at the same time,
You're risking everything.

Man,
That scared me to death.

I thought
He had us for sure.

Josh and bill are
Only the latest in a long line

Of mountain whiskey makers.

Moonshine in america
Dates back to the late 1700s,

When waves
Of scotch-irish immigrants

Settled the frontier regions
Of kentucky,

Tennessee,
And the western carolinas.

Many brought stills
Made in their homelands.

These frontier families turned
The native corn and hearty rye

They farmed
Into a unique american whiskey

That was used to trade.

Since prohibition ended,

Massive corporate distilleries
Have dominated the market.

I'm just so stressed out
That I got so much product

That I need to make.

I've got to compete
With these big guys.

I don't know if chuck miller's
Distiller can handle the demand.

Far from
Chuck's virginia distillery,

Master shiner tim smith
Is searching for a way

To keep the shine flowing.

I just got a call from
A north carolina distillery.

It's got an offer for me.

And they said that they
Can expand my business,

So I've got to explore it.

I've got to go down and see
What they've got to offer.

All right.
Let's see what's happening here.

Hey, what you doing? You got
All kinds of stuff on here.

Hey! How are you?

I haven't seen you
In so long.

I'm all right.

Where have you been?

I've been traveling,
Trying to sell moonshine.

Troy called me up,
And, you know,

I've been telling about
Having some issues

With meeting production.

I want to show you
What we've been doing down here.

We've got this big tank.
You're not gonna believe it.

Come on.

Troy ball's
Asheville whiskey distillery

Caters to some of the south's

Most affluent restaurants
And resorts.

And before his return
To virginia, tim depended on her

State-of-the-art facility
To produce his shine.

But their relationship
Was rocky from the start.

The first time you're
Here, something screws up.

You said pour it in there.

We're not in the backwoods
Anymore, honey.

Well, troy and I,
We had some differences.

So I'm willing
To put that to the side,

And if she meets me
In the middle, then I'm good.

I think I can work with that.

We put in a really big
New mash tank.

Here, look at this.

Is this gonna help
Me make more moonshine?

Yeah.
Yeah?

Troy's expanded still setup

Would allow tim to produce
Three times more shine

Than he can at chuck's.

But that's not all
She's offering.

All right.
What's this?

This is, probably,
10,000 square feet.

What I'm thinking is...What are you trying to offer me?

Well, let's say
We went through here,

And we set it up
Kind of for your operation.

But there's plenty of room
In here to store all your stuff,

Your own still, plus all
The fermentation tanks,

Mash tanks, everything.

You know, I like it.
It's nice.

I can have my own space.

But I really like being back
In my home state of virginia.

It's like, "Yay, come on, tim.
We know what we're doing."

You know,
And I think he should be aligned

With somebody
Who knows what they're doing.

I can't think of
Any downsides for us

Continuing to work together.

We have bankers,
Insurance agents,

Everything taken care of.

So that's a big deal.

Everything is, like,
Said and done.

It's a turnkey package deal.

I I don't know if it can get
Any better than this.

A state-of-the-art distillery

And 10,000 square feet of space
Would solve tim's problems.

All it would take
Is a move to north carolina.

You like it?

I really do like it.

Okay.
I'll tell you what.

I won't make any decisions
To do anything else

Until I hear back from you.

Good deal.
Deal?

Good deal.

You know, this could be
The opportunity

To go nationwide
With my brand.

But it's not all about money.

It's my family recipe.

It's my heritage.

And it is some concern

That I won't be able
To stay in virginia.

I got to refer back to my dad.

What would he do?

In north carolina's
Last dry county,

Seventh-generation
Moonshiner jeff

And his business partner,
Mark,

Are about to put their
750-gallon still back to work.

Last season,
With jeff's son lance,

They built the largest
Illegal still

East of
The blue ridge mountains.

But it hasn't always been
Smooth sailing.

Despite the setbacks,
Their world-class whiskey

Still earned them
Over 60 grand last season,

Enough for them
To turn moonshining

Into their full-time occupation.

After a still fire

Almost torched their barn
Location last year,

They decided to set up outdoors.

Most moonshine stills
Have the same basic components

The burner, the pot,
The doubler, and the condenser.

The pot is filled with mash
And heated.

Once it reaches
173 degrees fahrenheit,

The alcohol in the mash
Vaporizes

And rises into the cap.

From there, it travels through
A copper pipe called the arm

And into a barrel
Known as the doubler.

In the doubler,
Extra water condenses

Out of the alcohol vapor
On to the sides of the barrel,

Doubling the vapor's purity,
Or proof.

The purified vapor then travels
To a copper coil set in a barrel

Of cool running water
Known as the condenser, or worm.

It's here
Where the alcohol vapor

Condenses into liquid moonshine.

Okey-dokey.

Once the still is lit,
They become criminals

And could be facing three years
In federal prison if caught.

This season on "Moonshiners"...

Whoo-wee! Ow!

I got to tell y'all,

I'm scared to death.

Uh-oh.

Ow!

Hold it right there!

*bleep*

With the craft bourbon market
That's out there,

I figure artisanal-quality
Liquor,

That's got to be worth
A couple dollars.

This here is cajun shine.

Whoo! It's a little hot.

*bleep* your mission!

Why's it got to be your plan
Every time?

I got a plan!

I don't know if we can compete
With everybody that's out there.

Oh, *bleep*
By god, this ain't good.

You recognize me?

Hello there, jim tom.

His distillery exploded.

And you was inside
When it blew up?

Yes, I was.

*bleep*

And I ain't gonna
Listen to it no more!

Are you *bleep* me?

Uh-oh.
We got a visitor.

We need to run
Dag blasted stuff.

♪ oh, I told a little child ♪

♪ to look right here ♪

♪ she said,
"Jim tom, bring me a beer" ♪

♪ I'm on my way ♪

I'll *bleep*

I'll beat your *bleep* ass.

Come on!
That's what.

Aaah!

Aaaaah!

Keep running, mother *bleep*

Spring's return has mountain men
Racing to set up their stills.

But moonshine isn't just
Found in appalachia.

The art form
Has spread nationwide,

Even to the most
Unexpected places.

♪♪

Let's get your backpack
Out of my truck.

Hey.

I'll be back
In a little bit, okay?

All right.
I'll see you later.

And I'll come back
And cook supper.

No, shelby.

The word moonshiner

Usually conjures images
Of stalwart backwoodsmen

And solitary roads...

My main concern
Is being put in jail

And not being able
To be with the kids.

...But in louisiana's
Red river country,

Fourth-generation moonshiner
Patti

Is proving that
The craft whiskey trade

Isn't just an old boys' club.

I mean, they do ask,
Could I go to jail?

And I tell them,

"Yeah, if I got caught."

But it's the easiest
To make pretty good cash.

So it helps in need at times.

And once you do it,

It doesn't matter what kind
Of risk you have to take.

You're just gonna do it --
It's an addiction.

I'm gonna be meeting my daddy.

He's already over there
At the site.

Patti's father, david,
Grew up in north carolina,

Where making shine meant
Heading up into the mountains.

Watch your step.

But in louisiana,
Finding a still site

Means a rough journey
Down the side of a steep ravine.

I grew up in the smokies,
Appalachian maintains.

Either this stuff getting
Heavier, or I'm getting older.

One of the two.

Can I help you?

I got it. I got it.

So that's what
We gonna do attempt to do.

David has found the only clean
Source of springwater for miles.

Good, cold water.
Feel that.

Without cool water
To run over their worm,

The hot alcohol vapors
In their still cannot condense

Into liquid shine.

It's something
You don't see a lot.

When I first started
Doing shine,

I was just really doing it
Just to see if I could do it.

And then,
I had some buddies over there.

And they were all tasting it.

And it was like,
"That's pretty good dang stuff."

And I sold it.

And I thought,
"Well, that's pretty good money.

That's quick cash."
So I do this in the summertime.

In the wintertime, I do
Processing with deer or hogs.

But I make my money
In the summer

By being a moonshiner.

This is the hardest part
Of the whole process.

By damming up
The spring with a thick mud wall

Protected by a tarp and fitted
With an overflow pipe,

Patti and david can create
A cold-water reservoir.

Go up some.
A little bit.

Right there.

That the top of it?
Yeah.

You think by this evening
It'll be full?

With their water source secure,
This father-and-daughter team

Is one step closer
To their first shine run,

Which will supply
The resources needed

To expand their operation.

I've been running a small still
For 7, 8 years.

So my goal this year
Is to go bigger with the still

And put a lot more money
In my pocket.

I've been down to
The asheville distilling company

With troy ball,

And she give me
A nice business proposal,

I guess you could call it.

Tim smith is back on the road

To his home state of virginia.

But his future
May be farther south.

Yeah, it's a lot to think about.

You got the friendship
Between me and chuck.

Chuck, he knew my dad.

But it's all about business,
And it's about making money.

There's no way
That chuck's gonna be able

To compete with that right now.

Problem is it's kind of hard
To come here and tell him.

♪♪

Hey, chuck.

How you doing, tim?

Been down to asheville.

What's going on
In asheville?

Well, that's what I was gonna
Tell you about.

It's kind of good and bad.

Chuck is somebody
I look up to.

And with chuck being
The first legal distillery

In the state of virginia,

I should cut road, I guess,
For all of us to come through.

But right now, my only options
Is to expand or die.

I don't know
How you're gonna take it,

But asheville
Has got a proposal.

They got
This whole big area

That they said
I can just expand.

Really?

They got lots of money,
Lots of resources.

They got
All the connections.

Ain't that a good deal?

Well, that's good for you.
But now,

We've been friends a long time.I know.

You know, I mean, that's just
A big corporation down there.

Well, that's another thing.

You got relationship,
But you also got business.

I like working with tim.
We were friends from long ago.

And I'm kind of disappointed
In the fact that

He's even thinking about
Going down to asheville.

We're doing technology like they
Did back in the '30s, man.

I know. I know.

We have got the exact way
To make it.

And it's all --

I know.
But I can't make enough.

All right.
Let's think about this.

Just come on over here,
Take a look at this.

I want you
To check it out.

Now, look at this big room
In here, tim.

We could build your own unit
Right there.

This is a big space
Right here.

Oh, man.
I'll tell you what.

This is a huge room.I like this.

I'm willing to sacrifice now,

Let tim have the use
Of that building

Just so we can keep him here.

You can make
Lots of whiskey here.

Yeah,
We can make it work.

You're putting
The pressure on me.

Well, tim, this is a decision
You have to make.

I know.

They gave me a good deal,
Chuck,

It's a big building
Already made.

I got a turnkey operation
Down there.

I don't even have to
Do no work.

Well,
I can't compete with that.

Can't buy you all your equipment
For you and all that.

We can work together,

And we can feel like we built
Something we're proud of.

I can tell you that.

Yeah.

Hey, whatever you decide, tim.All right.

I'm always
Gonna be your friend.

You know,
My heritage is in virginia.

This is where my dad grew up at.
I don't know what I'm gonna do.

And working with chuck
Is such a high risk.

I've got to put
All of my back into this thing.

Working with troy is no risk,
Really.

I'm gonna have to go back home
And think about this.

Coming up, patti
And david's season takes off...

Uh-oh.
Slow down with that.

...While jeff and mark's still
Takes a dive.

Fire! Run!
Get out of there!

♪♪

All right,
Let's go see this fancy spot

You're talking about.

Deep in the south carolina
Foothills, josh and bill

Are on a journey into the past.

This is one of barney's
Great-granddaddy's spots.

It's been in the family
For years,

And it's never
Been busted before.

Famed mountain man
Barney barnwell

Dedicated his life
To preserving moonshine culture.

Don't they know
This *bleep* is illegal?

And his disciples,
Josh and bill,

Have carried on his legacy.

Instead of scouting
For a new site,

They're getting a head start
On their season...

Ah, dog.

...By using their mentor's
Old stomping grounds.

Tell you right now,
I kind of this.

Holy moly.

Where is it,
Just right here?

We got to go down
The creek a good ways.

That still site down there
Is pretty hard to get to.

I got cobwebs
All over me.

We had to cut a --
A pretty rough trail

Just to get in there.

Keep on hiking, pedro.

It's a good ways
To be hauling our barrels

And a bunch of grain,
Bunch of sugar.

But the further in the woods
We are,

Less chance gonna be
We're gonna be discovered.

What is it, baby?

Even for josh's four-legged
Companion cutie pie...

There you go, baby.

...Going is rough.

Can you see
Who's doing all the work?

I'm carrying
A 50-pound sack of sugar,

And he's carrying a bucket.

If it was me
Carrying the sugar,

I would have picked
A closer site.

This it here?

Yeah.

♪♪

Hot dog. I'm excited.

I mean, it don't get no better
Than that right there

When you have your water level

Eight feet above
Your working site.

Doesn't take a whole lot
To build a tough to catch it in.

Hell, right here's
The old furnace right here.

That's one of barney's
Old furnaces right there.

In the south, it's not uncommon
At all to wander upon

Tons of old 50-gallon drums.

You can tell
They're old still sites.

You know,
They're everywhere.

I think it's perfect.We'll give it a shot.

And this looks like it might be
Our home for the summer.

We got enough equipment
Right now.

We can go ahead and start
Mashing in and getting --

I mean, get some liquor flowing
First of the season.

I mean,
We're ahead of the game.

You shouldn't have said that.

♪♪

I think this tree right here
To that wide oak down yonder.

Oh, that one right there?

Yes.

In the swamps of louisiana,

Patti and david are eager to get
Their still back in action.

We'll get down here
And put it together

They've secured a spring

Hidden at the bottom
Of a steep ravine.

Clean water is difficult
To come by here.

But the steep drop could be
More trouble than it's worth.

So david has engineered
A work-around.

Think this will
Help us out a lot,

Especially if we gonna
Run here

In this one spot
All the time.

Yeah, it's work
Going up and down the hill.

I've said it many a times,
He's macgyver.

I'd put it right there on that
Tree in front of you, daddy.

Right here.

First, they attach a thick,
80-foot-long steel cable

To trees
At both ends of the hillside.

Now all they need
To transport their equipment

Is a simple wash basin
And gravity.

Yeah.
That's good enough.

Being a moonshiner,
You got to be a survivalist,

An engineer, a craftsman,
A cook.

You don't get out here
And just make it.

You've got to be
A jack of all trades.

I mean, that's what describes
A moonshiner to me.

Uh-oh. Here it comes.

Yeah. We need a rope to hang
On to when it comes down.

All right, daddy.

Might want
To slow down with that.

Your hands are burning?

Have to send them down
One at a time.

Yeah, it did.

♪♪

Yeah, it throws out
Some heat.

Back on
A north carolina hilltop,

Jeff and mark
Are just moments away

From producing
The first whiskey of the season

When a third man
Arrives on the scene --

Jeff's son, lance.

I guarantee it.

You know, it's --mark: look out, boys!

*bleep*
Fire's there! Run!

Get out of there!

*bleep*

Stay back!

That's my buddy right here.
I love him.

I have a pet raccoon now.

Yeah, I like sardines, dad.

Here. You want this?

His mama got run over.

So this little guy
Was left behind.

I'd say he's hitting the bottle
Pretty hard, wouldn't you?

Well, I'll tell you, a raccoon's
Like a monkey, a dog, and a cat,

I mean, it.

Get out of there.
Quit it!

He's trying
To jump out the truck now,

Trying to commit 'coon suicide.

Get out of there.
No.

You know better
Than to eat my eggs.

I done seen that.

It's getting to be like

A damn wild kingdom around here,
Ain't it?

Is that raccoon cool, or what?

In the smoky mountains
Of north carolina...

...Jeff, mark,
And lance

Are starting their season
Off strong.

You know, it's, uh...

Look out, boys!

Fire's right there.

Run! Get out of there!

Stay back!

The ground was
A little too soft, wasn't it?

The forest floor
Was too soft

To support the three tons of
Mash contained in the still,

Causing it to become unstable
And crash to the ground.

No. I wouldn't try.

Yeah.

12 grand in potential profit
Goes up in smoke.

Jeff and mark are now starting
The season with a broken still.

♪♪

When distilleries got big,

We started going to automation.
We started losing the quality.

So my moonshine is handcrafted.
It's nature.

People don't realize this,

But that's climax moonshine
Right there.

This is our culture.

And this is what they call
Grain to the bottle.

Tim is back where it
All started -- climax, virginia.

But it may be
Just to say good-bye.

And always come back home.
I go back.

I see my dad's headstone.

My daddy's buried here
In the yard beside the house.

Hey. Hey, hey.
Stop jumping.

Stop jumping.

When I grew up with my dad
Making illegal moonshine,

We couldn't put our name
On the bottle.

Look.
We got a briar here.

Starting from the little
Small town of climax, virginia,

In the beginning.

Now it's blown up
To being international.

The whole craft distillery thing
Is just blowing up.

People just buying this stuff
Like crazy.

Instead of a customer going
And buying one bottle,

He buys one case.

And I just can't keep up
With it.

And most people would say

Asheville would be
The good deal.

It's quick.
It's finished.

It's gonna make you
A whole lot of money

In a short period of time.

It's no financial risk
At all for me.

It's just I lose control
Of the product.

To get that quality of moonshine
That we always made,

You had to put hard work
Into it.

You couldn't pay somebody else
To make moonshine that we make.

♪♪

My dad always said
Real moonshine is like when

You made it back in the woods
And you put the still together

Yourself and you dodged the law,

You know, from getting arrested
And you made it good.

You know,
You had to make it good

Because you had to sell what was
On the inside of the bottle,

Not what's on the outside
Of the bottle.

Every day, when I see chuck,
I see my dad.

He almost allows me the feeling

That I'm still
Illegally making something.

I'm actually doing it myself.
I'm getting dirty.

I'm touching it.
I'm shaping it.

It's all about, you know,
What you put into it.

It's you.
It's part of you.

I have to go back
To my heritage, my culture,

My background.

I've made my decision.
I'm staying in virginia.

I have to go back to my dad.

And I have to go back
To chuck miller.

As the first few days
Of the shine season pass,

The race is only heating up.

While some shiners are nearing
Their first big score,

Others have stumbled
Out of the starting gate.

For moonshiners fighting
To keep the heritage alive,

The line between prison
And profit

Is only getting thinner.

Next time on "Moonshiners,"

A sweet victory
Turns into bitter defeat...

I feel like I ate a cactus
Or something.

He's a person that I've never
Really dealt with.

...The competition
Is fierce...

Ain't you jeff's boy?

You're trying
To scope my shine?

It's not like that, lanny.

...And two old pros
Are back in the game.

This is the first one
We've built.

Watch your eyebrows,
Digger.

*bleep*