Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 5, Episode 14 - Virgin Whiskey - full transcript

♪♪

Everybody looks at me
Like I'm an outlaw, illegal.

It's just like a tightrope.

On this side is the people
That look down upon it,

The law that's looking for me.

And on this side is
The consumers that support me.

And every circle
That you go into,

Whether it's a horse race,

Drag race, ballet.

I've sold liquor
At my kids' dance recitals.

You know what I mean?



I'm as accepted
In all circles because of this

As anybody can be on the planet

Just because
I am the moonshiner.

Narrator: it's crunch time
In shine country.

With the last weeks
Of the season fading fast,

Die-hard moonshiners

Are burning the candle
At both ends.

That's a lot of work and it's
Taking longer than we think.

In virginia,
A 10,000-case order

Is on the verge of collapse.

Six weeks it's got to be ready,
Not sitting in a holding tank.

That's about all we can do.

Narrator:
Three pros feel the pinch.

And student becomes master
In south carolina.



♪ oh, I was down
In tennessee ♪

♪ lookin' at my baby,
And she said to me ♪

♪ no one can hold me down ♪

♪ or make me change my ways ♪

♪ so don't waste
Your breath saying ♪

♪ crime never pays ♪

♪ we're going for a ride ♪

♪ running to survive ♪

♪ when you're living
Outside the law ♪

♪ we're living
Outside the law ♪

Man: this is how we
Make the moonshine!

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

♪♪

Tim: all right,
We're going back to culpeper.

Got this tank.

This is the key
In filling this polish order.

Narrator: just a few miles
Outside of culpeper, virginia,

It's go big or go home
For tim smith.

Tim: there's no way
We're gonna be able

To go international
In making moonshine

If we don't get
This tank in operation.

Narrator: after landing
A 10,000-case order

With a top
European distributor...

-na zdrowie.
-na zdrowie.

Narrator: ...Tim called on
Still expert tyler

To hunt down a tank
Massive enough

To pump out the quantity
Of shine he needs

To meet his tight deadline.

Tim:
This 10,000-case order got to be
Delivered by the end of october.

If we don't
Get this deal up and running,

Then it's gonna be bad.

[ horn honks ]

Wow, that horn's loud.

-that ought to wake him up.
-phew.

What in the world
Have you guys got there?

That ain't
No little tank.

We got
A 4,000-gallon tank.

4,000-gallon tank?

Here, I'm thinking
I'm the big dog --

I got the biggest pot
Still in the united states.

But tim steals my number-one
Spot and he comes back

With the biggest still
I've ever heard of.

You're gonna have
To unload it, tim.

Yeah, I know.

Tim: every step
In building this distillery,

It's just another hoop
To jump through.

And I'm taking back
What my dad taught me.

You know, take nothing
And make something out of it.

You know, save some money
In the beginning,

Make money in the long run.

You got to get it pretty tight.
You got too much slack.

Then that means
I got to lift more.

Tyler: we're gonna put straps
Along each side of it,

And then put a chain
To each strap

So we can pick it up
In the middle,

Kind of like a pendulum,
Then we drive out from under it

And go from there.

All right, let's go.

The definition of handcrafted
Is putting your hands on it

And knowing everything
About the product.

-oh!
-oh, right there.

-let me get down.
-stop, don't move.

Tim: the last 50 years,
Everyone jumped the boat

And said, "Hey, we're gonna do
Everything faster and cheaper.

Tyler: you can probably
Start letting it down

And just let it
Back on its feet.

And now everyone is looking
At, "Well, I need quality also."

And handcrafted
Just about anything

You look at is coming back.

Oh, oh, oh!

All tangled up.
Got to back up.

-I want to push it out.
-you're caught.

Just pick it up
And let it dangle.

Pick it all up.

Chuck: it'll take us a while
To get that old still hooked up.

We only got six weeks,

So I hate to see
Anything fall apart now.

Oh.

All right,
Now put it down.

Now we got to figure out
Where we're gonna put it.

Tim:
At least it's upright.

It's still a whole lot of work,

And we got
To move it into place,

Got to cut the hole
In the top...

That's probably good
There.

...Then all the plumbing
That's actually gonna

Get the mash to the still.

And that's a lot of piping
That's got to go in place there.

Thing gonna be fine as frog hair
When you get done with it.

Hey, we'll make
The next one that big.

-I like that.
-big as a silo, huh?

Tyler:
I'd like to see that.

[ banging ]

Josh:
My grandpa would have a fit

Seeing me use this thing
For a hammer.

Narrator:
In a south carolina hollow,

One shiner is blazing
A comeback trail.

Josh: well, I had a goal
Of 1,000 gallons this year,

And I'm really far behind.

I'm gonna do something
That nobody else is doing.

I'm gonna winterize
My still site.

I'm gonna build a room
In here around my mash barrels,

And I'm gonna put
A propane burner in there.

That's gonna create enough heat
To keep the mash working.

I'm not really a carpenter,

As you can see.

I'm gonna be able
To make shine all year round.

This is kind
Of bill's forte, not mine.

I forgive you,

But I can't work
With you no more.

Narrator: after his
Final break with bill,

Josh was down a pot
And a partner,

Until living legend jim tom
Lent a guiding hand...

You're saving my dang season.
I know that.

...Helping the shiner finish off

His 400-gallon still
In record time.

Jim tom is set to arrive
In a few days

To help josh make
A family shine recipe

Known as cherry bounce --
A fruit and honey blend

That once flowed freely
Throughout appalachia.

Pretty much got everything
We need to make runs

All winter long right here.

Narrator:
But the leaves are changing,

So time's in short supply
To hit his 1,000-gallon goal.

Tim:
The difference between me and
Bill is if it was up to bill,

He wouldn't spend
Any more time or effort

To be able to put your mash
Barrels down here at the creek.

This might not look like a damn
Professional carpenter built it,

But you don't hear me having

No problems with nobody,
Do you?

"Aah, don't do this,
Don't do that!

You don't know
What you're doing! Aah!"

You know?

I miss my partner, though.

Making moonshine traditionally
Is done outside.

But if your mash
Gets too cold,

Your yeast goes dormant
And your mash won't work off.

All right.

It don't matter if
It gets cold enough around here

For this creek to freeze.

This winterized mash room's
Gonna keep the mash plenty warm

So we can keep it working
All year long.

♪♪

We're gonna fill
This pot up full of water

Just so we can boil it
Down to steep my grains.

I'm getting to make
A full entire run

Of cherry bounce,
So it should be good.

Narrator: with temperatures
Dropping by the day,

Josh is insulating his barrels

To make sure
His cherry bounce mash

Stays warm enough to ferment.

Josh:
Mash generates its own heat,

So by wrapping this on there,

It's gonna hold its own heat
In a lot better,

And then we're gonna heat
This room a little bit,

And we should be able
To make mash pretty much

All winter.

I absolutely hate insulation.

I can already tell
I've been in it.

My nose is itchy.

Dang, that's hot.

I'm really excited to be making

My ancestors' cherry
Bounce recipe,

But I'm also a little nervous.

We had a flood before that
Washed away our mash barrels.

Well, I've got all my dollars
Wrapped up in this recipe,

And if it doesn't come
Out right, I'm sunk.

Narrator: in keeping
With his famous recipe,

Josh is only using locally
Sourced cherries, grains,

And wild honey to cook up
His high-dollar mash.

Josh: we got tons of honey.

Let's seal this bad boy off.

That was the last one.

We built this insulated room,

And to keep it warm, we're gonna
Put this burner in there,

Keep the pilot light going.

It'll burn for days with that
With just the pilot light going.

Narrator: josh's cherry mash

Should be ready to run
In less than a week.

All that's left now is to spread
The word to his new wingman.

-hey.
-jim tom.

I'm just working
A little bit.

I got all these barrels
Sitting here,

And it's damn
About more than one man

Can deal with.

It's been tough without bill.

I ain't got no help,
But, well...

All right, buddy, man.

I can't tell you how much
I appreciate it.

Okay, buddy.

I can't --

♪♪

Narrator: in the heart
Of the smoky mountains,

Three shiners are on the road.

Mark: this is only part
I hate about moonshining really

Is the bootlegging part.

Narrator:
Mark's hitting the backwoods,

Looking to unload
35 gallons of peach liquor.

Meanwhile,
Jeff and lance

Are on the other side
Of the county,

Eager to sell 25 gallons

Of their one-of-a-kind
Appalachian scotch.

This year, jeff, mark, and lance

Are hustling to set
A personal record --

A $100,000 season.

But the local competition
Isn't making it easy.

So these three veterans tapped
The high end of the market,

Distilling 270 gallons
Of premium scotch

And peach whiskey.

Jeff: our competition's
Making corn whiskey

For way less than we can,

So we've made
The high-end scotch

Hoping to make
Three times the money.

Everywhere you look, there's
A chance of getting caught.

That's what makes me nervous --

You don't know what's
Around the next turn.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up...

Tim: I don't know what
We're gonna do, chuck.

...Tim's plan goes
From boom to bust...

Maybe we need to rethink
This whole thing.

...Couple's therapy
In kentucky...

You're frustrating me.

You're making everything
Complicated.

...And in south carolina,
Two generations join forces.

Jim tom:
Turn on the juice.

I want to see
That beautiful stream.

♪♪

Narrator:
Back in north carolina,

Jeff, mark, and lance

Are hoping to cash in
Before winter's bite

With two sales worth
Over 16 grand.

Mark: when I drop the price
Like that,

You know it's just cutting
Into what we make in a season,

So without that extra income,
We can't get through the winter.

We just made $8,000.

35 gallons what I had
And I got 7 grand for it.

♪♪

-how you feeling?
-I'm good.

Sandra: I'm a little stiff.
How's your leg?

Chico: I think
It'll be all right.

We're gonna do it
A little different today.

I agree.

Narrator: in the hills
Near gravel switch, kentucky,

Two bluegrass shiners
Are back in the saddle.

Ease up.

My dad used to tell me
When I was a kid,

He said, "If you fall off
The horse, you get back on."

When you're down, get back up.

That's just the way
This world works.

Baby, I'm starting
To see the light

At the end
Of the tunnel right here.

Don't say that.
Something will screw up.

You just open your mouth
Real big

And put your foot right in it
Is what you'll end up doing.

Narrator:
This season, chico teamed up
With a new partner in crime

To run shine family style.

You got everything?

But the couple nearly suffered
A season-ending blow

Before sandra's very first run.

Oh, god!

Now on the mend,
But months behind,

They're anxious to head back
To their remote still site

And finally mash in.

Sandra:
When you start making liquor,

You know one of the risks
Is being arrested.

But never
In my wildest dreams

Did I think
We could die doing this.

I'm scared to death,
But I'm not gonna give up.

Come on, buddy.

I've already come this far.

I'm gonna get back
On this horse

And just continue to push.

Right, and we could watch
The other way.

-yeah, right.
-okay.

Chico: sandra is as smart
A person as I've ever met,

But she don't know
Anything about liquor.

She has no clue
About what she's doing.

Now, just hold right there
And I'll be right up.

I'm gonna have to hold her hand

Through just about everything,
You know,

And that's just like
This first mash run.

I'm not gonna do
Nothing extravagant.

I'm gonna
Go back to grain.

We're gonna set rocks up

And build, like,
A little baby furnace.

Okay.

And you're
Comfortable with that?

It's just got
To melt sugar, honey.

I understand that,
But what if it spills over?

You're making
Everything complicated.

Maybe complicated,
But better.

Our relationship
Is very not classical, I guess.

I think you're gonna need
Some littler kindling.

Are you a boy scout?

No, I'm just
A country girl.

He gives me *bleep*

And I dish it out
Just as good as he does.

Yeah.

-keep it moving.
-slower.

This fire's got
To be steady,

It's got to be hot enough,
But you can't run it too fast

Because you don't want
To scorch the sugar.

Narrator:
Sugar is the key ingredient

That yeast converts to alcohol
During fermentation,

But any scorching can ruin
Both proof and flavor.

I'm excited.

Damn.

I can't help it.
It's like christmas.

[ chuckles ]

Oh.

I can't help it.

All right, let that sit there
And simmer a minute.

We'll take this grain
Over here

And put it in here.

One pound of grain
To one pound of sugar

To one gallon of water

And that'll run off about
110 proof.

Okay.

The more sugar
You add to this,

The higher
Your proof gets.

So, the more oomph.

Yeah, yeah.
That's right.

We're doing this as old school
As we possibly can.

I brought just enough yeast
From the house

To start two runs.

Scattered it all over it
Like you're salting pork.

Little thicker than that.

There you go.
It's good to go.

Next time we come,
We bring the still.

So, we mashed in?

Yes, we mashed in.

Are you happy now?
-I'm excited.

Get the sugar
Off of you.

Yeah,
I'm pretty sticky.

Oh, I could've been
So mean right there

And I wasn't.

♪♪

So, this is gonna be on top
Of the still like that.

Then we're gonna make the cap
With a flange on there.

It's gonna be a job,
Ain't it?

Narrator: back at belmont farm,
It's just six weeks

And counting for tim
To fill his 10,000-case order

For a top european distributor.

This thing is heavy,
Chuck.

Chuck:
Yeah, that's heavy.

That's solid
Stainless steel.

I'll tell you
What I need is a grinder

Just to grind
This right now anyway.

Yeah, I got a grinder.

This is one of the biggest pots
That I ever worked on.

I mean, this is a 4,000-gallon
Stainless-steel tank

That we're gonna turn
Into a moonshine still,

You know, from scratch.

This is
Backwoods ingenuity, I guess.

We've centered the flange

In the center of the tank,
Which is here,

And then we're gonna mark it

So we know
Where it's got to go.

Narrator: the flange connects
The pot to the cap,

And it's the first place

Where the alcohol vapor
Begins to purify.

Any errors
In measurement will leave gaps

For the alcohol to escape,

Causing profits to literally
Vanish into thin air.

To meet the demand
For the 10,000-case order

For poland, I've got to just get
This new still put into place.

All right.

-that gonna work, tim?
-I think so.

♪♪

Tyler: that's a whole lot
Of work going into this.

We got to cut this hole out.
It's not gonna fit flush.

So there's a lot of grinding
That's got to be done.

Just this one piece is gonna
Take several days to do.

And this poland order
Is pressing down on us.

Chuck:
We just got a lot to do.

I think we got to get
Some kind of a time schedule

Of how long it's gonna
Take to get this tank ready.

Come on down here
So we can talk.

Chill out.

You got
A lot going on.

If you start rushing things,
You're gonna mess something up.

And I'd really hate to see
You mess anything up on this.

I don't want to mess
That up,

Just get
This flange done.

All right,
Let's bring that flange down.

Get this flange down
So we can finish it.

I thought that flange,
You know, one day,

I would cut it out, carry it
Up there, and weld it on.

Well, it just wasn't
That simple.

Chuck: all right,
You gonna grind that thing some?

You know,
We got to get something

To make it straight flat.

We got to make it even.
-got to be level.

This right here,
Chuck, we got to take this off,

Cut that out, and put --

Yeah, we did
That four-inch flange in there.

We can't get to that till
You cut the hole in the top.

We can't get the hole in the top
Till you grind that down.

Tim:
I don't know if the new still
Is gonna get done in time

For us to be using that
For this poland order.

It's a lot of work and it's
Taking longer than we think.

I mean, it's been a week
Just getting that flange ready.

That deadline's beating down
On us.

Maybe we need to rethink
This whole thing.

Narrator: coming up...

Two backwoods bigshots
Go for broke...

And a legend sings josh's
Praises in south carolina.

♪ oh, I was down
In tennessee ♪

You ain't right,
Jim tom.

♪♪

This right here, chuck,
We're gonna take this off.

Chuck: yeah, we did
That four-inch flange in there.

In virginia, with a 10,000-case
Order on the line and a new

Still that'll take weeks
To get up and running,

Tim's forced to face the music.

It's a lot of work

And it's taking
Longer than we think.

Tim: we decided to cut
The flange off an old tank

So we'd have a flange
To put the cap on.

I was thinking in one day
We could do this,

And then I started looking
At it, and it all added up

To more than I could do
In the same amount of time.

Maybe we need to rethink
This whole thing.

Maybe we ought to go inside.

Maybe I should've just went
With big tank,

Pre-fab, turnkey operation.

If you're running here,
How many weeks

Is it gonna take to get
This 10,000 cases done?

Belmont farms distillery has
Never had an order like this.

This is not a big distillery.

This is
A small-time farm distillery.

They've never made 10,000 cases
In six weeks.

Sit down here
And do some math.

If we get
All the fermenter tanks up,

Say we get all six
Of them running.

-yeah.
-okay?

Chuck: so, we get 300 pgs
Per week per fermenter,

So that's 1,800.

1,800 pgs per week
Times 6 equals --

That's 10,000.

10,000 cases.
That's it.

-that's it?
-that'd be six weeks on that.

-that'll work.
-that work?

Tim:
I don't care how you make it.

10,000 cases
Is a whole lot of moonshine.

And if we don't make it,
Then we're gonna lose the deal.

Tyler: we'd have to run
All day and all night.

I mean, just wide open.

Six weeks,
It's got to be ready,

Not sitting
In a holding tank.

So, we've got to cook, ferment,
Distill, and bottle.

-all at the same time.
-all at the same time.

Do you really think
We can do this?

I don't know,

'cause I ain't never made
10,000 in six weeks.

You know,
We just have to do it.

-tyler, what do you think?
-it's gonna be rough.

Gonna have to utilize
Every piece of equipment

In this distillery
To get this order done.

Narrator:
The new 4,000-gallon tank
Would've eased the burden

On both equipment and staff
At belmont farm,

But now the small distillery

Will have to shoulder
The entire load.

Working nonstop 24 hours a day,

3 shifts around the clock,

7 days a week,
It's very stressful.

If we're gonna do this,
We got to get it going.

Josh:
All right, we're here.

Narrator:
Back at his winterized bunker,

Josh is primed to pump out

His first 60-gallon batch
Of cherry bounce,

And for his inaugural run,

He's trucked
In moonshine royalty.

Josh: oh, jim tom.

Jim tom:
Josh wanted me to come down here
And help him run a run today.

I ain't got nothing else to do
But just sit around the house.

I'd rather be here working.

[ chuckles ]

Oh, my lord.

Josh: I know.

Hey, it ain't supposed to be
Easy to get into.

Hey.

I'm telling you right now.

What?

If I've ever seen
A good setup in my life

In the last 60 years...

This is one of them.

-that it is.
-you really like it?

For the master to tell you

That this is the best still site
He's ever seen,

Then that's really
Saying something,

And, well, I feel
Pretty good right now.

Jim tom, you ready to make
Some moonshine?

I've been ready.
Yeah, you ready?

Yeah, we got to pipe
This mash over.

Right now, I'm under
A lot of pressure.

Jim tom's a legend.
He's a master, you know?

I'm a flop,
Well, I might just pack it up

And go to the damn house.

Josh: I'm gonna turn it on.
You ready?

It should be coming.

It's like I'm about to get laid
For the first time or something.

Cherry bounce right there.

After all this,
It felt so good

To see that cherry bounce mash
Pouring into that pot.

Talk about being high on life.

Man, that felt great.

It's made out of honey
And cherries and corn.

Rye.

-that gives it a good cap.
-yeah.

You ain't right,
Jim tom.

Josh:
The season got away from me,

And I'm just now
Getting cranked up

And getting going good.

Even though
I got this giant still,

I'm probably still gonna have
To run slap into springtime

To be able to make
My quota of 1,000 gallons.

Jim tom,
How much is in there?

That's it,
Wasn't it?

-yeah.
-all right.

Let's fire
This baby up.

Yeah, man.

[ sighs ]

Narrator: coming up,

Two outlaws cook up
A revolutionary recipe.

Only chance we got.

Chico:
We're taking on water.

And it's sink or swim

For kentucky shine's
Newest power couple.

Sandra: we got thrown off
A horse for this.

We got to make it work.

♪♪

Mm-hmm.

Narrator: in north carolina,

Two battle-hardened shiners

Are circling back
To where the season began.

Still thousands of dollars shy

Of their 100-grand goal,
Jeff and mark are returning

To their original
Creekside compound.

After several runs

Of their high-end scotch
At the camp...

Jeff: it's running.

...The veteran shiners

Were forced to leave
When their site was compromised.

Mark:
There's been somebody here.

They're still 130 gallons short,
But are determined

To hit their target
And finish the season strong.

Yeah.

That could bring the law
In on you any time.

Don't mind that.

I believe we're gonna
Be all right.

What we gonna run,
Jeff?

We've got our ingredients
To mash in with.

Yeah,
Sounds good to me.

We got
A little work to do.

Jeff: we're gonna run
This george washington,

Which is a rye whiskey,

Which takes a rye,
Corn, sugar, malt.

There will
Be some happy fish.

Get us
A little water going.

Well, I think we're good
On the place here.

Narrator:
For years, jeff and mark

Have been known for making
A truly american whiskey

That traces its roots
Back to the nation's

First president,
George washington.

Upon leaving office in 1797,

Washington decided to open
A distillery

On his mount vernon estate.

Using his own unique recipe
For rye whiskey,

He started small,
Making only a few barrels.

His product was an instant hit.

After just two years,

He pumped out
Over 10,000 gallons,

Making him the largest producer
Of rye whiskey in the country --

An odd distinction for a guy
Who just five years earlier,

Used federal forces to put down

An alcohol tax revolt
Among farmers.

Now we're gonna add
Our new mash.

50 pounds of rye.

Now I'm gonna add
25 pounds of corn.

And then we'll hook
Our water line up.

You got water?

I got water, mark.

We'll add about 50 gallons
Of water in here.

We got the best water
In the world to do this.

When we get the water in,
We'll pour sugar in it,

Add our malt to it.

Stir this thing
A few more times,

And I believe
She'll be mixed up.

Looking good.

This is important run to us
For us to make it all winter.

Cover this thing up
To keep the leaves out of it,

And we'll be
Back in six, seven days

And go make some liquor.

It makes me nervous,
But that's the only chance

We got if we're gonna make
Our goal of $100,000 this year.

Only chance we got.

[ birds chirping ]

♪♪

Sandra: you think we'll
Be out there all night?

Chico: yeah,
It's got to be done.

Narrator:
Miles off the beaten path,

Two kentucky shiners
Are taking the plunge.

It's deep.

It's deep?

Easy, buddy.

Easy, buddy.

We're taking on water.

Ooh.

Chico and sandra are eager
To christen their new still

With their first 60-gallon run
Of corn mash.

♪♪

Let's start filtering
Some mash out.

Sandra: I'm excited.

I'm gonna run liquor
For the first time.

I bled for this.

You know, we got thrown off
A horse for this.

I'm proud of it.

Okay.

Mm, that is --
That is strong.

Mm-hmm, strong smell
Makes strong whiskey.

Perfect.

This still is a different setup.

The cape, it's gonna actually
Condense back into it once,

So it functions like a doubler.

Narrator: chico's new still
Combines the components

Of a traditional pot still
All into one unit.

The pot and cape funnel
Into a collar,

Then serve the same purpose
As the pot, cape,

And cap on a traditional still.

The extra piece sitting on top
Of the collar functions

As the doubler would,

And the narrow pipe
Extending downward

Contains several
Small copper tubes

Surrounded by cold flowing water

And serves as the condenser.

Due to its small footprint,
High efficiency,

And ease of mobility,

It's an illegal shiner's
Dream come true.

Can I light it?

All right, now
When I turn this valve on,

You got to reach under here.

You see where it's got
To light?

-ready?
-go ahead.

-I did it.
-you happy?

-yes, I'm excited.
-good.

When it gets
To about 150,

We'll have to turn
Our condenser pipe on.

Liquor will actually
Start running about 170,

And it'll drip real slow.

It'll be a long,
Drawn-out, slow process,

But that's how
You get good liquor.

Narrator: 173 degrees
Is the optimal temperature

At which alcohol
Vaporizes out of the mash

And begins its journey
Through the still.

Any hotter, and excess water

Will also evaporate, resulting
In an inferior lower-proof run.

We're right about 160,
Honey.

It's coming.

It's gonna be faster
Than we expected.

I got to prime
This pump back.

There's a lot riding
On this very first run.

We're gonna run this liquor,

And as soon as we get the money,
That money's already gone.

We got to pay for the still,
We got to get

More supplies to make more mash.

You know,
We went to the hospital.

I got c.T.S and m.R.I.S.

We got to get
These medical bills paid off.

Hold steady.

[ laughs ]

We've got to make it work.

We're doing good, baby.

Check the temperatures
One more time.

-we're at 155 up top.
-perfect.

And we're at about 180
At the bottom.

All right,
I need to bring it down some.

We got
That adjusted down?

It's at 170.

Go over there
And watch that jar.

Wow.

Wow.

The fumes are crazy.

Chico: there's liquor
Running in the jar.

Narrator: coming up...

In virginia,
No rest for the whiskey.

Tim: it's like
A three-ring circus.

Chuck: grandpop, you know,

He was into moonshine
Pretty heavy, you know?

Used to store a lot of whiskey
In the house we had then.

He had
A hidden basement, you know.

Only way
To get to it is through a floor

In the living room.

The government
Knew he was doing it.

The whole trick
Was to catch him.

Well, one day,
The revenuers raided the house.

Grandpa wasn't home that day.

Anyway, grandma
Knew the sequence.

She had the rug
Over the trap door.

She'd sit in a rocking chair
And start crocheting.

They tore that place apart.

He couldn't find anything.

Grandpa came home
While they were still there.

He was really mad.

He took one
Of the police cars

All by himself
And rolled it down the hill.

The cops got all upset
At him and they beat him up.

Everybody thought
He was gonna die.

They didn't arrest him.
Didn't have anything.

They called a priest
And gave him the last rights

And all that,
But he survived.

Grandpa, he was a ruffian.

♪♪

Smell that?

There you go.

-what's that smell like?
-oh, my god.

That is really,
Like, seriously stout.

That's the head.

-wow.
-yeah.

Narrator: back in kentucky,
Chico and sandra

Have finally put one up
On the scoreboard.

-the first jar.
-I know.

I think
We need to try it.

Narrator:
Now they're anxious to see

If their moonshine
Makes the grade.

Ooh!

Mm-hmm.

You can smell it.
Smell the corn, yeah.

That's grain.

There's a lot of work
In this jar, you know?

Falling off the horse,
And blood and sweat and tears,

And all that boils
Down to this jar.

It's loud.

It's loud.

It's smooth, though.

Like, it's not...

I don't think
That could've possibly

Tasted any better to me.

The first sip
Of that was amazing.

You try it.
Tell me what you think.

I'm pretty proud of
Where we're standing right now.

You know, we've got
This first run of liquor off.

It's been rough
On us getting here,

But, you know,
Just like a ball game,

When they go throwing
Curve balls,

We just keep swinging till
We knock one out of the park.

Aw.

It's a heart
And our initials.

Sandra: you know, I never
Thought that I'd have

This thought in my head,
But I love this.

I love making shine.
I love running liquor.

We ain't nowhere
Near the finish line.

But that is a milestone.

It's family, you know?

That money
Don't get outside of us.

We're working to take care
Of each other,

And we're working
To take care of our family.

That's the best thing
About working with her.

That's awesome.

You know, this could really be
The start of something great.

If it keeps going
This smooth,

It'll be a great season for us.

I got
A pretty good team.

Rig runs good.

I think
We'll be all right.

♪♪

Let's see.

Look.
That's good stuff.

We're trying to get
This order together for poland.

We're gonna have to run
24 hours a day

Until we can get
This initial run done.

Narrator: it's game day
In culpeper, virginia.

Over the last week,
Tim boxed over 1,000 cases,

But still has
Another 9,000 to go.

So in order to meet the deadline
Just five weeks away,

He and the belmont farm crew

Are burning the midnight oil.

Chuck: we're just small potatoes
On the big world of whiskey.

You know, we're really
Just a little craft distillery.

We do everything
The old antique way.

We use a big, old pot still.

We raise all our grain.

We got to start from scratch.

We're not like the big boys,
So this is a big deal for us.

Thank god
We can keep things moving.

We can get her done.

Well, look in here first.

Mash is being pumped inside.

This is hot mash
That we just cooked in,

And it was like 200 degrees.

So then we're pumping it back
Into this tank,

And then we got to cool it down
So we can put the yeast

In so we can activate the yeast.

Right now,
We got the still running.

Let's see
What the still is doing.

We're running
Three or four things

At the same time now.

We're mashing in.

We got the still running.

We also got guys bottling.

I was just checking the whiskey.
Better check it.

I think it's flowing, tim.
-it is flowing.

Chuck:
Yeah, how's it looking?

It tastes pretty good.

-tastes pretty good?
-yeah.

-like a three-ring circus here.
-I know.

Making whiskey,
Making another batch,

And we got to bottle.

Tim, you got to come on
Back here a while.

Hey, wayne, you good?

-doing good.
-all right, all right.

Janet, what you doing?
You pack it up?

Chuck,
What is going on?

I got
To go fix some copper, tim.

Well, right now,
I'm going crazy.

We ain't never ran this fast.

I'm gonna get this started.
Trying to get this going.

Hey, man.
What's going on?

You know what's so kind
Of unique about this?

I get to look at
My dad every day.

Every time I put
A bottle in, I get to see him.

-that's a good deal right there.
-and then he's inside the box.

Tim: coming from the backwoods
And, you know,

Working with my dad with kind
Of a small-time illegal setup,

It's kind of a miracle
Going to poland.

And I really think
It's gonna be exciting

For my climax moonshine
To spread over europe,

And just same
As the united states.

Smells like fresh
Climax moonshine.

There you go.

You give a guy your word,
And that's what you do.

So I'm gonna work as hard

As I can to accomplish that,
And we will do it.

That's
A good batch, tim.

-poland's gonna love that.
-yeah.

-you know what's gonna happen?
-what's that?

They're gonna want more.

Tim, look at the work
We got to do

Just to get
One load out, huh?

Narrator:
Next time on "Moonshiners"...

Patti:
Who in the heck is that?

He's on the phone
With the law right now.

Narrator: ...Swamp shiners
Close up shop...

Patti: I hope I make it home
To my kids tonight.

Narrator: ...Message in a bottle
For mark and digger...

"Sorry I missed you guys.
I'll catch you later."

Says sheriff.

You don't know what I've been
Through for this.

...And it's the sip
That will decide a season.

Jim tom: taste that.
Get your opinion.

[ groans ]