Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 5, Episode 3 - Gone A-Rye - full transcript

We got to have good water
To make good moonshine

But our streams are getting
So polluted that we can't even

Make a batch of moonshine
Out of the water.

I wouldn't describe myself
As a tree hugger,

But when people
Pollute something,

They think
They're just pollutin' one area.

That *bleep* travels

And that means that our animals
Are being contaminated

And then we eatin' them.

Just keep to get passed on
Down the lines

Like a chain reaction.



As spring winds warm
The mountains of appalachia,

Outlaws are once again
Firing up their stills.

Moonshine has emerged
From its hidden world

And into liquor cabinets
Across america.

In north carolina, competition
Is crowding the woods.

Chemically and scientifically,

There is something
Magical about it.

Artisan shiners
Build a revolutionary still.

Nobody's ever done it,
But I'm about to.

I hear a plane.

Danger lurks in every direction.

I'm almost sure
That's the law.

This *bleep* just gets
Harder and harder every year.

♪♪



♪ no one can hold me down ♪

♪ or make me change my ways ♪

♪ so don't waste
Your breath sayin' ♪

♪ crime never pays ♪

♪ going for a ride ♪

♪ runnin' to survive ♪

♪ make a livin' ♪

♪ outside the law ♪

♪ we're livin' outside the law ♪

This is how
We make moonshine.

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

You know, the whole
Craft distillery thing,

It just is blowin' up.

I got a whole lot of product
That needs to be made.

A lot of people out there
Want to buy climax moonshine.

It's just I got
To catch up with it.

I got to keep makin'
More product.

Legal distiller tim smith
Is coming off a record year

Selling 30,000 cases
Of moonshine.

But the sheer volume of orders

Forced him
Towards a major crossroad...

We have bankers, insurance,
Everything taken care of.

...Expand production
Out of state

With his former partner
At the asheville distillery,

Or turn to veteran shiner
And old friend chuck

At the belmont farm distillery
In virginia.

There's lots
Of room here.

It is a big room.

We could build
Your own unit right there.

Chuck's grandfather
Was a bootlegger,

Much like tim's father
Before him,

Which makes tim's decision
Even more personal.

Asheville had it
Laid out for you.

Real easy, cut and dry,
No risks involved,

But working with troy.

Really,
When it boils down to it,

They own the distillery.

You know, coming back to chuck,

There's gonna be a lot
Of pressure on me.

If you cut the pipe
And you set it up.

But that's what makes unique,
Handcrafted moonshine

'cause then it's something
You can be proud of

And my dad
Would be more proud of.

Thinkin' about
What would my dad do.

He'd say, "I'm going back
To chuck."

We're getting ready to go
Tell chuck the good news.

All right,
We got to find chuck here.

Chuck.

How are you doing,
Tim?

Oh, I'm doing all right.

So what'd you decide,
Tim?

Well, I went back
And I decided

To go with what my dad
Would have decided.

Well, now, I mean,
I like your dad.

I remember
When he used to come here.

He was a fun guy.

-I know.
-he was a cool dude.

And based off of that,
I had to go with chuck.

Tim, this is great.

Fantastic news.

Think about what my dad

Would have said
If I'd have went to asheville.

Going there with all
That modern machinery

And that big
Corporation, huh?

He might have come
Out the grave.

He'd have said,
"What about chuck?"

Tim turned down asheville

And they had lots
Of corporate money down there,

Lots of new, modern machinery.

But we like to go
To a junk yard shop,

Find a tank,
And modernize it, huh?

Well, we need
To get started, huh?

I got a vision
Of what I want to do.

Like this cardboard.

So I'm gonna just put
The cook tank here,

You got the steel.
-yeah.

-it's over here.
-yeah.

Tim's master plan
For belmont farm

Will transform chuck's warehouse
Into a full-functioning

Distillery including
Four 2,500-gallon mash tanks,

A 3,000-gallon pot,

And a bottling room
With a conveyor belt

To carry cases
To the loading dock.

With a 1,000-case-per-week
Capacity,

This expansion will nearly
Double tim's current production.

Right now,
I'm growing at 200%.

Everybody loves it,
And they want more of it.

It's very risky,
Working with chuck.

It's all coming
Out of my pocket.

If it doesn't work out,
I'm gonna lose everything.

We better get started.

We'll just go get
A drink.

This is a big expansion,

And I'll be able to make
About 1,000 cases a week.

So the first thing I've got
To do is find a mash tank.

♪♪

In graham county,
North carolina,

Jeff, mark, and lance
Are facing the grim reality

Of a season on the bench.

They had hopes of a
Record-setting $100,000-season.

Look out, boys!
It's fallin' apart. Run.

But it all came crashing down
When their mammoth still

Collapsed under its own weight,
Spilling $700 worth of mash.

Here you go.

After discovering
The competition

Was undercutting their sales,

They're going in the only
Direction they can -- up.

Scotch take a lot longer to run
Than traditional moonshine.

It's a little harder
To mash in.

Up here is
A pretty good place.

We've made liquor here
Before.

You pick out places that they
Wouldn't expect you to be.

The north carolina
Woods are officially crowded

And mark and jeff
Will have to move

Even deeper
Into the back country

To ensure no rival shiners
Stumble on their scotch.

You know, mark,
There's gettin' to be more

And more competition
Everywhere you go.

We're losing places every day
To do what we do.

♪♪

Felt like I'm damn
Constantly having site problems.

You got to have good water
To make good moonshine.

I mean,
There's spots everywhere.

We just
Got to find them.

In spartanburg, south carolina,

Josh and bill are on the hunt
For the perfect site

To make their premium whiskey.

I want to make
Six figures this year

But shine season's runnin' thin.

Our last spot was contaminated.

That's no good.

They were planning on setting up

A still site once used
By their good friend and mentor

The legendary
Barney barnwell.

Something ain't right.

But the woods are changing

And barney's spot is no more.

I see petroleum-based stuff
For sure.

Makes me wonder
What we gonna do about mash

'cause if that stream's
Polluted,

What other stream's polluted,
You know?

I think I want to take
A water sample -- check the ph

Before we go dumpin' a bunch
Of money into a bunch of grains

And trying to make mash
Out of something.

I got a spot in mind.

This creek damn better be
Worth something.

We out of options,
Then we about out of time.

Good spot as any.
What do you think?

Oh, yeah.

They're weeks behind schedule
And $3,000 in the hole.

-tastes good.
-cutie pie seems to like it.

Every day that slips by

Without making shine puts them
Further and further in the red.

Could I see one
Of them test strips?

Besides testin'
For gasoline runoff,

We checked the ph.

Now I wish we would have
Done this at the other site.

If it's too alkaline,
It's almost like hard water.

And your complex starches

Won't break down
When you're makin' the mash.

You don't want to be too acidic,

But you also don't want it to be
Too much alkaline, either.

Is there a wait time
On this thing?

-15 seconds.
-right on.

If this spot don't work out,
I don't know what we gonna do.

What's it gonna be?

What's she look like?

5.7.

Hah.

Perfect water.

A ph of 7 is considered neutral.

Since slightly acidic water aids
Fermentation

By killing off bacteria,
Josh and bill

Are looking for water
With a ph between 5.6 and 6.

I really think
The perfect spot would be

Down there in the bend
Of the creek down there.

Let's go look at it.

There it is.

We found a spot,
But there's a giant hole

Right where the steel
Is gonna be,

And it's gonna stick out
Like a sore thumb from the air.

All they got to do
Is fly around.

Oh *bleep*
They're down on that creek.

That's how fast we can get
Busted from the air.

The practice of using aircraft

For surveillance
Stretches back to the mid-1900s.

In 1949, moonshining
Had become so widespread

That revenuers decided
It was time

To get a bird's-eye view
On the problem.

They began using light aircraft
To spot moonshine operations,

Then radioed the information
To tactical teams on the ground.

The unexpected threat from above
Proved a valuable weapon.

With this spot,
All we got to do

Is build sort
Of a shelter from the air --

A bunker or whatever the hell
You want to call this thing.

Imagine this was
A 2x4, okay?

Stick maybe one here, might one
Here, something or other.

Couple back here and then
Tie them all together

And then just take rolled rubber
Roof and put all over it

So it covers
The whole thing.

Bam. We're up and running
In two days, easy.

I was just thinking more
Along the lines

Of run a couple pieces
Of rope across,

Drape some camo netting
Over on top of it.

We're out of the rain.

We'll get more air cover.

Building a damn bunker
On this creek,

That gonna be a waste of time
Any way we look at it.

Every day
That we don't have a site,

That's another day
We're not making liquor.

I do see your point,

But it's just not
What I had in my mind.

But most of your ideas

Are a lot more complicated
Than they need to be.

I promise
This ain't complicated.

You're a carpenter.
-oh, no, see, here you go.

You're gonna put it
On me again.

"I got a great idea.
I know you can build it."

-bill, will you do me a favor?
-what's that?

Be quiet.

Me and bill have to compromise
To work together every day

And this *bleep* just gets
Harder and harder every year.

Hey, let's just build it
And be done with it.

It's a days work.

Well, you say that
'cause that's your idea.

Now, like,
Let's do josh's idea

And, like, the hell
With bill's idea.

That seems to make
The most sense to you.

All right *bleep*

I can't *bleep*
*bleep* this.

Coming up, tim's six-ton dream

Could come crashing down.

Up, chuck.
Ho, chuck, ho!

New recipes, new challenges
And more frustration.

*bleep*
Boggin' up again.

It's just scumming up
In here.

And in south carolina,
A storm is brewing.

Well if you just follow my plan
I wouldn't have to argue.

It is my vision.

*bleep* your vision.

♪♪

You better leave
That damn snake alone.

That little fella
Right there

Could cause you a world
Of problems.

It's few weeks
Into shine season,

And in eastern tennessee...

My god, that is
A damn copperhead, ain't it?

...Mark and digger will mash in

As soon as they deal
With their unwanted guest.

He can't touch you now.

I don't even know
Why I'm friends with him.

'cause I kill all the snakes
That might otherwise bite you.

Yeah, killing them
Is one thing,

But you're supposed
To leave them the hell alone.

Well, let's check that rye.
Put that damn snake away.

These innovators
Are about to change the game.

They're going to make
A blended-apple-rye brandy...

Watch your eyebrows,
Digger.

...Using a revolutionary
Two-pot still.

They'll start by fermenting
The apple brandy and rye

In two separate barrels.

These is kind
Of an assortment of apples.

Most of them are
Red delicious, fuji aztecs.

The natural sugars
Of the fresh, local apples

Will be drawn out
In the heating process.

Ready to give these apples
A turn?

Our goal's for this year is

We want to protect
This apple rye,

Develop this revolutionary
Double-still system

Into the best that it can be...

That's pretty much
Just applesauce.

...And stay out of jail.

Because rye is
A dense grain with a thick husk,

It has to be ground
To release the starches

For fermentation to occur.

Auger pulls it
Into that grinding wheel.

When it comes out the bottom,
It's real fine flour.

*bleep*
Boggin' up again.

It's just scumming up
In here.

Need to loosen it up
A little.

Hang on.
Don't bump that.

I got it.

It's going down in now,
Digger.

Most people
That are buyin' our moonshines

Are satisfied with it.

But digger and myself were
Taught not to ever be satisfied.

Hand me that bucket.

This apple rye will
Revolutionize moonshine flavors

In our neck of the woods.

We've got our yeast loaded
In this run of apple here.

We got our air locks in place.

Got the cap on good and tight.

All we need is for it to start
Bubblin', givin' off some gas,

We'll know that it's fermentin'.

♪♪

In the north carolina
High country,

Jeff, mark, and lance are taking
The road less traveled.

The presence of rival shiners
Is forcing them to push deeper

Into the back country
Than ever before.

That's pretty nasty fall
Right there.

Because gas-powered pumps
Are noisy,

Shiners
Prefer gravity-fed water sources

That silently carry water
To their condensers

From higher ground.

A remote site is crucial for
Jeff's scotch brewing process,

But the seclusion
Comes with a price --

A hazardous creek crossing.

♪♪

I'm really excited
About working with chuck.

But the limitations,

You know, working
With chuck's building here,

The ceiling height
Is only 13 feet.

So I can't get
A big tank in it.

Orders for climax
Moonshine are backing up.

So tim smith is wasting no time

To get his distillery
Up and running.

Went online.
I found a tank, you know?

The guy is sending me pictures
And stuff.

But looking at these tanks
Online,

They don't really give you
All the specific and correct

Information on sizes.

So, I got to really see it,
Smell it, and touch it.

To keep up with supply,

Tim is hoping this new mash pot
Will allow

Him to produce over 1,000 cases
Of whiskey per week.

I really hope
This tank is gonna fit

Into chuck's warehouse,
Or I'm gonna be in trouble.

Hey, how you doing?
Ross edear.

Hey, ross.
Is that the tank?

-that's it.
-okay.

Let's take a look
At it.

That's a big tank.

-what are you mixin'?
-mash.

I mean, we'll put 2,000 gallons
Of water in it.

That's a horse
And a half.

Yeah.

Measure this whole thing --
The length of it.

-that's about to the flange.
-what is that, 14 feet?

Chuck gonna love this.

There's a little bit
Of problem.

When I looked online,
It wasn't that big.

But I already paid for the tank,
And I'm actually, you know,

Gettin' it for 10%
Of the cost of a new tank.

So now I'm gonna
Have to take it back

And we're gonna
Have to make it fit.

I really need that on top,
But that's okay.

We'll work with it.

Now my dad taught me
How to do this kind of stuff.

You know, take things that maybe
Don't look right in others' eyes

And put it together
And make it work.

It's a big 2,500-gallon tank.

It looked good from what I saw
On the picture.

Now that I have it,

I'm seeing a whole lot
Of little different things.

I couldn't see it
On the internet.

It was just a good price
And, you know, I bought it.

So now we're gonna have to work
With it.

♪♪

Tim, you did it.

Look at this thing.

It's been a trip.

That is one big,
Heavy-lookin' tank.

Yeah, real heavy.

You think my little tractor's
Gonna pick that up, tim?

I hope so 'cause you got
To get it off that trailer.

Go up a little bit, chuck.

It's gonna get serious 'cause
We got to stand this thing up.

Oh, me and chuck,
We work good together.

We very resourceful
At what we got.

Problem is the tank was about

Two feet taller
Than the tractor.

I don't think the tractor
Can go that high.

The danger first
Is this chain coming loose.

The next thing
Is we get it halfway in the air

And can't completely
Flip it over.

All right, catch it more.
Back a little bit, chuck.

Get back a little bit.

Keep going up chuck.

Keep going on up.

Oh, not too much.

Not too much.

We hung up now.

The forks and the chains,
They got twisted up in a knot

Because the tractor
Can't lift so high.

All right,
Hold it right there, chuck.

We can't go down
And we can't back up.

We can't go nowhere with it.

We got another idea.

Yeah.
We're gonna put this under it.

In order to untangle the chains,

Tim's using wooden beams
To support the massive,

Six-ton tank
And keep it from falling,

While chuck attempts
To tilt the tank upright.

Hey, go lower, chuck.

Hey, now, ho, ho.

All right, go up.

Keep going up, chuck,
There you go.

Be careful.
Hold up, chuck.

Hold up.

Up, chuck.
Hold, chuck.

Hold right there.

Coming up,

Old-time shiners look
To define their legacy.

Chemically and scientifically,

There is something
Magical about it.

I hear a plane.

And there's eyes
In the sky in south carolina.

I'm almost sure that's the law.

Keep going up, chuck.
There you go.

There you go.
Keep on going.

In culpepper, virginia,
Tim and chuck are struggling

To keep their six-ton mash pot
From tanking.

You're halfway up in the air.

I can't let it down
And I can't pick it up.

I got another idea --
I'm gonna just pick it up

From the bottom
And push it over.

Be careful.
Hold up, chuck.

Hold up.

Go up.
Up.

Up, chuck.
Hold, chuck.

Hold, hold right there.

There you go.

You got it.

You did it, chuck.

See, I told you did it.

Next step is we got
To figure out how to pick it up

Little this a way now
And carry it over

And put it in the location.

Pull that thing in, chuck.

With this massive tank,
It's gonna be great.

But the problem is it's so big
It won't fit in the building.

So we'll just set the tank
Beside the building

And we'll build a extension
Out around the tank.

Now let's go down a little bit.

That's just the little bit
Of modifications

We got to do, you know,
To fix this big heavy-duty tank.

We got to get this tank
Full of mash.

Whoa.

Let me go look at it.

Now we got to cut a hole
In the top

So we can get in and out of it
From the top.

I guess the biggest problem is
It's sittin' outside right now.

I think we got enough room.

Virginia law states
That all legal distilleries

Must be housed indoors in order
To meet safety standard.

So if you put the wall right
There, look how much room.

We'll build a floor now here
Some more.

We'll put a foot in it,
And just come on out some more.

Building my own distillery here

Is a lot of work
And a lot of pieces don't fit,

But, you know,
I'm gonna put it all together

And I'm gonna make it work.

Tim, I'm just excited
We got it in here, man.

Huh, you did
A great job, tim.

Yeah.

How about a shot
Of moonshine, huh?

Yeah.

♪♪

How's everything looking,
Digger?

Well, it don't look
Like anybody's been in here.

I'm kickin' for snakes.

I'll scare them all
Out of your way.

Back in tennessee,

Mark and digger are about
To set up a moonshining first --

Their revolutionary two-pot
Still.

If we can make
The two-still system

Work the way we feel it should,

This will etch our name in
The annals of moonshine history.

Two stills is highly unusual.

I've run two pots,
But never at the same time

Into the same thump keg.

Mark and digger's setup

Will run two separate pots
Of mash simultaneously --

One rye and one apple brandy.

The two pots will feed into
The same doubler and condenser,

Yielding a blended apple-rye
Brandy straight from the still.

And after some last-minute
Soldering,

They'll be ready to light up.

These little gaps
Are very small,

But when copper melts,
It simply flows through.

It don't bug me
What it looks like,

Long as it holds steam.

You got to put these furnaces
Around these pots

To hold your heat in and
Maintain a more consistent heat.

Digger and I consider
Ourself backwoods tinkerers.

You always keep lookin' for
The new and better next idea.

And I want to see
If it's burnin'

When I go in
With this furnace.

We don't know of anybody
That's ever done this,

And if it works the way
That we feel it will,

We're probably gonna
Get calluses

On our hands from pattin'
Ourself on the back.

Now this particular condenser
Here was popcorn's.

Popcorn sutton is a name

Synonymous with
Appalachian-style moonshine.

A quintessential mountain
Moonshiner

Whose liquor-making genius
Goes undisputed, mark and digger

Learned their craft directly
From one of the greatest.

We learned so much of the things
That we do know from popcorn,

But this two-pot still
Might be our legacy,

Just as his whiskey
Is his legacy.

I think that's fine.

I think popcorn
Would be proud of us.

You know, he'd look down
Upon us with a smile

But, you know, there again,
The way he was,

He'd probably be a little ill

Because he didn't think
Of it first.

I think it looks damn
Impressive.

Makin' my heart
Melt a little bit.

♪♪

I still think we're going
A little bit

More elaborate
Than we need to.

On the other side
Of the blue ridge mountains,

Josh and bill are ironing out
A few wrinkles in their design.

The bigger
We make the structure,

The more
It's gonna stick out.

No, because it's gonna
Be looking like the ground.

They need a structure
That will camouflage

Their operation from both
The ground and the air.

You're gonna argue tooth
And nail about this and that.

Well, if you just follow
My plan,

I wouldn't have to argue.
-oh, like you got the plan.

-I do. I got plans.
-it's my vision.

*bleep* your vision.

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

I got a plan.
Your plan is knucklehead.

You're going
And going to do way too much

And complication stuff when
We could just make it simple.

Did your report card
Ever say,

"Does not work well
With others?"

No, no.

When you're forced
To work with somebody

For as long
As me and bill have been,

You expect the bull*bleep*
From the other person.

Got it?
-yep.

But we've kind of found,
Like a happy-go-medium

On most of the stuff.

Bunch of times,
Josh got a bad idea.

Think I just go ahead
And move forward with it anyway

'cause he's got his mind
Made up.

This is what he wants.

Not gonna do him any good
To argue.

Josh and bill are building
A bunker that will keep

Them hidden from surveillance,

Protected from the weather,
And supplied with cold water.

Constructed with 2x4s

And covered
With durable rubber roofing,

The bunker
Will extend over a small creek

To meet
With a six-foot-high bank.

Overhead, a roof vent will keep
Things cool, and a heat shield

Above the still
Will provide fire protection.

Roof sprinklers

Can be quickly activated
To kill any heat signature

A surveillance plane
Might detect.

For the final step,

They'll cover the roof
With leaves and brush

So it blends in
With the surrounding terrain.

This man gets a damn saw
Or a drill in his hand,

He's unstoppable.

Don't get me wrong,
I do appreciate --

Do appreciate josh going to get
This lumber for us yesterday,

But he wasn't really on
The quality control.

We're not building
The taj mahal out here.

Look, man, like, if we still
Be building propellers

Or maybe rocking chairs.

We could start a rocking
Chair company out here.

Sorry, dude.

Dogs barking somewhere.

I hear a plane.

I can hear them,
But I can't see them.

One thing about breaking the law

Is that you always
Got to look over your shoulder.

This thing's been flying around
Us for, like, 30 minutes or so.

I'm almost sure that's the law.

Here he comes back, y'all.

Y'all come with me.

Get in the bushes.

Coming up, a new
Recipe is put to the test.

Threats, first by air...

...Then on the ground.

Y'all come with me.

See him?

Josh and bill are scrambling

To construct a bunker
For air cover.,

But they can't build it
Fast enough,

As an airplane circles
Directly overhead.

I'm almost sure
That's the law.

It could be anybody,
But it's awful funny

They're just circling
The property.

So what we gonna do
About that?

I'd say we need
To just keep on building.

But by the time
We get a still in here,

We're gonna need
To make sure we got

Some trails cut in
For escape routes.

I don't know, man.

I mean, they can't arrest us
For, you know,

Being out in the woods
With a bunch of 2x4s.

By the time we get done,

It's gonna be camouflaged
From top to bottom anyway.

I really don't see it's a reason
We got to pack up.

We don't have time
To find another site.

One of those days.

♪♪

Cut it long ways.

Right there.
Cut that top.

In north carolina,
Jeff, mark, and lance

Are setting up
A still site so remote,

They're building a bridge
Just to access it.

This season,
They need a secluded spot

To produce jeff's highland
Scotch recipe.

I'm actually screwing
This bridge

Directly down to the log
That's in the water.

Being a moonshiner,
It's all about hard work.

You know, you got to watch
The chain on the chainsaw.

It don't know the difference
Between meat and wood.

It cuts both real well.

I can gauge the rest
Of this out back here

And it'll be able to go down.
-okay.

Back in the old days,
We wouldn't have done

Nothing like this right here.

Now we got figure
Out how to taper it off.

Laying a new bridge like that,

I believe you're just invitin'
Trouble.

Well, ain't got no choice,
Really.

It's either do it
Or starve to death all winter

So I guess we'll do it.

Walk across it, lance.

See what you think.

What do you think?

It'll work, won't it?

We just went and got us
Some truck bed liner

And we're gonna
Paint the bridge with it

And throw a little sand on it.

We'll be able to stand up
On the bridge if it's wet.

You don't want to get
That stuff on your shoes

'cause you'll carry it
In the house with you

And then your wife will be mad.

We're killing two birds
With the same stone here.

We're camouflaging
And getting traction.

This will make old lance feel
Better walkin' on it anyway.

Yeah.

That's my first
Bed-lined bridge.

Jeff, we'll be runnin'
Scotch in no time.

♪♪

Which mash
You want to run in which?

I'd rather run apple
On that old one.

Back over the
Smoky mountains in tennessee,

Mark and digger have crafted
A special two-pot system

To create
A blended apple-rye brandy.

Keep your arms
And legs inside the vehicle.

This ride is moving.

Oh, yeah.

It taste even better
Coming out of that hose?

Yeah, it's good.

We're putting apple mash
In the old pot

And the rye mash
In another pot.

Bring it to me, digger.

And we'll let all the vapors
Blend in the thump keg.

Chemically and scientifically,

There is something
Magical about it.

Boy, that's beer down in there.
I'm tellin' you.

Taking raw products
And rearranging them

Just a tiny bit to make
A brand-new, better product.

I want to see you try
To light this mud puppy, digger.

All right.

So that
The alcohol blends evenly,

It's crucial that the burner
Flames are identical.

It'll trumpet like that
For a little bit

And then they'll level
Right out.

You see any leaks?

I've seen no leaks yet,

But we got plenty
Of steam comin' in.

This is
A brand-new product for us.

The apple rye is something
That it's gonna blow the socks

Off of most people
Because we don't know

That there's ever been anything
Like that around here.

You know, it's fixing to start
Streaming any second now.

Yep.

Here -- we got a little bit
Of dribble coming out, mark.

Yeah, that's it, baby.
Right there.

Got our cast off.
Dump it over there.

That's that *bleep* liquor.

I've been
Sweatin' bullets today.

You know, we don't know
If it'll work this way or not.

You got to set yourself up
For failures as well as success.

I don't know
What the hell's wrong with it

But I ain't gettin' no rye
Out of it at all.

Coming up...
An unwelcomed visitor.

How could you not love
A face like it?

There you babies are.

Here, chick, chick.

Ow, she pecked me.

I got about 20 hens,
6 or 7 roosters.

He's one of the littlest
Chickens I got,

But he gets
All the other roosters' women.

I don't know how he does it.

He's a stud I guess.

We gonna boil 'em
Or we gonna fry 'em?

Nah,
Let's fry them up.

Why you want
To fry them?

'cause them boiled eggs
Damn give me the farts.

When you're makin'
Your own whiskey,

Growin' your own food,

There's something
To be said being able

To raise your own food --

Knowin' exactly
What went into that animal.

Watch -- over easy.

Look at that --
Over easy.

Who taught you
How to cook?

I didn't ever claim
To be a master egg chef.

-oh, lord.
-breakfast is served.

Now that's a moonshiner's
Breakfast right there.

Fresh eggs.
You can't go wrong.

I'm sorry, cutie pie.

I didn't even save you
A piece of bacon.

Here, we got a little bit
Of dribble coming out, mark.

Hidden deep
In the smoky mountains,

Mark and digger
Are running their first batch

Of apple-rye brandy
On their experimental

Two-pot still.

I don't know
What the hell's wrong with it,

But I ain't gettin' no rye
Out of it at all.

But their special recipe
Has failed to hit the mark.

The apple comes in
On the back end -- the sweet.

We've done something
That's wrong on the rye.

It could be that the burner
Ain't burning as hot on the rye.

With this tandem-still
Operation,

Everything's got to be equal.

They've got to heat up
The same time.

All the distances between
The end of the thump post

And back at the cap
Where the connector arm is.

If it's not equal,
Then the apple side's gonna flow

Quicker than the rye side
Or vice versa.

I don't know whether we
Didn't grind it enough,

We didn't steep it
Long enough.

In the back of my mind,

I just wonder if our mash
Wasn't 100% equal.

Maybe one had
A little more alcohol content

Than the other.

We got to figure out
What malfunctioned in that rye.

Maybe we can get some help
To help us figure it out.

Well, I know a guy.

I know that old fella

That used to come
Across the mountain.

He was buddies
With popcorn.

I knew in him passin',
But he made rye liquor.

Okay.

By and large, I'd say,
As far as rye whiskey goes,

He's probably the guy
Who's about as much a pedigree

As anybody in our region.

I'll try to get ahold
Of that old fella.

If I have to,
I'll ride across the mountain,

See if I can find him.

Well, it's worth a try.

We built this thing up
And we promised our customers

Something that is
Really special

And that's not the product
We're looking for.

Let's dump
That *bleep* out.

A lot of damn work
For nothing, wasn't it?

Yep.

The run is a bust.

Mark and digger's hope
For thousands in profit

Slips away.

There's gonna
Be some happy bugs right there.

♪♪

You got to do
What you got to do.

In south carolina,

Josh and bill are eager
To finish their bunker

After they spotted a plane
Circling overhead.

Something was falling.
Did you hear that?

Branch coming down
Or something.

Until it's completed,
Paranoia runs high.

I was gonna get
Another one here

And then maybe one more
On the end.

I got you.
I got you.

Little bit bigger
Of a structure

Than I thought
It was actually gonna be.

What she looks like?

About
Three inches short.

Three inches short?

My tape's
Not calibrated today.

It's an inch off.

Once the roof is finished,

They can cover it
With a natural camouflage

Of leaves and branches.

Ain't nothing easy
About makin' moonshine.

Even if you ain't got the law
On your back,

Even if you got
All the ingredients,

Even if you're a plumber,
Pipe fitter, welder, chemist...

-get your finger?
-nah.

Trying to, though.

It's still a lot of work
To make moonshine.

So my drill's got
The buttonitis.

It's never done
That before.

Something's wrong
With them buttons.

Something wrong
With the damn operator.

I'm gonna tell him I'm gonna
Build it like he wants it done

But I'm just gonna
Build it like I want to do it.

That's kind of the bottom line.

Crickets.

Hello.

Dude, there's a gal
On a horse over there.

Next time on "Moonshiners..."

Do you recognize me?

...A legendary shiner
Is back in the woods.

That drink will run.

In north carolina...

...A site is compromised.

If they go home
And call the law,

Our season's probably done.

The worst may be on its way

To the father/daughter team.

I'm constantly on high alert.

I mean,
My whole life is at stake

And I'm worried
About people rattin' me out.

I have absolutely no idea now
I let you talk me into this.

And a risky plan
Could fall flat.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
Whoa, whoa, whoa.