Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 7, Episode 10 - Skins in the Game - full transcript
Tim tries a centuries-old method for finding water. Mark and Digger source ingredients for a unique liquor. Mark and Mike reunite, while Chico and Sondra risk it all.
♪♪
Ramsey: moonshining is
Extremely difficult.
You can't do this job
Successfully by yourself.
You have to work
With honorable people.
If I didn't trust
J.V. And digger,
Then I wouldn't
Be here with them.
Our word is our bond
To each other,
And when that's
No longer there,
Then either get out of the
Business or get new partners.
Narrator: nine generations
Of moonshiners in appalachia
Have survived through a network
Of partnerships and alliances.
Like the spirits they brew,
Some are complex
And develop with age
While others volatile
And deadly.
Wishing for a well
In virginia...
This is a very big distillery.
Without water,
I got a big problem.
Narrator: ...Grappling
With grappa in tennessee...
Ramsey: kind of looks like
Pumping a damn septic tank,
Smells a lot better, though.
Oh, damn it!
Narrator:
...And in north carolina,
A partnership
On a slippery slope.
If you'd have got that damn pump
Like I told you to,
I wouldn't be down here
Wallowing around
This damn furnace.
♪ no one can hold me down ♪
♪ or make me change my ways ♪
♪ so don't waste your breath
Sayin' ♪
♪ crime never pays ♪
♪ goin' for a ride ♪
♪ runnin' to survive ♪
♪ when you're livin'
Outside the law ♪
♪ we're livin'
Outside the law ♪
Man: this is how
We make the moonshine!
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
Old gene gave you a call?
He said he's got
A bunch of pomace up.
You know, we shouldn't have
A lot of expense in this liquor.
-no.
-I mean, the main ingredient,
Heck,
We're getting for free.
Narrator: in tennessee,
Mark and digger
Are pressing forward
On their first batch of grappa,
An ancient form of moonshine
Originally made in italy.
Grappa, it's just a liquor
That's distilled
From the pomace of grapes.
Pomace, you know,
It consists of the stems,
The seeds,
What's left of the pulp
After they've been
Pressed for wine-making.
I say, whatever he's got,
We'll take away.
Go big or go to the house.
I mean...
If you're going to be
A bear, be a grizzly.
Is that what
You're saying?
Well, that's what
I was trying to say.
We're coming back
To the vineyard today
To pick up the pomace that
The vintners promised to us.
This grappa order,
It's a $15,000 payoff,
And that's substantial
In our world.
-hey, hey!
-hey, man.
How you been?
I'm all right
For the shape I'm in.
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
You know, we've got a 60-gallon
Order for this grappa
From this national
Country music celebrity.
If we knock this ball over
The fence here, then, you know,
Hey, there's no telling
What's going to come in,
So we certainly want to
Nail it and nail it right.
Here's grapes.
Oh, wow.
Hey, don't shut them
Up too fast.
We might want to try one.
That much.
Boy,
They're sweet as sugar.
These grapes are at
Their peak sugar content.
They're as sweet
As they're going to get.
We can get this flavor
Into our mash.
I think we have really
Got a winner.
You want to help me
Get some done?
-yeah.
-we will.
He got two machines here.
One of them strips all
The grapes from their stems,
And then all the grapes
Go into this press machine,
And it squeezes out the juice.
They're very big machines
And pretty impressive,
And we're trying to help
And also learn
A little something
In the process.
Okay.
Who is better with the hose?
You used to handling
A big hose?
Hell yeah.
Pretty good inch
And a half, yeah.
-[ laughing ] yeah.
-most of the time.
I got this.
I can do this all day long.
-I'm talking about all day long!
-all day long!
[ machine whirring ]
♪♪
Now this is
The unit right here.
[ machine clicks, whirs ]
The air inflates
On both sides and just...
-presses it to the middle?
-...Presses it to the middle.
It's extracting the maximum
Amount of juice?
-yeah.
-wow.
Man, it really smells delicious.
It's outstanding, I mean, such a
Strong, floral, fragrant smell.
Even the skins, I mean,
They're just fantastic.
This is going to make
Some outstanding liquor.
Ramsey:
That's a bunch of grape skins.
This is all new to me.
The grape rake, look for
The world like a tater fork,
Don't it?
Ramsey:
This pomace is costing us zero.
We have nothing in it, so our
Profits will be tremendous,
And that's just
Simply gravy for us.
Narrator: one man's trash
Is another man's treasure.
While the juice from the
Extracted muscadine grape
Is used to make wine...
Holy mackerel.
...Mark and digger
Are hauling out
Nearly 500 gallons
Of the leftover cast-off,
Including the grape skins,
Seed and stem,
Which are all integral
To making their 60-gallon
Order of grappa.
See how dry that is now?
-yeah.
-yep.
We're going to have
To use the forklift.
Pomace, it's everything we like.
Kind of looks like
We're going to hide a body.
It's locally sourced.
It's fresh.
These grapes were
Just picked today.
You know, that's
As fresh as it gets.
Well, it ain't the most clean
Job I've ever had in my life.
No, but it beats driving
A damn japanese backhoe.
All we got to do is load
Them up and get them mashed in.
Yeah, boy.
I believe that'll get her.
Let's go ahead and put
These up here in front.
Digger: you know, the clock
Is ticking on us now.
You know, we got the pomace.
We're going to mash
As quickly as possible
Because they'll firm in on their
Own, and it'll turn to vinegar.
That's going to give
Our liquor a bad flavor.
We've done all the damage
We can do to your place, man.
I appreciate it.
-thanks, guys. Hey.
Our reputation is at stake,
So we're going to put
Our very best into this.
Hopefully, we can get
This grappa run off,
And we'll make
A top-quality product here.
♪♪
♪♪
Yeah, I'm coming up here
To this old graveyard over here
Just across
The cocke county line.
Over here,
My old buddy, larry,
He's wanting
10 gallons of liquor.
People wants my liquor.
I'm going to sell it.
Narrator: on unlit back roads
In eastern tennessee,
Mike is risking a moonshiner's
Double jeopardy,
Selling liquor behind
His partner's back
And crossing into another
Moonshiner's territory.
But everybody is wanting
My liquor, so, you know,
I've got to make
A living at this.
I've got to feed my family.
I've run a couple
Of runs by myself,
But as soon as this stuff
Is out of my hands,
It's been long overdue.
I got to get back to mark.
Made a total of 50 gallons.
I know mark will
Probably find out
That I'm running
Some liquor for myself,
But I don't plan
On cutting him in
On anything that
I've done on my own.
A lot of people likes my liquor,
And I'm trying to
Expand my territory.
It's not real comfortable
Being in a different county,
But if you're going
To expand your territory,
You got to do
This kind of stuff.
Narrator: old-time moonshiners
Could expect retribution
For bootlegging
On someone else's turf.
In this world of unwritten laws,
Punishment is often swift,
Severe and sometimes deadly.
I know of a few folks that makes
Liquor in cocke county
And ain't here to step
On nobody's toes or nothing,
But I don't care where I got
To go to sell my liquor.
Yeah, I'm over here
In the old cemetery,
Feel a little spooky about that.
Just going to get up here
And get it sold to him
And get out of dodge.
♪♪
All good, man.
There it is. Yeah.
Yeah, after 10 gallons,
Ain't you?
It is all there?
I've got to make sure,
You know.
Yeah. Let's go over here
And get your liquor.
Let's get out of here.
Oh.
Oh.
-appreciate you.
-you have a good one, sir.
-you too, man.
-we'll see you on the next trip.
Let's get out of cocke county.
I've had a few good weeks
Out here by myself,
And I like being
My own boss, but, you know,
I've agreed
To bootleg for mark
And help him out
Around the still site.
I'm going back to the woods
To help mark out.
There ain't no stopping me
When it comes
To making liquor
And selling liquor
Unless the law
Gets me for good.
I've done it all my life,
And I'm going to do it
Until the day I'm dead.
♪♪
Pony is feeling a little
Funky today. Look at him.
Oh, it takes more weight out.
-it's weight off of him.
Yeah.
There you go, pony.
Narrator: hidden in the thick
Kentucky woodland,
Chico and sondra
Prepare to mash in a batch
Of their popular
Strawberry-banana brandy.
-he's fast.
-he is fast.
Sondra: the strawberry-banana
Is working out great.
There's already a demand for it,
So we're going to mash in.
I got the strawberries, bananas.
You know, I'm ready.
I'm ready to go.
Come on before I trade
You in for the pony.
Hey,
The pony was good, man.
I'm not --
Yeah, he was great.
Chico:
This strawberry-banana brandy,
It's a quality product
That people want.
I'll start up here.
I'll also get it set up.
You go turn the pump on?
Yeah.
That's a good idea.
We've set a goal for ourself
This season, 375 gallons.
Sondra, she's the best
Little sales rep I got.
She gets it gone.
I keep it flowing.
Okay.
[ pump whirring ]
The seals has went out
In this pump.
We're getting ready
To mash in.
Lo and behold, I get down here.
My pump lays down.
These pumps, if you don't
Continuously use them,
The seals will dry-rot.
Sondra:
What's going on down there?
Is the pump not working?
If it was working,
We'd have water.
We've got to mash in today.
Those strawberries are ripe.
I know what we got to do,
But I can't do it
If it won't do it.
Mechanical things quit.
It's just what happens,
You know,
But now we do not
Have water to mash in.
Sondra: with these different
Fruit brandies,
We open up to
A whole new market,
But when you're working
With fresh ingredients,
Especially fruit
Like strawberries,
You don't have
Much shelf life.
We want these strawberries
To ferment in the mash barrel.
If they don't ferment
In the mash barrel,
They're going to rot.
There's a difference between
Rotting and getting moldy
And fermenting
And making alcohol.
We don't get them
Mashed in today,
I don't know
If we can use them.
I've expanded
My territory somewhat.
Narrator: a rocky reunion
On the blue ridge.
I'm the bootlegger.
Let me take care
Of the bootlegging.
♪♪
What's going on down there?
Is the pump not working?
If it was working,
We'd have water.
We've got to mash in today.
Those strawberries are ripe.
Narrator:
In the bluegrass state,
Chico's reliance on an old pump
Has proven costly,
Putting a several-hundred-dollar
Batch of shine in jeopardy.
We can still mash
In tonight, right?
I don't think you understand.
This pump is broke.
It's not got enough pressure
To actually pump it
Through what we're
Asking it to do.
Chico:
These little electric pumps
Don't really have enough force
To get water up that far.
I don't have enough money to go
Purchase a brand-new pump.
Okay. So, let's fix it.
-we done.
-you mean we're done?
How complicated
Is this to fix?
Honey, you can't put
[indistinct]
On that and it fix it.
Okay, smart ass,
If we don't mash in today,
Those strawberries,
They're going to start to rot.
They're going to get
Moldy and nasty.
Sondra: I'm trying not to be
Angry right now,
But the pump is
His department.
You know, I'm the chef.
He's the mechanic.
Do you see these strawberries?
Feel this strawberry.
Feel that.
They're all going to be
Like that before too long.
Chico:
We don't need
To get them wet.
If we put them in the
Refrigerator or somewhere cold,
That'll help them keep
A little bit longer.
The heat just keeps it --
That means we got to
Pack them all away back up?
Yes, we have to.
Chico: you know, our
Relationship is give and take.
We're out in the woods
Doing something illegal.
It's a hard life.
It's hard work.
The bananas are good
Though, right?
Bananas are fine.
I'm not worried about
The bananas at all.
Okay?
It's just these.
Most of the time,
It's a team effort,
But equipment, that's my job.
It's going to take forever
To get them out of here.
But if you'd have quit
Explaining that an hour ago,
We'd have found a solution.
Just you know what?
I'm frustrated. Okay?
Sondra is right.
These strawberries are
On the verge of waste.
We're at a standstill.
We're coming back tomorrow
With a pump, hell or high water.
♪♪
♪♪
Let's get this hooked up.
All right.
We got to be real careful
With this cap, right?
Get that set in.
What are you doing?
I'm looking
For something.
Okay.
Hope you find it.
Narrator:
In culpeper, virginia,
Tim is searching
For the final element
Needed to get his new wing of
The distillery up and running.
Tim: got my divining rods out.
I'm trying to find exactly where
The flow of the water is going
Because I'm trying to find
A spot to dig a well.
We got the brand-new
3,000-gallon pot steel.
We've actually doubled
Our capacity.
We're already using up all the
Water for chuck's distillery.
This is a very big distillery,
And, you know, it doesn't work
Unless you got plenty of water.
It's telling me water
Is right here.
What are you doing, tim?
I'm looking for water.
I mean, it's like no one
Has seen divining rods before.
What is going on
Over here?
See that? Look at that.
See that?
-what does that tell me?
I mean, what does that mean?
That means there's water
Right there, sir.
-huh?
-there's water.
We got to dig a well.
Chuck:
How you going to find water
With two little copper rods?
Got to do a geological survey.
That's an old fairy-tale way
To find water, tim.
Chuck wants to have a geological
Survey done on the property
To find out where
The water source is,
And it costs thousands
And thousands of dollars.
I mean, I've got these divining
Rods that I made myself.
They've been working fine
For years.
Every time we dug a well,
My dad always got the rods out.
I grew up doing this
All my life.
I'm not exactly scientifically
Sure how it does work,
But I know it does work.
Narrator: originating
In medieval germany,
Dousing is a technique
For locating groundwater
Using sticks or metal rods.
Practitioners claim that
Divining rods move or cross
When passing over
A water source.
Although it lacks any known
Scientific basis,
Dousing is still commonly used
Throughout the world today.
Even in technologically
Advanced societies
Like the united kingdom,
Many utility companies
Still rely on dousing
As an inexpensive way
To locate underground pipes.
I never heard of such a thing,
Getting a piece of copper wire
And running out
And finding water.
Well, you got to find it
Somehow, chuck.
Well, [indistinct],
I want to see if you get
The same opinion
That tim has.
-no.
-well, I mean, it's...
See if you can
Do something.
Well, let's see what we got
Going on right here.
I'm starting in the
Same spot you was.
Stop right there.
Now watch.
You going to go
All the way over here.
See that?
Look at that.
Yeah. Yeah.
There's something under there.
Chuck: I don't know.
It did do something, and they
Both did it at the same spot.
I don't really have
A lot of faith in it.
That's a big hole.
I think I'd move it down here.
-move it down some?
-yeah.
But I've had estimates
As high as $10,000
To do that kind of work.
All right.
Tim, if that's what you guys
Think, we'll try it.
All right.
Now you know the guy
Is coming out,
And he's going to drill here
Because you said so.
You know, it going to cost
A lot of money.
Tim: chuck, he's a little bit
Concerned about this,
But, you know, my divining rods
Has never let me down,
So I'm very confident
That we're going to find water.
If it don't prove to be true,
It would run you out of town.
Okay?
-all right?
As long as I can run faster than
Him, I'll be doing all right.
You had better have
Your tennis shoes on, jacob.
[ laughter ]
♪ oh ♪
♪♪
Whew.
Narrator:
On the north carolina border,
Mark prepares for a run
Of apple brandy
While tension builds
Over the absence
Of his shine partner, mike.
Old mike, he give me a call.
He's on his way.
It's about time.
[ juicer whirring ]
I've been waiting a long time
To hear from him,
You know, come and help me,
And that's the deal we made
Back earlier in the season,
And I know mike has been
Running liquor on his own,
Been a little
Aggravated about it,
But now we need to get busy
And get these orders filled.
Howdy, buddy.
I made her, son.
Where you been, son?
Well, I've been busy as a cat
Covered up in manure.
Yeah,
I apologize it taking me
So long to get back
Over here to you,
But I'm here now.
Yeah.
I just try and juice up
Some apples here.
I set up a couple barrels,
And I was going to make one
Of them like a apple brandy.
Hey, you done got some mash
Worked off and ready?
So what you going to do,
Just infuse your apples
Or something in the thumper?
Mike: I been gone a little bit
Longer than I anticipated,
And I know
It's probably made him
A little bit hairy
About where I'm at.
We could get ahead of the game
If we could just work
Together and make it happen.
Damn, mark.
What the hell is that?
You want to put that
In there?
Yeah.
I'd take a little more pride
In that in my fruit.
You sure you don't want
To throw that away?
Put her in there.
Mark: lot of people
Don't understand it,
But it takes a rotten apple
To get the best taste
That they are in your liquor.
A firm liquor,
You can juice them out,
But you ain't going to get a
Whole lot of taste out of them.
These bad apples can
Still taste the sugar in it.
It just makes more alcohol.
I don't like to waste anything.
You ain't never done this
Before, have you?
I've made some apple liquor, but
I don't use rotten-ass fruit,
And that smells like the rear
End of a south cat, son.
Mike: I'm looking at some
Of these apples,
And I wouldn't want my name
On nothing like that.
I wouldn't want nobody seeing
What I'm cutting up,
But I can tell in his eyes he's
Over there gritting his teeth
When I make a couple
Of comments to him?
You mean to tell me you want
To put that in your mash?
I'll sell it for you, but I
Don't want my name on this.
All right?
Narrator: digging deeper
In the hole in virginia.
Tim: deeper he has to go,
The more it's going to cost.
Each one of these rods is,
Like, $500,
Every one of them
At $500, $500, $500.
[ thunder rumbles ]
[ water falling ]
♪♪
-hmm.
-yeah, boy. It's fun, ain't it?
Damn. We ain't got no choice
Right now.
It started raining on us.
By god, we got to do it.
Narrator: it's rain or shine
In tennessee,
And the clock is ticking
On mark and digger
To begin the two-stage
Grappa fermentation process.
First, they need to get
The pomace mashed in
Before it spoils.
You know, the reason we're
Doing a cold fermentation
On this run of grappa
Is it brings more flavor.
That's how vintners bring
Flavor through their wines.
First fermentation
Is for the flavor.
Second fermentation
Is for the alcohol content,
To bolster it, but this stuff,
It's fermenting.
I guarantee it.
That one definitely
Needs released.
Looky there.
God almighty.
-[ laughs ]
Oh, that'd knock
Your head off.
[ grunts ]
[ sniffs ] phew.
Yeah, boy,
It's fermenting, baby.
You know, wild yeast
Are laying on these grapes,
And it's causing
Them to ferment,
And they're fermenting hard,
So we've got to move fast,
Add more water,
More sugar to it
And get what we
Want out of this.
Ramsey: we don't like
To work in the rain
No better than
Anybody else does,
But rain be damned,
It's time to mash in the grappa.
It's very labor-intensive.
There's no time to waste.
The client will be wanting it
As quickly as possible,
And it's all uphill from here.
It's every inch
Of my damn body
I'm fighting back
Against eating me
A handful of this
*bleep* right now.
Go for it.
We got plenty of it.
Now, didn't you tell me
On this stuff
We don't want to
Ferment it fast?
No,
We want it to go slow.
We need to cool it in some
Of this cold water.
Let me get
Some water going.
With a cold fermentation,
We want to keep it colder
Than 60 degrees.
That brings out more flavor
From fruits.
This bag of sugar here
Is getting wet,
So I'm going to go ahead
And get it in here.
With this right here especially,
We want a lot
Of that grape flavor
To carry on into
This distilling,
So we're going to do everything
We can correctly on this.
Narrator: in order to produce
High-proof grappa
While maintaining
Its grape essence,
A two-stage cold-fermentation
Process is required.
For the first stage,
Mark and digger
Will ferment the pomace
Using unheated water
And a cold-tolerant yeast.
After about 2 weeks
Of fermentation,
They'll have a flavorful
But low-alcohol mash.
That's when part two of
Grappa fermentation begins.
With the yeast from the
First stage still active,
Mark and digger
Will add the mash
To a fresh mixture of sugar
And water to continue
Fermentation.
After 7 more days,
The mash's alcohol content
Will be high enough
To yield grappa
With the desired
Proof and palate.
Are you going to add
Any yeast to it
Or let the natural yeast
Do it?
I'm going to fit
Some yeast in it.
I'm afraid
This will die off.
Wilder yeasts, they won't
Produce the amount of alcohol
We need.
We got to put a hardier
Yeast in here
That'll kill that yeast off
And keep going
And make a higher
Alcohol content.
That's insane good.
Ramsey: man, it smelled so good,
And I love that sensation.
I mean, it sucked your wind
Out of your lungs.
It's kind of like breathing
Teaspoon full of wasabi.
We got one more to do.
You got it in you?
You know, I wasn't really,
Really excited about this
Because you're always a little
Bit leery of unknown,
So any doubts or reservations
I may have had about it,
They're done.
We going to call this
Hillbilly grappa
Or grappa moonshine?
I like hillbilly grappa.
We is hillbillies,
You know.
Thank the lord.
I know we're charging
200 bucks for this.
And it's damn well worth
Every penny of it.
It's going to make us
A hell of a profit margin.
The only thing we're
Buying for this run
Is the sugar and the jars.
The basic ingredients
Were given to us,
But they were not free
In terms of work.
You can go buy a load
Of corn and pay for it
And be done in 10 minutes,
And then the wood
Is cooking corn.
This involves extra work
That we had to put in.
Boy, I can't wait to come
Back in here and taste this.
I'd say, by then,
It'll be ready to transfer.
Yeah.
Then it'll ferment 6 or 8
More days good and slow.
Yeah.
There we are.
All right.
Let's go.
Let's go home,
Find us a nice towel.
♪♪
♪♪
Mike: wow.
It's hot, ain't it?
Mark: yeah, it's hot.
But it won't be long.
Fall will be right on top of us.
Yeah.
Narrator:
In the great smoky mountains,
Mike and mark embark on a run
Under the specter
Of an uneasy partnership.
That's a good-looking still site
You got here, buddy.
All right.
Okay.
I love working with mark,
But the way everything is set up
Is just a little bit
Harder on me.
Everybody has got
Their different style
Of running liquor,
And he's got his way,
And I got mine.
It's the old-fashioned way
Of doing it.
I prefer to use gas.
Firewood just takes a lot
Longer to get hotter.
Today, we're going to be
Running an apple brandy.
We're going to infuse
The thump keg
With fresh-squeeze apple juice.
I didn't really like
Some of the old rotten apples
He was putting in it,
But that's the way
We're going to do it,
So we'll just see
How it turns out at the end.
Is this our siphoning hose?
Did it?
Mike:
All I got now is buckets.
I'm glad mikey is here.
He can help me
Carry it to the pot.
You know, it's a long walk
With buckets.
Man ought to have him a battery
With a bilge pump.
You can just pump it right over,
Straight over in there.
That's the way I do mine.
I'm glad to have old mikey back,
But he's complaining
On me just a little bit.
I figure he'll get
Over it maybe.
I hope he does.
I'm going to start getting
Some of this mash down here.
All right.
♪♪
God almighty. Damn.
My bucket was broke.
Every bit we lose, you know,
That's just a little bit
Out of our pocket.
Oh. Damn.
That damn hill is slicker than
Owl crap on a pump handle,
Seemed like a little bit
Of nonsense to me.
Makes it a whole lot easier
If you got you a pump
To pump your mash over in.
Oh, damn it!
Son of a bitch.
♪♪
Oh, damn it to hell!
If you'd have got
That damn pump
Like I told you to,
I wouldn't be down here
Wallowing around
This damn furnace.
Narrator: in tennessee,
Tension lays heavy in the air
As mark and mike
Begin their run.
Mike:
Now I'm covered in sweet mash,
And it's just altogether just
Aggravated me and pissed me off.
Come down here and wash some
Of this *bleep* off of me.
I've been up that hill all
Summer, and I ain't fell yet.
I'm a little bit worried about
It, how clear it is, the smoke.
Mike:
When you're using firewood,
You take the chance on somebody
Seeing the smoke, but mark likes
To do things the old way.
He's just stubborn.
Now if it was, you know,
Fire season or something,
It'd worry me
A little more,
But I don't think it'd be out
Here just looking for smoke.
Mark:
Once it starts getting hot,
Ain't got nothing
To worry about,
The less smoke it'll make.
-it's hot, mark.
-darn hot.
Yeah, buddy. She's hot.
It's running.
What do you think we're going
To get out of this?
-ten gallons.
-ten gallon?
About right.
Change these heads.
Mike: we went ahead and make
The run of liquor
With these rotten apples,
Whew, see how it turns out.
It's good liquor.
It's almost drinkable.
By god, you can taste
That apple in it.
Yeah, it'll do.
Yeah, I have.
I've expanded my territory
Somewhat, so to speak.
Well, it's got its potentials
To be dangerous.
Well,
I appreciate your concern,
But I'm the bootlegger,
So I guess we'll just let me
Take care of the bootlegging.
A lot of people get hurt.
I ain't had no trouble yet,
And I think no pretty good
At what I'm doing, so...
But at the end of the day,
I got to do what I got to do.
Mike: he's trying to tell me
What to do, but we decided
I'd be the bootlegger,
Let me worry about that,
And I'll do my best
Not to bring you up in it.
Oh!
Time to shut her down.
Mark: you start getting mad
And aggravated at your partners.
You got to do something,
Or it'll just
Get worser and worser.
All right then.
I believe we about
Got it covered.
Let's get out of here
With it.
Narrator: mark and mike's
Run yields 10 gallons
Of high-quality apple brandy.
Mark: I'm telling you,
It's better to back off
And let things go.
Things starts going bad,
And I'd just about assume
To be back by myself.
I can make it out on my own,
And I know mark can too,
And I think that's the best
Thing for both of us.
Yeah.
♪♪
♪♪
-here they are.
-all right. Here it goes.
-we going to find out, tim.
-we got some well-drilling now.
No wonder it costs so much.
Narrator: it's time
For the big guns in virginia.
Tim and company are hauling
In the heavy equipment
To drill for water needed
To run tim's distillery.
Tim: this is the day.
Finally, the drilling
Rig is here,
And we're going to start
Drilling where the divining rods
Tells me where there's water.
It's the perfect spot.
All we got to do
Is drill the hole.
This is the spot right here.
Tim and I took the divining rods
And kind of crossed it up.
Chuck, he's saying
They ought to have some
Kind of high-tech equipment.
Something goes in there and
Tells you where the water is.
Yeah, but that costs more.
There's water there.
I'm telling you.
Is this going to work? Is there
Going to be water there?
Well, we'll find out.
Chuck: you know, I'm a little
Skeptical about it,
But with a new distillery,
We have to save money.
Since tim and tickle came up
With the same spot,
I said, "Go for it."
Tim: chuck, you're going
To have more water.
You'll be selling water.
I'll be selling water?
You want to buy some?
-we start bottling water now.
-there you go.
What you call that,
Artesian well? Artesian.
-artesian.
-artesian.
-artesian well.
-artesian well.
Yeah.
You know, it's kind of
Riding on me right now.
I'm trying to save
A whole lot of money,
But if we don't find the water,
It's going to cost
A lot of money.
We've got to have this water.
You know, 20, 30, 50 gallons
A minute is what we got to have.
We can't have this thing
Just peeing.
I may get me another job,
Chuck,
After they found this water,
Professional douser.
J.T.: getting this guy to come
Out here, dig this hole,
It costs a lot of money,
So we're just
Going to hope and pray
That it's water under there.
-240 is my guess.
240?
Yeah, he'll get 260,
Somebody guessed. It was tim.
-you think?
260?
I'm going to say three.
Narrator:
In this part of virginia,
Water is typically found
Between 250 and 900 feet down,
But at a cost of $20 per foot,
A well can be a money pit.
Tim: right now, we at,
Like, 100 feet.
I'm still confident we're going
To find water there,
But the deeper he has to go,
The more it's going to cost
Because each one of these rods
That they put in is 25 feet,
Which is about $500.
Every one of them, it's, like,
$500, $500, $500.
♪♪
Well, he hit 275,
No water.
Chuck: man, I am getting
Really worried.
This is getting awful expensive.
He ain't hit nothing yet.
This is not good.
Well, I mean, you know,
It's getting...
I thought maybe, you know,
250, 240, and I thought 275.
We go past three,
I'll really get worried,
So let's go down
One more stick.
♪♪
♪♪
All right.
Glen, where are we now?
You're 325 feet.
And did we pick up
Any water?
-no, you haven't.
-haven't picked up any?
-mm-mm.
-all right.
Now we at 325, kind of done went
Over, you know, the budget here.
What are some of the wells
In this area?
How far have they gone?
We have some
That's 7, 8, 900 feet.
Mm.
That's a long way down.
Let him go to drill now.
You going to pay
For the next 25 feet?
If you hit water.
It's a nice, hot day.
-give me some water, glen.
Put the thing in the ground.
This is just getting
Too expensive.
I'm really feeling the weight.
You know, did I make
The right decision?
Without water,
I got a big problem.
♪ oh, hey ♪
Digger and myself
Been friends for, what, digger?
15, 17 years.
A partnership
That's going to work,
You got to find
The humor in it.
We'll tweak if you want to.
Tweak, twerk,
Whatever you want to do.
You get to twerking.
I'll be back, and we'll tweak.
-are you *bleep* me?
-I wouldn't *bleep* you.
You're my favorite turd.[ barrel bangs ]
Sounds like two skeletons
*bleep* on a tin roof.
Ramsey: you got to be
Very careful with it.
You drink too much of it,
It'll give you the
*bleep* something fierce now.
I'm telling you.
Digger: you'll *bleep*
Through a keyhole.
Everything has got
A little bit of humor in it.
Hell, the first three letters
In funeral is fun.
[ both laugh ]
I believe I got me
A career in music.
Digger: you reckon?
♪ na, na, na, na, na,
Na, na, na, na ♪
♪ na, na, na, na, na,
Na, na, na, na ♪
You know what?
Them city fellows are hearing
When they hear that rafting,
Don't you?
Hell yeah.
-paddle faster.
-paddle faster.
Paddle faster.
You got
A pretty mouth, boy.
[ laughs ]
♪♪
-hitting hard rock.
-yeah.
Narrator: in culpeper, virginia,
Tim's search for a water source
Continues to run dry.
Tim: we haven't found any water.
I made a decision to dig here
But can't dig 7, 800 feet.
This is just getting
Too expensive.
Chuck, we got a new spot.
Are you sure
You're right this time?
I'm hoping we're going to get
Some water over here.
I got us into this thing,
And I'm going to get us out.
I still really believe
In these divining rods,
And I found another location,
And this is where
We're going to drill.
♪♪
I don't see any water
Coming out yet, though.
I mean, it looks dry over there
To me, so I hope you're right.
Man, I hope you're right.
We got down to 150 feet.
He ain't hit nothing yet.
It's just a nightmare.
There's so much at stake here.
I think we ought to quit.
Chuck:
I don't know. He's putting on
Another drill bit.
He's fixing to go deeper.
Tim: I've just seen that
Little bit, though.
I don't know, tim.
There's no guarantee to hit
Water, and I'm well over budget.
I know the money is counting
Because these guys
Are going to get paid
Whether or not
You hit water or not.
I'm getting really worried.
I'm going to have a distillery
With no water here.
I don't know what
We're going to do.
You ain't getting nervous,
Are you, chuck?
-I'm not sure.
-I don't know.
You know, we already been here
For, like, hours.
The well drillers is about
Ready to give up.
-woo!
-water! Yeah!
I mean, they hit this water.
I mean, it's a gusher.
You know, water is
Coming out everywhere.
I mean,
It's like christmas time.
1,001, 1,002,
That's 30 gallons a minute.
That's it.
We finally got water, man,
And I tell you what,
I'd drink it, swim in it, played
In it, whatever I had to do.
I was just so glad
We hit water.
[ cheering ]
Let's go get us a drink.
We going to celebrate now, huh?
Tim: it's a big weight
Off of my shoulder,
So much relief that my
Divining rods never let me down.
I mean, we got the water
That we're looking for
To have a working distillery,
So it was a good day.
Mission accomplished, huh?
♪♪
I need a pump to mash in,
And I got a buddy of mine
That I know has got one.
Sondra was freaking out that the
Strawberries are going to ruin.
I got to make a quick move.
You know, I don't want
To lose another day.
Narrator:
Down in kentucky,
Chico needs to barter
Some high-dollar shine
For a working water pump
To get his operation
Back up and running.
I'm just going to go out here
And see a friend of mine,
And he's been bugging me,
Wanting a little liquor.
I know pretty much that he's
Going to have a pump,
So I'm going to
Offer him three jars.
This underground network
Is just the way we stay
Under the radar, you know,
But it's got to be
People that you trust.
He'll be glad to see me
Pull in with a jar, I'd say.
He's out in the garage.
That's good.
[ glass clinks ][ grunts ]
Ah. I need a 12-volt water
Pump hooks to a battery.
I know you was using
One last time
We was out here to flush
Your radiator stuff.
You got anything?
-man, that's perfect.
-that's perfect?
Perfect, perfect, perfect.
That's about new,
Isn't it?
Yeah.
Try that.
That's that $50-a-quart brandy
I've been bragging about,
That strawberry-banana
That the old lady come up with.
Right on.
What do you think?
You think that'd do it?
Cool. I hate to rush,
But I'm going to get to bed.
All right, man.
Thank you, buddy.
Hey, as long as it keeps me
Out of the stores, brother,
I'm good.
Thanks, bubba.
Taking them with him,
Good dude.
Right on.
We was stuck without
This pump, you know,
So now we head back
To the site tomorrow,
Get the strawberries
Out of the refrigerator,
Take this pump down there.
It's what we needed.
It ought to work.
I hope it does anyway.
Narrator:
Next time on "Moonshiners"...
[ cellphone rings ]
-what's up, brother?
-hey, not too much.
Could you cook up
A order of shine for me?
...Temptation calls
In culpeper...
I'll make it
Worth your while.
Uh...
That thing is sucking in.
Oh, my god.
Narrator: ...And a blow-up
On the blue ridge.
[ bang ]god almighty.
Ramsey: moonshining is
Extremely difficult.
You can't do this job
Successfully by yourself.
You have to work
With honorable people.
If I didn't trust
J.V. And digger,
Then I wouldn't
Be here with them.
Our word is our bond
To each other,
And when that's
No longer there,
Then either get out of the
Business or get new partners.
Narrator: nine generations
Of moonshiners in appalachia
Have survived through a network
Of partnerships and alliances.
Like the spirits they brew,
Some are complex
And develop with age
While others volatile
And deadly.
Wishing for a well
In virginia...
This is a very big distillery.
Without water,
I got a big problem.
Narrator: ...Grappling
With grappa in tennessee...
Ramsey: kind of looks like
Pumping a damn septic tank,
Smells a lot better, though.
Oh, damn it!
Narrator:
...And in north carolina,
A partnership
On a slippery slope.
If you'd have got that damn pump
Like I told you to,
I wouldn't be down here
Wallowing around
This damn furnace.
♪ no one can hold me down ♪
♪ or make me change my ways ♪
♪ so don't waste your breath
Sayin' ♪
♪ crime never pays ♪
♪ goin' for a ride ♪
♪ runnin' to survive ♪
♪ when you're livin'
Outside the law ♪
♪ we're livin'
Outside the law ♪
Man: this is how
We make the moonshine!
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
Old gene gave you a call?
He said he's got
A bunch of pomace up.
You know, we shouldn't have
A lot of expense in this liquor.
-no.
-I mean, the main ingredient,
Heck,
We're getting for free.
Narrator: in tennessee,
Mark and digger
Are pressing forward
On their first batch of grappa,
An ancient form of moonshine
Originally made in italy.
Grappa, it's just a liquor
That's distilled
From the pomace of grapes.
Pomace, you know,
It consists of the stems,
The seeds,
What's left of the pulp
After they've been
Pressed for wine-making.
I say, whatever he's got,
We'll take away.
Go big or go to the house.
I mean...
If you're going to be
A bear, be a grizzly.
Is that what
You're saying?
Well, that's what
I was trying to say.
We're coming back
To the vineyard today
To pick up the pomace that
The vintners promised to us.
This grappa order,
It's a $15,000 payoff,
And that's substantial
In our world.
-hey, hey!
-hey, man.
How you been?
I'm all right
For the shape I'm in.
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
You know, we've got a 60-gallon
Order for this grappa
From this national
Country music celebrity.
If we knock this ball over
The fence here, then, you know,
Hey, there's no telling
What's going to come in,
So we certainly want to
Nail it and nail it right.
Here's grapes.
Oh, wow.
Hey, don't shut them
Up too fast.
We might want to try one.
That much.
Boy,
They're sweet as sugar.
These grapes are at
Their peak sugar content.
They're as sweet
As they're going to get.
We can get this flavor
Into our mash.
I think we have really
Got a winner.
You want to help me
Get some done?
-yeah.
-we will.
He got two machines here.
One of them strips all
The grapes from their stems,
And then all the grapes
Go into this press machine,
And it squeezes out the juice.
They're very big machines
And pretty impressive,
And we're trying to help
And also learn
A little something
In the process.
Okay.
Who is better with the hose?
You used to handling
A big hose?
Hell yeah.
Pretty good inch
And a half, yeah.
-[ laughing ] yeah.
-most of the time.
I got this.
I can do this all day long.
-I'm talking about all day long!
-all day long!
[ machine whirring ]
♪♪
Now this is
The unit right here.
[ machine clicks, whirs ]
The air inflates
On both sides and just...
-presses it to the middle?
-...Presses it to the middle.
It's extracting the maximum
Amount of juice?
-yeah.
-wow.
Man, it really smells delicious.
It's outstanding, I mean, such a
Strong, floral, fragrant smell.
Even the skins, I mean,
They're just fantastic.
This is going to make
Some outstanding liquor.
Ramsey:
That's a bunch of grape skins.
This is all new to me.
The grape rake, look for
The world like a tater fork,
Don't it?
Ramsey:
This pomace is costing us zero.
We have nothing in it, so our
Profits will be tremendous,
And that's just
Simply gravy for us.
Narrator: one man's trash
Is another man's treasure.
While the juice from the
Extracted muscadine grape
Is used to make wine...
Holy mackerel.
...Mark and digger
Are hauling out
Nearly 500 gallons
Of the leftover cast-off,
Including the grape skins,
Seed and stem,
Which are all integral
To making their 60-gallon
Order of grappa.
See how dry that is now?
-yeah.
-yep.
We're going to have
To use the forklift.
Pomace, it's everything we like.
Kind of looks like
We're going to hide a body.
It's locally sourced.
It's fresh.
These grapes were
Just picked today.
You know, that's
As fresh as it gets.
Well, it ain't the most clean
Job I've ever had in my life.
No, but it beats driving
A damn japanese backhoe.
All we got to do is load
Them up and get them mashed in.
Yeah, boy.
I believe that'll get her.
Let's go ahead and put
These up here in front.
Digger: you know, the clock
Is ticking on us now.
You know, we got the pomace.
We're going to mash
As quickly as possible
Because they'll firm in on their
Own, and it'll turn to vinegar.
That's going to give
Our liquor a bad flavor.
We've done all the damage
We can do to your place, man.
I appreciate it.
-thanks, guys. Hey.
Our reputation is at stake,
So we're going to put
Our very best into this.
Hopefully, we can get
This grappa run off,
And we'll make
A top-quality product here.
♪♪
♪♪
Yeah, I'm coming up here
To this old graveyard over here
Just across
The cocke county line.
Over here,
My old buddy, larry,
He's wanting
10 gallons of liquor.
People wants my liquor.
I'm going to sell it.
Narrator: on unlit back roads
In eastern tennessee,
Mike is risking a moonshiner's
Double jeopardy,
Selling liquor behind
His partner's back
And crossing into another
Moonshiner's territory.
But everybody is wanting
My liquor, so, you know,
I've got to make
A living at this.
I've got to feed my family.
I've run a couple
Of runs by myself,
But as soon as this stuff
Is out of my hands,
It's been long overdue.
I got to get back to mark.
Made a total of 50 gallons.
I know mark will
Probably find out
That I'm running
Some liquor for myself,
But I don't plan
On cutting him in
On anything that
I've done on my own.
A lot of people likes my liquor,
And I'm trying to
Expand my territory.
It's not real comfortable
Being in a different county,
But if you're going
To expand your territory,
You got to do
This kind of stuff.
Narrator: old-time moonshiners
Could expect retribution
For bootlegging
On someone else's turf.
In this world of unwritten laws,
Punishment is often swift,
Severe and sometimes deadly.
I know of a few folks that makes
Liquor in cocke county
And ain't here to step
On nobody's toes or nothing,
But I don't care where I got
To go to sell my liquor.
Yeah, I'm over here
In the old cemetery,
Feel a little spooky about that.
Just going to get up here
And get it sold to him
And get out of dodge.
♪♪
All good, man.
There it is. Yeah.
Yeah, after 10 gallons,
Ain't you?
It is all there?
I've got to make sure,
You know.
Yeah. Let's go over here
And get your liquor.
Let's get out of here.
Oh.
Oh.
-appreciate you.
-you have a good one, sir.
-you too, man.
-we'll see you on the next trip.
Let's get out of cocke county.
I've had a few good weeks
Out here by myself,
And I like being
My own boss, but, you know,
I've agreed
To bootleg for mark
And help him out
Around the still site.
I'm going back to the woods
To help mark out.
There ain't no stopping me
When it comes
To making liquor
And selling liquor
Unless the law
Gets me for good.
I've done it all my life,
And I'm going to do it
Until the day I'm dead.
♪♪
Pony is feeling a little
Funky today. Look at him.
Oh, it takes more weight out.
-it's weight off of him.
Yeah.
There you go, pony.
Narrator: hidden in the thick
Kentucky woodland,
Chico and sondra
Prepare to mash in a batch
Of their popular
Strawberry-banana brandy.
-he's fast.
-he is fast.
Sondra: the strawberry-banana
Is working out great.
There's already a demand for it,
So we're going to mash in.
I got the strawberries, bananas.
You know, I'm ready.
I'm ready to go.
Come on before I trade
You in for the pony.
Hey,
The pony was good, man.
I'm not --
Yeah, he was great.
Chico:
This strawberry-banana brandy,
It's a quality product
That people want.
I'll start up here.
I'll also get it set up.
You go turn the pump on?
Yeah.
That's a good idea.
We've set a goal for ourself
This season, 375 gallons.
Sondra, she's the best
Little sales rep I got.
She gets it gone.
I keep it flowing.
Okay.
[ pump whirring ]
The seals has went out
In this pump.
We're getting ready
To mash in.
Lo and behold, I get down here.
My pump lays down.
These pumps, if you don't
Continuously use them,
The seals will dry-rot.
Sondra:
What's going on down there?
Is the pump not working?
If it was working,
We'd have water.
We've got to mash in today.
Those strawberries are ripe.
I know what we got to do,
But I can't do it
If it won't do it.
Mechanical things quit.
It's just what happens,
You know,
But now we do not
Have water to mash in.
Sondra: with these different
Fruit brandies,
We open up to
A whole new market,
But when you're working
With fresh ingredients,
Especially fruit
Like strawberries,
You don't have
Much shelf life.
We want these strawberries
To ferment in the mash barrel.
If they don't ferment
In the mash barrel,
They're going to rot.
There's a difference between
Rotting and getting moldy
And fermenting
And making alcohol.
We don't get them
Mashed in today,
I don't know
If we can use them.
I've expanded
My territory somewhat.
Narrator: a rocky reunion
On the blue ridge.
I'm the bootlegger.
Let me take care
Of the bootlegging.
♪♪
What's going on down there?
Is the pump not working?
If it was working,
We'd have water.
We've got to mash in today.
Those strawberries are ripe.
Narrator:
In the bluegrass state,
Chico's reliance on an old pump
Has proven costly,
Putting a several-hundred-dollar
Batch of shine in jeopardy.
We can still mash
In tonight, right?
I don't think you understand.
This pump is broke.
It's not got enough pressure
To actually pump it
Through what we're
Asking it to do.
Chico:
These little electric pumps
Don't really have enough force
To get water up that far.
I don't have enough money to go
Purchase a brand-new pump.
Okay. So, let's fix it.
-we done.
-you mean we're done?
How complicated
Is this to fix?
Honey, you can't put
[indistinct]
On that and it fix it.
Okay, smart ass,
If we don't mash in today,
Those strawberries,
They're going to start to rot.
They're going to get
Moldy and nasty.
Sondra: I'm trying not to be
Angry right now,
But the pump is
His department.
You know, I'm the chef.
He's the mechanic.
Do you see these strawberries?
Feel this strawberry.
Feel that.
They're all going to be
Like that before too long.
Chico:
We don't need
To get them wet.
If we put them in the
Refrigerator or somewhere cold,
That'll help them keep
A little bit longer.
The heat just keeps it --
That means we got to
Pack them all away back up?
Yes, we have to.
Chico: you know, our
Relationship is give and take.
We're out in the woods
Doing something illegal.
It's a hard life.
It's hard work.
The bananas are good
Though, right?
Bananas are fine.
I'm not worried about
The bananas at all.
Okay?
It's just these.
Most of the time,
It's a team effort,
But equipment, that's my job.
It's going to take forever
To get them out of here.
But if you'd have quit
Explaining that an hour ago,
We'd have found a solution.
Just you know what?
I'm frustrated. Okay?
Sondra is right.
These strawberries are
On the verge of waste.
We're at a standstill.
We're coming back tomorrow
With a pump, hell or high water.
♪♪
♪♪
Let's get this hooked up.
All right.
We got to be real careful
With this cap, right?
Get that set in.
What are you doing?
I'm looking
For something.
Okay.
Hope you find it.
Narrator:
In culpeper, virginia,
Tim is searching
For the final element
Needed to get his new wing of
The distillery up and running.
Tim: got my divining rods out.
I'm trying to find exactly where
The flow of the water is going
Because I'm trying to find
A spot to dig a well.
We got the brand-new
3,000-gallon pot steel.
We've actually doubled
Our capacity.
We're already using up all the
Water for chuck's distillery.
This is a very big distillery,
And, you know, it doesn't work
Unless you got plenty of water.
It's telling me water
Is right here.
What are you doing, tim?
I'm looking for water.
I mean, it's like no one
Has seen divining rods before.
What is going on
Over here?
See that? Look at that.
See that?
-what does that tell me?
I mean, what does that mean?
That means there's water
Right there, sir.
-huh?
-there's water.
We got to dig a well.
Chuck:
How you going to find water
With two little copper rods?
Got to do a geological survey.
That's an old fairy-tale way
To find water, tim.
Chuck wants to have a geological
Survey done on the property
To find out where
The water source is,
And it costs thousands
And thousands of dollars.
I mean, I've got these divining
Rods that I made myself.
They've been working fine
For years.
Every time we dug a well,
My dad always got the rods out.
I grew up doing this
All my life.
I'm not exactly scientifically
Sure how it does work,
But I know it does work.
Narrator: originating
In medieval germany,
Dousing is a technique
For locating groundwater
Using sticks or metal rods.
Practitioners claim that
Divining rods move or cross
When passing over
A water source.
Although it lacks any known
Scientific basis,
Dousing is still commonly used
Throughout the world today.
Even in technologically
Advanced societies
Like the united kingdom,
Many utility companies
Still rely on dousing
As an inexpensive way
To locate underground pipes.
I never heard of such a thing,
Getting a piece of copper wire
And running out
And finding water.
Well, you got to find it
Somehow, chuck.
Well, [indistinct],
I want to see if you get
The same opinion
That tim has.
-no.
-well, I mean, it's...
See if you can
Do something.
Well, let's see what we got
Going on right here.
I'm starting in the
Same spot you was.
Stop right there.
Now watch.
You going to go
All the way over here.
See that?
Look at that.
Yeah. Yeah.
There's something under there.
Chuck: I don't know.
It did do something, and they
Both did it at the same spot.
I don't really have
A lot of faith in it.
That's a big hole.
I think I'd move it down here.
-move it down some?
-yeah.
But I've had estimates
As high as $10,000
To do that kind of work.
All right.
Tim, if that's what you guys
Think, we'll try it.
All right.
Now you know the guy
Is coming out,
And he's going to drill here
Because you said so.
You know, it going to cost
A lot of money.
Tim: chuck, he's a little bit
Concerned about this,
But, you know, my divining rods
Has never let me down,
So I'm very confident
That we're going to find water.
If it don't prove to be true,
It would run you out of town.
Okay?
-all right?
As long as I can run faster than
Him, I'll be doing all right.
You had better have
Your tennis shoes on, jacob.
[ laughter ]
♪ oh ♪
♪♪
Whew.
Narrator:
On the north carolina border,
Mark prepares for a run
Of apple brandy
While tension builds
Over the absence
Of his shine partner, mike.
Old mike, he give me a call.
He's on his way.
It's about time.
[ juicer whirring ]
I've been waiting a long time
To hear from him,
You know, come and help me,
And that's the deal we made
Back earlier in the season,
And I know mike has been
Running liquor on his own,
Been a little
Aggravated about it,
But now we need to get busy
And get these orders filled.
Howdy, buddy.
I made her, son.
Where you been, son?
Well, I've been busy as a cat
Covered up in manure.
Yeah,
I apologize it taking me
So long to get back
Over here to you,
But I'm here now.
Yeah.
I just try and juice up
Some apples here.
I set up a couple barrels,
And I was going to make one
Of them like a apple brandy.
Hey, you done got some mash
Worked off and ready?
So what you going to do,
Just infuse your apples
Or something in the thumper?
Mike: I been gone a little bit
Longer than I anticipated,
And I know
It's probably made him
A little bit hairy
About where I'm at.
We could get ahead of the game
If we could just work
Together and make it happen.
Damn, mark.
What the hell is that?
You want to put that
In there?
Yeah.
I'd take a little more pride
In that in my fruit.
You sure you don't want
To throw that away?
Put her in there.
Mark: lot of people
Don't understand it,
But it takes a rotten apple
To get the best taste
That they are in your liquor.
A firm liquor,
You can juice them out,
But you ain't going to get a
Whole lot of taste out of them.
These bad apples can
Still taste the sugar in it.
It just makes more alcohol.
I don't like to waste anything.
You ain't never done this
Before, have you?
I've made some apple liquor, but
I don't use rotten-ass fruit,
And that smells like the rear
End of a south cat, son.
Mike: I'm looking at some
Of these apples,
And I wouldn't want my name
On nothing like that.
I wouldn't want nobody seeing
What I'm cutting up,
But I can tell in his eyes he's
Over there gritting his teeth
When I make a couple
Of comments to him?
You mean to tell me you want
To put that in your mash?
I'll sell it for you, but I
Don't want my name on this.
All right?
Narrator: digging deeper
In the hole in virginia.
Tim: deeper he has to go,
The more it's going to cost.
Each one of these rods is,
Like, $500,
Every one of them
At $500, $500, $500.
[ thunder rumbles ]
[ water falling ]
♪♪
-hmm.
-yeah, boy. It's fun, ain't it?
Damn. We ain't got no choice
Right now.
It started raining on us.
By god, we got to do it.
Narrator: it's rain or shine
In tennessee,
And the clock is ticking
On mark and digger
To begin the two-stage
Grappa fermentation process.
First, they need to get
The pomace mashed in
Before it spoils.
You know, the reason we're
Doing a cold fermentation
On this run of grappa
Is it brings more flavor.
That's how vintners bring
Flavor through their wines.
First fermentation
Is for the flavor.
Second fermentation
Is for the alcohol content,
To bolster it, but this stuff,
It's fermenting.
I guarantee it.
That one definitely
Needs released.
Looky there.
God almighty.
-[ laughs ]
Oh, that'd knock
Your head off.
[ grunts ]
[ sniffs ] phew.
Yeah, boy,
It's fermenting, baby.
You know, wild yeast
Are laying on these grapes,
And it's causing
Them to ferment,
And they're fermenting hard,
So we've got to move fast,
Add more water,
More sugar to it
And get what we
Want out of this.
Ramsey: we don't like
To work in the rain
No better than
Anybody else does,
But rain be damned,
It's time to mash in the grappa.
It's very labor-intensive.
There's no time to waste.
The client will be wanting it
As quickly as possible,
And it's all uphill from here.
It's every inch
Of my damn body
I'm fighting back
Against eating me
A handful of this
*bleep* right now.
Go for it.
We got plenty of it.
Now, didn't you tell me
On this stuff
We don't want to
Ferment it fast?
No,
We want it to go slow.
We need to cool it in some
Of this cold water.
Let me get
Some water going.
With a cold fermentation,
We want to keep it colder
Than 60 degrees.
That brings out more flavor
From fruits.
This bag of sugar here
Is getting wet,
So I'm going to go ahead
And get it in here.
With this right here especially,
We want a lot
Of that grape flavor
To carry on into
This distilling,
So we're going to do everything
We can correctly on this.
Narrator: in order to produce
High-proof grappa
While maintaining
Its grape essence,
A two-stage cold-fermentation
Process is required.
For the first stage,
Mark and digger
Will ferment the pomace
Using unheated water
And a cold-tolerant yeast.
After about 2 weeks
Of fermentation,
They'll have a flavorful
But low-alcohol mash.
That's when part two of
Grappa fermentation begins.
With the yeast from the
First stage still active,
Mark and digger
Will add the mash
To a fresh mixture of sugar
And water to continue
Fermentation.
After 7 more days,
The mash's alcohol content
Will be high enough
To yield grappa
With the desired
Proof and palate.
Are you going to add
Any yeast to it
Or let the natural yeast
Do it?
I'm going to fit
Some yeast in it.
I'm afraid
This will die off.
Wilder yeasts, they won't
Produce the amount of alcohol
We need.
We got to put a hardier
Yeast in here
That'll kill that yeast off
And keep going
And make a higher
Alcohol content.
That's insane good.
Ramsey: man, it smelled so good,
And I love that sensation.
I mean, it sucked your wind
Out of your lungs.
It's kind of like breathing
Teaspoon full of wasabi.
We got one more to do.
You got it in you?
You know, I wasn't really,
Really excited about this
Because you're always a little
Bit leery of unknown,
So any doubts or reservations
I may have had about it,
They're done.
We going to call this
Hillbilly grappa
Or grappa moonshine?
I like hillbilly grappa.
We is hillbillies,
You know.
Thank the lord.
I know we're charging
200 bucks for this.
And it's damn well worth
Every penny of it.
It's going to make us
A hell of a profit margin.
The only thing we're
Buying for this run
Is the sugar and the jars.
The basic ingredients
Were given to us,
But they were not free
In terms of work.
You can go buy a load
Of corn and pay for it
And be done in 10 minutes,
And then the wood
Is cooking corn.
This involves extra work
That we had to put in.
Boy, I can't wait to come
Back in here and taste this.
I'd say, by then,
It'll be ready to transfer.
Yeah.
Then it'll ferment 6 or 8
More days good and slow.
Yeah.
There we are.
All right.
Let's go.
Let's go home,
Find us a nice towel.
♪♪
♪♪
Mike: wow.
It's hot, ain't it?
Mark: yeah, it's hot.
But it won't be long.
Fall will be right on top of us.
Yeah.
Narrator:
In the great smoky mountains,
Mike and mark embark on a run
Under the specter
Of an uneasy partnership.
That's a good-looking still site
You got here, buddy.
All right.
Okay.
I love working with mark,
But the way everything is set up
Is just a little bit
Harder on me.
Everybody has got
Their different style
Of running liquor,
And he's got his way,
And I got mine.
It's the old-fashioned way
Of doing it.
I prefer to use gas.
Firewood just takes a lot
Longer to get hotter.
Today, we're going to be
Running an apple brandy.
We're going to infuse
The thump keg
With fresh-squeeze apple juice.
I didn't really like
Some of the old rotten apples
He was putting in it,
But that's the way
We're going to do it,
So we'll just see
How it turns out at the end.
Is this our siphoning hose?
Did it?
Mike:
All I got now is buckets.
I'm glad mikey is here.
He can help me
Carry it to the pot.
You know, it's a long walk
With buckets.
Man ought to have him a battery
With a bilge pump.
You can just pump it right over,
Straight over in there.
That's the way I do mine.
I'm glad to have old mikey back,
But he's complaining
On me just a little bit.
I figure he'll get
Over it maybe.
I hope he does.
I'm going to start getting
Some of this mash down here.
All right.
♪♪
God almighty. Damn.
My bucket was broke.
Every bit we lose, you know,
That's just a little bit
Out of our pocket.
Oh. Damn.
That damn hill is slicker than
Owl crap on a pump handle,
Seemed like a little bit
Of nonsense to me.
Makes it a whole lot easier
If you got you a pump
To pump your mash over in.
Oh, damn it!
Son of a bitch.
♪♪
Oh, damn it to hell!
If you'd have got
That damn pump
Like I told you to,
I wouldn't be down here
Wallowing around
This damn furnace.
Narrator: in tennessee,
Tension lays heavy in the air
As mark and mike
Begin their run.
Mike:
Now I'm covered in sweet mash,
And it's just altogether just
Aggravated me and pissed me off.
Come down here and wash some
Of this *bleep* off of me.
I've been up that hill all
Summer, and I ain't fell yet.
I'm a little bit worried about
It, how clear it is, the smoke.
Mike:
When you're using firewood,
You take the chance on somebody
Seeing the smoke, but mark likes
To do things the old way.
He's just stubborn.
Now if it was, you know,
Fire season or something,
It'd worry me
A little more,
But I don't think it'd be out
Here just looking for smoke.
Mark:
Once it starts getting hot,
Ain't got nothing
To worry about,
The less smoke it'll make.
-it's hot, mark.
-darn hot.
Yeah, buddy. She's hot.
It's running.
What do you think we're going
To get out of this?
-ten gallons.
-ten gallon?
About right.
Change these heads.
Mike: we went ahead and make
The run of liquor
With these rotten apples,
Whew, see how it turns out.
It's good liquor.
It's almost drinkable.
By god, you can taste
That apple in it.
Yeah, it'll do.
Yeah, I have.
I've expanded my territory
Somewhat, so to speak.
Well, it's got its potentials
To be dangerous.
Well,
I appreciate your concern,
But I'm the bootlegger,
So I guess we'll just let me
Take care of the bootlegging.
A lot of people get hurt.
I ain't had no trouble yet,
And I think no pretty good
At what I'm doing, so...
But at the end of the day,
I got to do what I got to do.
Mike: he's trying to tell me
What to do, but we decided
I'd be the bootlegger,
Let me worry about that,
And I'll do my best
Not to bring you up in it.
Oh!
Time to shut her down.
Mark: you start getting mad
And aggravated at your partners.
You got to do something,
Or it'll just
Get worser and worser.
All right then.
I believe we about
Got it covered.
Let's get out of here
With it.
Narrator: mark and mike's
Run yields 10 gallons
Of high-quality apple brandy.
Mark: I'm telling you,
It's better to back off
And let things go.
Things starts going bad,
And I'd just about assume
To be back by myself.
I can make it out on my own,
And I know mark can too,
And I think that's the best
Thing for both of us.
Yeah.
♪♪
♪♪
-here they are.
-all right. Here it goes.
-we going to find out, tim.
-we got some well-drilling now.
No wonder it costs so much.
Narrator: it's time
For the big guns in virginia.
Tim and company are hauling
In the heavy equipment
To drill for water needed
To run tim's distillery.
Tim: this is the day.
Finally, the drilling
Rig is here,
And we're going to start
Drilling where the divining rods
Tells me where there's water.
It's the perfect spot.
All we got to do
Is drill the hole.
This is the spot right here.
Tim and I took the divining rods
And kind of crossed it up.
Chuck, he's saying
They ought to have some
Kind of high-tech equipment.
Something goes in there and
Tells you where the water is.
Yeah, but that costs more.
There's water there.
I'm telling you.
Is this going to work? Is there
Going to be water there?
Well, we'll find out.
Chuck: you know, I'm a little
Skeptical about it,
But with a new distillery,
We have to save money.
Since tim and tickle came up
With the same spot,
I said, "Go for it."
Tim: chuck, you're going
To have more water.
You'll be selling water.
I'll be selling water?
You want to buy some?
-we start bottling water now.
-there you go.
What you call that,
Artesian well? Artesian.
-artesian.
-artesian.
-artesian well.
-artesian well.
Yeah.
You know, it's kind of
Riding on me right now.
I'm trying to save
A whole lot of money,
But if we don't find the water,
It's going to cost
A lot of money.
We've got to have this water.
You know, 20, 30, 50 gallons
A minute is what we got to have.
We can't have this thing
Just peeing.
I may get me another job,
Chuck,
After they found this water,
Professional douser.
J.T.: getting this guy to come
Out here, dig this hole,
It costs a lot of money,
So we're just
Going to hope and pray
That it's water under there.
-240 is my guess.
240?
Yeah, he'll get 260,
Somebody guessed. It was tim.
-you think?
260?
I'm going to say three.
Narrator:
In this part of virginia,
Water is typically found
Between 250 and 900 feet down,
But at a cost of $20 per foot,
A well can be a money pit.
Tim: right now, we at,
Like, 100 feet.
I'm still confident we're going
To find water there,
But the deeper he has to go,
The more it's going to cost
Because each one of these rods
That they put in is 25 feet,
Which is about $500.
Every one of them, it's, like,
$500, $500, $500.
♪♪
Well, he hit 275,
No water.
Chuck: man, I am getting
Really worried.
This is getting awful expensive.
He ain't hit nothing yet.
This is not good.
Well, I mean, you know,
It's getting...
I thought maybe, you know,
250, 240, and I thought 275.
We go past three,
I'll really get worried,
So let's go down
One more stick.
♪♪
♪♪
All right.
Glen, where are we now?
You're 325 feet.
And did we pick up
Any water?
-no, you haven't.
-haven't picked up any?
-mm-mm.
-all right.
Now we at 325, kind of done went
Over, you know, the budget here.
What are some of the wells
In this area?
How far have they gone?
We have some
That's 7, 8, 900 feet.
Mm.
That's a long way down.
Let him go to drill now.
You going to pay
For the next 25 feet?
If you hit water.
It's a nice, hot day.
-give me some water, glen.
Put the thing in the ground.
This is just getting
Too expensive.
I'm really feeling the weight.
You know, did I make
The right decision?
Without water,
I got a big problem.
♪ oh, hey ♪
Digger and myself
Been friends for, what, digger?
15, 17 years.
A partnership
That's going to work,
You got to find
The humor in it.
We'll tweak if you want to.
Tweak, twerk,
Whatever you want to do.
You get to twerking.
I'll be back, and we'll tweak.
-are you *bleep* me?
-I wouldn't *bleep* you.
You're my favorite turd.[ barrel bangs ]
Sounds like two skeletons
*bleep* on a tin roof.
Ramsey: you got to be
Very careful with it.
You drink too much of it,
It'll give you the
*bleep* something fierce now.
I'm telling you.
Digger: you'll *bleep*
Through a keyhole.
Everything has got
A little bit of humor in it.
Hell, the first three letters
In funeral is fun.
[ both laugh ]
I believe I got me
A career in music.
Digger: you reckon?
♪ na, na, na, na, na,
Na, na, na, na ♪
♪ na, na, na, na, na,
Na, na, na, na ♪
You know what?
Them city fellows are hearing
When they hear that rafting,
Don't you?
Hell yeah.
-paddle faster.
-paddle faster.
Paddle faster.
You got
A pretty mouth, boy.
[ laughs ]
♪♪
-hitting hard rock.
-yeah.
Narrator: in culpeper, virginia,
Tim's search for a water source
Continues to run dry.
Tim: we haven't found any water.
I made a decision to dig here
But can't dig 7, 800 feet.
This is just getting
Too expensive.
Chuck, we got a new spot.
Are you sure
You're right this time?
I'm hoping we're going to get
Some water over here.
I got us into this thing,
And I'm going to get us out.
I still really believe
In these divining rods,
And I found another location,
And this is where
We're going to drill.
♪♪
I don't see any water
Coming out yet, though.
I mean, it looks dry over there
To me, so I hope you're right.
Man, I hope you're right.
We got down to 150 feet.
He ain't hit nothing yet.
It's just a nightmare.
There's so much at stake here.
I think we ought to quit.
Chuck:
I don't know. He's putting on
Another drill bit.
He's fixing to go deeper.
Tim: I've just seen that
Little bit, though.
I don't know, tim.
There's no guarantee to hit
Water, and I'm well over budget.
I know the money is counting
Because these guys
Are going to get paid
Whether or not
You hit water or not.
I'm getting really worried.
I'm going to have a distillery
With no water here.
I don't know what
We're going to do.
You ain't getting nervous,
Are you, chuck?
-I'm not sure.
-I don't know.
You know, we already been here
For, like, hours.
The well drillers is about
Ready to give up.
-woo!
-water! Yeah!
I mean, they hit this water.
I mean, it's a gusher.
You know, water is
Coming out everywhere.
I mean,
It's like christmas time.
1,001, 1,002,
That's 30 gallons a minute.
That's it.
We finally got water, man,
And I tell you what,
I'd drink it, swim in it, played
In it, whatever I had to do.
I was just so glad
We hit water.
[ cheering ]
Let's go get us a drink.
We going to celebrate now, huh?
Tim: it's a big weight
Off of my shoulder,
So much relief that my
Divining rods never let me down.
I mean, we got the water
That we're looking for
To have a working distillery,
So it was a good day.
Mission accomplished, huh?
♪♪
I need a pump to mash in,
And I got a buddy of mine
That I know has got one.
Sondra was freaking out that the
Strawberries are going to ruin.
I got to make a quick move.
You know, I don't want
To lose another day.
Narrator:
Down in kentucky,
Chico needs to barter
Some high-dollar shine
For a working water pump
To get his operation
Back up and running.
I'm just going to go out here
And see a friend of mine,
And he's been bugging me,
Wanting a little liquor.
I know pretty much that he's
Going to have a pump,
So I'm going to
Offer him three jars.
This underground network
Is just the way we stay
Under the radar, you know,
But it's got to be
People that you trust.
He'll be glad to see me
Pull in with a jar, I'd say.
He's out in the garage.
That's good.
[ glass clinks ][ grunts ]
Ah. I need a 12-volt water
Pump hooks to a battery.
I know you was using
One last time
We was out here to flush
Your radiator stuff.
You got anything?
-man, that's perfect.
-that's perfect?
Perfect, perfect, perfect.
That's about new,
Isn't it?
Yeah.
Try that.
That's that $50-a-quart brandy
I've been bragging about,
That strawberry-banana
That the old lady come up with.
Right on.
What do you think?
You think that'd do it?
Cool. I hate to rush,
But I'm going to get to bed.
All right, man.
Thank you, buddy.
Hey, as long as it keeps me
Out of the stores, brother,
I'm good.
Thanks, bubba.
Taking them with him,
Good dude.
Right on.
We was stuck without
This pump, you know,
So now we head back
To the site tomorrow,
Get the strawberries
Out of the refrigerator,
Take this pump down there.
It's what we needed.
It ought to work.
I hope it does anyway.
Narrator:
Next time on "Moonshiners"...
[ cellphone rings ]
-what's up, brother?
-hey, not too much.
Could you cook up
A order of shine for me?
...Temptation calls
In culpeper...
I'll make it
Worth your while.
Uh...
That thing is sucking in.
Oh, my god.
Narrator: ...And a blow-up
On the blue ridge.
[ bang ]god almighty.