Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 7, Episode 16 - Not a Crook - full transcript

♪♪

On this episode
Of "Moonshiners"...

Tickle's a nice guy,
But can we really trust him?

I know he's a outlaw,

And I know what
You're thinking about,

But he's not a crook.

One man's fate hangs
In the balance in virginia...

Can we really risk our whole
Operation on one guy

That might go south?

-hit it...
-I hit it.

...Straight down.



We gonna work on
That bootlegging disguise?

...Bayou ingenuity
In louisiana...

We could get
4 gallons in there.

That's 400 bucks.

...And best laid plans
Unravel in kentucky.

♪♪

♪ goin' for a ride ♪

♪ runnin' to survive ♪

♪ when you're livin'
Outside the law ♪

♪♪

♪ we're livin'
Outside the law ♪

♪♪

This is how
We make the moonshine!

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications



I hope this stuff
Is ready to run today.

I'm gonna be
Tickled to death

To hear something
Run other than your mouth.

You know what?

I've really, like, had it up
To here with you today.

In the rolling hills
Of kentucky, chico and sondra

Are ready to run
Their seasonal favorite,

Watermelon crawl.

-is it good?
-yeah, it's good.

After running watermelon for
Weeks, its harvest is long over.

They'll need to pivot
To a new recipe.

Being as this is our last
Run of watermelon,

We won't have any more
For the season

Because watermelons are done.

What are we gonna do next?

Get your hose.

You know you got to suck
On that hose.

Ugh.
I hate this part.

I always make sondra do the
Siphon just because it's funny.

There's always water and stuff
Left in the hose,

So I mess with her.

I hate starting the siphon.

Last time, it was bad.

God...That's why I hate that
*bleep* right there.

Stop it!

You're such an ass.

Stop it!
Come on!

I hold my thumb over it,
And when it builds up pressure,

I'll let go of it.

All right. Ready?
-yep.

All right.
Go for it.

There you go.

What happened?

Just shut up!
Stop it!

If I couldn't have fun with her,
There's no sense in us

Even being here.

Now light it.

All right.

We need to have
A business meeting.

A what-y what-y?

Business meeting.

We got to come up
With something new.

We've done
Strawberry banana.

-yep.
-they liked it.

I've never run liquor
That people didn't like.

It's time to get down
To specifics.

It's time to get down to, this
Is what we're gonna do next.

We've already set the
Bar pretty high for ourselves

With our previous products,
So we can't go below that.

You know what I mean?
We have to go above that.

I don't want to do something
We've done before.

I don't want to do something
That somebody else is doing.

So far this season,
Chico and sondra

Have made 340 gallons
Of fruit shine.

The success or failure
Of their final batch of liquor

Will determine whether they
Reach their goal of 375 gallons.

I'd be just as well off
Brewing corn.

I'd be just as happy.

-no, no.
-why?

The fruit is just...
It's going too well.

People love it.

You know, when you think
Moonshine,

It's like backcountry
People, you know,

Drinking on their porch
Out of mason jars,

And what I'm trying to do

Is just getting it available
To a wider audience.

We've got a whole new
Market of people

That we didn't have with
The corn liquor we were making.

I think that we should
Do pomegranates.

-a pome-what-y?
-a pomegranate.

It's a fruit, and it's really
Sweet, kind of tart.

The ladies will really,
Really like it.

We in kentucky.

You been watching too much
"Sex and the city."

This is a drink they would
Serve on "Sex and the city."

It'd have to be, like,
"Sex in the backwoods."

We will make
A chico-inspired

"Sex in the backwoods"
Pom-shine-tini drink.

Whatever I got to do
To get him onboard

With this idea,
I'm gonna do it.

Although pomegranates
Were originally cultivated

Near present-day iran,

They made their way to america
Around the late 16th century.

The first colonists established
Orchards of the fruit

From south carolina
Down through florida.

Pomegranates
Are really trendy.

It's the thing.

All right.
You've been fairly successful.

I'll let you do it.
-it's gonna work.

I've never made
Moonshine out of pomegranate,

So we kind of got to think
About the details

And think about how
We're gonna do it,

But as long as he's onboard,
I know we can get it done.

Pomegranates?

Pomegranates.

Am I even saying
That correctly?

Yes.
We got to figure it out.

With winter on
The march, chico and sondra

Only have time
For one more run.

Banking on an untested
Pomegranate shine

To push them past their season
Goal is a roll of the dice.

I'll make it happen.

You make sure I can
Make it happen.

If it's impossible,
It's impossible,

But what we need to be worried
About is this watermelon.

We need
To get this finished,

And then we'll worry
About the pomegranates.

That's what
We're gonna do.

Hey!
We have liquor coming out.

Ha-ha!
This is my favorite part.

We get to see what
We're working with here.

What's it taste like?

That's high.

Here.
Wow.

Yeah.
-yeah, they gone.

This run yields chico
And sondra 15 gallons,

Worth 2,250 bucks.

We are done with our last
Run of watermelon shine.

We've got some buyers lined up.

You know, they've been
Patiently,

Patiently waiting for this.

So as soon as we get that sold,
It's time to move on

To our next flavor,
Pomegranate.

High five.
Yes.

We did it.

♪♪

-hey, chuck!
-hey, tim!

What you doing?

I'm bringing some empties,
You know, the usual stuff.

Yeah, yeah.

In culpeper, virginia,

Distiller tim smith
Has been dealing with

Some all-too-familiar issues
From his illegal past.

I got something I got
To bring up.

Tickle has been
Getting phone calls

From people wanting
Moonshine...

-mm-hmm.
-...Illegal moonshine.

Making moonshine,

What was the whole reason
We used to do it?

-yeah, to make money.
-make money.

It's awful tempting.
-yeah.

I got bills that
Are getting behind.

Making shine in the woods
Is about the only way

I know how to make money.

I been a little worried about
That, him wanting to go back

To his old-time ways.
-yeah.

He hasn't given in
To anybody yet, has he?

No.
That's the good thing.

I know that mind-set
That tickle has.

Other than being in jail,
I know how it feels.

I mean, I was an outlaw
At one time, too,

But now, today, you know,

I'm a legal distiller,
And, you know, I'm doing good.

I'm very successful, and I think
Tickle can do the same thing.

I think we need
To employ tickle,

Where he's making
A little money

So he can see that he's
Doing something productive.

I think maybe he's a risk
To the whole company.

I mean...
-I know he's a outlaw,

And I know
What you're thinking about,

But he's not a crook

Even though maybe
He made some moonshine

And maybe he had
A sawed-off shotgun

And maybe got arrested
A few times.

That's a pretty rough
Record. I don't know.

You want to help the guy.

You know, you want to see him
Do better, but bad luck

Or not thinking about
What he's doing

Just gets himself
In more and more trouble.

I like tickle.

He's fun to work with.
-yeah, yeah.

But can we
Really trust him?

♪♪

♪♪

Where we gonna put
All these barrels?

In northern louisiana,
With a looming 10-day deadline,

Patti and david are preparing
For back-to-back runs

Of their jalapeño-pepper shine

To fulfill their last
Big order of the season.

We fixing
To work our butts off.

You know, we had a good
Run down to the gulf.

That sale went really well.

You know, now they're
Wanting another

150 gallons
Down there, you know?

So we're gonna be
Running around the clock.

It's gonna take us
A little while.

It's just not something
That happens overnight.

You can go ahead
And get that going, daddy.

The cajuns are wanting
Some of the pepper shine,

So we're gonna get
100 gallons of that,

And we're also bringing
Our stockpile of our mayhaw,

Sassafras and pears,
50 gallons of that.

This is gonna be the cap
Of our season, you know?

I mean, it's gonna be
The end of it, and, you know,

Why not go out with a big boom

And please all
The cajuns down south?

It's gonna take
A while to do these.

We got 12 boxes
Of peppers, ton of sugar,

And hopefully we can get through
Before dark

Mashing in all these barrels.

Let's get
The sugar unloaded.

Everybody in louisiana
Likes their food spicy,

And you get a kick out
Of this pepper shine so...

10 days, it's just
A short period of time

To make 100 gallons.

It's jalapeño time.

I want to please the cajuns here
Because it's just building

More and more territory for us,

And that's an exciting thing.

It's headed your way.

Is it coming out good?

-yes, sir.
-okay.

That's what
I need to know.

I've got everything
In the woods finally,

And we're fixing to mash in.

We're gonna boil the water
And get the sugar dissolved,

And then we'll pour
That into the barrels.

Is that enough?

♪♪

God, you're gonna
Splash hot water on me.

It's a lot of gallons
That we got to do

Until we get all 12
Of these barrels filled.

Either I'm getting old
And tired,

Or this is getting heavy.

-I think you're getting weak.
-huh?

You've got me carrying
The whole thing.

That's bull crap.

We're gonna be
Running around the clock.

Daddy is just going
To have to suck it up.

I know he's a little older
Than I am, but, you know,

You got to do what you got
To do to meet a order.

About a minute
And we'll be ready.

I trust your thermometer.

One more.

♪♪

Whoo.

Then we'll cut up some peppers,
Add water, add yeast.

It's a lot of money upfront,
But at the end time,

It'll be a good result.

Now tear time comes.

Ain't that the truth?

Get our surgery gloves on

So the peppers
Don't burn our hand.

The thing about making
Pepper shine is,

You know, you've got
To wear the gloves.

The juice off of those peppers
Will make your hands swell up.

Pepper shine did good
Down south, didn't it?

Yep.

With demand high
For their premium liquor,

Patti and david initially set

An ambitious season
Goal of 700 gallons,

But the two small pots
They use to brew

Simply couldn't
Turn out the volume.

Now every drop counts
If they want to hold on

To their existing customer base.

Yeah, this is taking a little
Longer than what we expected.

The sun is going down.

I believe we're gonna be
In here half of the night.

Just right.

It's just been a long process,
Cutting up all those peppers,

Because 100 gallons
Of pepper shine

Is gonna put
A big lump of change

In our pocket
At the end of the day.

Put the net on these.

We'll use
This camouflage board.

We didn't have time since it got
Dark on us to camouflage them,

So we just put some
Camouflage boards on them.

You gonna move that?
-I might.

It's kind of late out here.

We got another two
Or three barrels to do,

And hopefully we can
Get through 4

Before 2:00 in the morning.

Let's get these
Other barrels done.

We're gonna let
These ferment,

And we'll come back
And check them.

Hopefully it'll be ready to run.

Whoo.

I ain't gonna
Let you rest.

A lot of the buyers are kind of
Apprehensive when I tell them,

"Hey, you're gonna
Give me your money,

But all I'm going
To give you is a key."

On alert in kentucky...

We trust these people, but we
Don't trust them completely.

You don't trust
Anyone completely.

Can we really risk
Our whole operation

On one guy
That might go south?

In a last-ditch effort to keep

Tickle from returning
To his illegal ways,

Tim pleads the case
To his partner, chuck.

I just feel like
I owe it to him.

I want to help him.

Well, tim,
What'd you have in mind

For some kind
Of jobs for him?

We'll just put him
On a big still.

But that's
A 4,000-gallon still

With a 60-horsepower
Boiler.

I know
What tickle can do.

I mean, look what
He did with j.T.

And that double rye when
We came up with that recipe.

That, to me,
Tastes good as hell.

I mean, we may throw him
On a big still.

The next thing you know,

He comes out with
Something like that.

I mean,
You just never know,

But he's got to have
An opportunity.

I just know we got to keep
Him out of the woods.

If he goes back
To jail again,

His daughter will be married
With grandkids

By the time
He gets out.

They won't leave
Any slack next time.

Let him run around
With me a little bit.

I got faith in him.

All right. Long as you
Take responsibility.

If I see if he's getting
Out of line, then...

All right.

...We'll just
Have to make a decision.

I hope I can keep him
Out of the woods

And keep his mind off of that,

And I just want to show him
What I've been working on.

I want to show him what,
You know, the tim smith climax

Moonshine expansion
Is all about.

All right.
You talk to him then.

All right.
All right.

-okay.
-good.

♪♪

♪♪

Been sitting here for
An hour waiting on lance.

I don't know where he's been
Or what he's been doing,

But I'm gonna find out.

You need some help
Up there?

That don't look like corn.

Brought potatoes.

What are you going
To make, soup?

Make vodka.

Vodka?

As shine season nears
Its end in north carolina,

Lance is going all-in
On a new recipe.

You don't know
How to make vodka.

Yeah, I do.

It's just like
Making anything else.

When I first had the idea,
I actually went online.

I picked the simplest
Vodka recipes,

And I added
A little tweak to it.

I believe you're
Screwing up again.

You just have give me
A little faith

That I know
What I can do.

He's a good moonshiner.

He's as good a liquor-maker
As I've ever seen,

But he's made
A few screw-ups.

Why not try it?

Why not make vodka?

With little chance
Of reaching their season goal

Of 700 gallons,

Taking a risk on
An untested vodka recipe

Could mean a lean winter
For jeff and lance.

How you gonna cut
All these up?

I got a food processor.

Yeah, I want to prove to dad
That I can do this my way.

I can do it the right way,
And I can make him proud.

Well, you can try it,
But I don't believe

It's gonna work.

If this is a screw-up,
We ain't got enough time

To back up and fix this.

It's hard to survive
Through the winter.

Our corn liquor was
Our family heritage,

But this process on mashing in
The potatoes is pretty similar.

I've done this for 45 years,

And I still learn stuff
Every time I run a run.

Lance, you gonna put
That processor together?

And that's one thing that,
You know, had me

Open-minded
To try this vodka.

-works now.
-okay.

The potatoes have
A lot starch in them.

It's really important that
We get them juices flowing.

We have to leave it in thin,
Little slivers.

We can't just turn it into mush.

We will never get it strained
To put it back in the still.

It's gonna scorch
On the bottom.

I believe you're full.

It worked out pretty good,
Sliced them thin.

You want some tater juice?

Nope.
I like my taters fried.

Lance, let's go in there
And get this stuff mashed in.

I hope it turns out good
Because we ain't got no time

To make nothing else.

Lance, I'm gonna warm
Myself a little of this water.

-you want me to light it?
-light it.

You better watch.

You'll burn the hair
Off of your arm.

-yeah.
-told you.

The recipe is just about
Like mixing up corn mash.

You can put your potatoes
In there, stir them good,

Add your sugar,
Make sure it has dissolved

And add your yeast to it.

Then I'll add my malt in it.

Malt acts as a
Catalyst that breaks down

Potato starch into simple sugars
That yeast can consume

And, in turn, produce alcohol.

Boom.

Well, you ready for me
To pour this in there?

-yeah.
-it's working good.

All ready.

And, lance, I hope
Your tater idea works

Because here goes
The good stuff.

But that's all
We can do today,

Come back
And keep check on it.

With this vodka moonshine,
I'm gonna stay focused.

Cover that up,
And we'll get out of here.

I don't want to make
Any mistakes with this

Because I've got
A lot riding on this.

I want this to work.

♪♪

-hot?
-mm-hmm.

But it's still got
2 or 3 days

Before
It's through working.

-all right.
-all right?

While their jalapeño
Mash ferments,

Louisiana moonshiners
Patti and david

Are building a clever bootleg
Ruse for local sales.

We gonna work on
That bootlegging disguise

I reckon you call it?
-yeah.

Daddy has been talking
About this idea for 2 or 3 years

Of how he can hide moonshine,
Bootleg it with a good disguise.

What you want me to do,
Sit down and watch you?

I'm kind of skeptical
Of the idea,

But he's been wanting to do
This project for a long time,

So I guess I'll follow him
And see what he ends up with.

-hot dang it.
-well, you the one...

-hit it...
-I hit it.

...Straight down.

I was looking through
A magazine one time.

It had furniture and stuff
In it, little end tables

And stuff made out of a log with
Just bark wrapped around it.

I said to myself...

The plan is, is taking all
The bark off this log and,

On both ends of the log,

Cutting off about an inch
Disk on each end.

You got it?

And then what we'll do is put
The bark back on this log

And nail it onto
These two end disks,

And it'll be just
Hollow on the inside.

All we wanted was two
Ends and the bark.

We gonna nail that bark
Back around it,

And when we get
To our last piece,

There'll be an opening in there,

And we just slide
That moonshine in there,

Seal this last piece up.

It'll look just like a log.

This ingenious method

Dates back
To the american civil war

With tales of south
Carolina bootleggers

Using hollowed-out stumps
To hide their liquor.

-all right.
-moment of truth.

See how many you
Can get in there.

Dang, it's big inside.

Yeah, it's big.

Shoot, I think
We can probably get

Four or five in there.

Let's stack them.

Perfect.
Heck.

We could get 4 gallons
In there.

That's 400 bucks.

Yeah.

We'll get us three or four
More of these logs done.

I mean, we could haul
20 gallons of moonshine.

You know, we throw it
In the back of the truck,

Have our chainsaw, our axe,
Gas and everything,

Looks like we been
Cutting firewood.

It was a good idea
Daddy come up with.

Shoot. Looks like a log,
Don't it?

That's pretty dang cool.
-got an idea there.

Even though daddy
Is an old fart,

He's still got a lot
Of tricks up his sleeve.

Now we just need to do
A bunch more.

♪♪

♪♪

Yeah.

In the bluegrass state,

Chico is on his way
To stash shine

For a dead-drop sale
Sondra has lined up.

One of the biggest risks
You take making liquor

Is when you actually accept
Money for an illegal product.

That's one of the biggest
Charges that you can get.

Which key is it?

There it is.

Ow!

So instead of selling them
The liquor directly,

We indirectly
Sell them the liquor

By selling them
A key to a box.

There we go.

The one charge that I try
To avoid is distributing.

Depending on state laws,

Transporting or selling
Illegal alcohol

Can land a shiner in prison
For up to 5 years

And cost them $10,000 in fines.

Try to keep just on that side
Of that red tape

To keep me out of handcuffs.

♪♪

Dang.

You have to take your time,
Weigh out the situation.

Long as nothing bad happened,
We can keep moving forward.

After nearly having
His cover blown,

Chico high-tails it back
To sondra to drop off the key

So she can make the sale.

♪♪

-hi.
-hi.

-yes, give me that.
-you need that?

Yes.
Give me that damn key.

Need to make
Some money already.

-hurry up.
-wish me luck.

♪♪

I'm on my way
To the spot

With my friend
That I agreed to meet.

You know, we're friendly
With each other.

We know each other.

She's bought shine
From me before,

So, you know, she's not just
Some random stranger

I'm meeting.

Although sondra is
Selling to a repeat client,

This is the buyer's first
Dead-drop key exchange.

A lot of the buyers are kind of
Apprehensive when I tell them,

"Hey, you're gonna
Give me your money,

But all I'm gonna
Give you is a key."

When you go to make a sale,

That's when the trouble
Can really arise.

There's always that chance
You're gonna get caught.

You know, we trust
These people, so to speak,

But we don't trust
Them completely.

You don't trust
Anyone completely.

What's up, bae?
How are you?

Good.
You got your money?

So what we're gonna do,
I'm selling you a key.

Look, I know
It's a little weird,

But that key goes to
The box under the bridge.

It's under the *bleep*

I think you might have
Maybe passed it.

Yes.
That's where the box is.

Leave the key in the box
When you're done

Because it's locked.

It's okay.
You'll be good.

I promise.

Everybody is safer this way,
And it's in a remote spot.

Thank you. Bye.
Love you.

Bye.
Love you.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I have my money.

With another successful sale
Under their belt,

Chico and sondra will now
Focus on their first

Run of pomegranate shine.

♪♪

♪♪

Daddy come up with this
Idea of hauling shine this year.

This log here will hold
4 1/2 gallons,

And then, once you put
The piece of bark there,

Then it just looks like a log.

In louisiana,

Patti and david have come up
With a bootleg disguise

To stump local authorities.

Now I'm gonna put it in here.

Put it in the truck,
And then it just looks like

We're been out cutting
Firewood for the winter.

That's what you call
A money log.

I had this firewood
Already at the house.

Adding all of this stuff will
Throw the cops off even more.

They'll believe.

While we're waiting on
Our pepper shine,

We're trying to sell
A little bit of shine

Here in our local area.

It's very important for us
To try to keep local business,

And you got to please
Your customers and all that.

Well, we want to go
Collect some money.

The client is supposed to leave
My money in the stump,

So I'm headed
That way to get it.

The shiners have
Stashed several hollow logs

At dead-drop points
Around the area

And instructed their buyers
To leave money inside

In exchange for liquor.

Well, this client here is buying
$200 worth of moonshine from us,

So that's 2 gallons,

So to me, you know,
It's not a big sale,

But you can't buy food with it
Just sitting at the house,

So you may as well get rid
Of it whenever you can.

♪♪

The money.

Count it up.

That ain't enough money
For 2 gallons.

That'd have been 200 bucks.

Huh.

He ain't fixing to play
This game with me.

He ain't getting no
2 gallons for 175 bucks.

That's aggravating.

I don't know if he was
Trying to get over on me

And maybe I just take
The money and go,

But I'm not, like,
That kind of moonshiner.

I'm gonna count my money.

I mean, I'm just not
Running around here

Just to get ripped off.

Yeah, I'm even-steven.

If they give me the right
Amount of money,

I give them the right
Amount of booze.

If they don't, then they
Don't get what they want.

Just because I'm
A lady moonshiner,

Sometimes, people try
To get the bluff on me,

But they don't know me too well.

♪♪

Well, I'd reckon
It's done.

Hope it is anyway.

We got to get it run.

In north carolina,

Lance has bet
The rest of the season

On an experimental
Vodka moonshine.

I'm curious to see what
This tater moonshine

Is gonna taste like.

Me too.

Beginning of this season, lance
Screwed up a whole lot, and...

Taste like tater.

It ain't sticky,
So I guess it's time

To go to laying it
In the still.

Mm-hmm.

A mash that's not
Sticky indicates all the sugars

Have been consumed by the yeast.

With dad being
A little hesitant,

Hopefully this will be good,

And maybe he'll forgive me
For mistakes

That I've made in the past

And, you know,
Move on to the future.

All right.

♪♪

It's on its way.

It seems to
Be working, don't it?

Well, I don't know yet.

I ain't tested it yet,
But as fast as it heated,

That means it's got
A lot of alcohol in it.

Mm-hmm.

If you get a swiff
Of that alcohol vapor,

It'd take your breath away.

Tie somebody up
And tie them up

Where they had to breathe them
First fumes that comes out,

That'd be the worst torture
You could ever do to anybody.

Why would you
Want to do that?

Just to torture somebody.

Why would you want
To torture somebody?

I don't know.

If you gonna need to
Torture them for something.

If this don't work out,
The next run,

I'm gonna tie your head
Right beside that

And let you
Breathe that way.

I can promise you,

You ain't man enough
To handle that.

You might be surprised.

Yeah.

It's running.

Where is that
Hydrometer at?

I'm gonna catch
The first of this

And see what the proof is.

Now, can you ask for it
To be any clearer than that?

Nope.

165.

Well, taste it.

Well, it's late
In the season.

If it works out good,
This will be a plus for us,

But if it goes bad,
That's the last minus for lance.

Oh, man.

It's a job, man,
You know, security.

You don't have to get
Arrested or nothing.

Selling salvation
In virginia.

Making illegal moonshine,
That's really the only way

I know how to get that money.

You work first.
Then you get paid.

Well...

♪♪

Now, can you ask for it
To be any clearer than that?

Nope.

165.

Well, taste it.

Well,
It's late in the season.

If it works out good,
This will be a plus for us,

But if it goes bad,
That's the last minus for lance.

-well?
-it's hot.

Oh, man, it's hot,
But it's good.

This moonshine vodka, it
Had a really good taste,

So I think, once we get
The heat level down

And the flavor level up,

I know for a fact that people is
Gonna pay a premium for it.

That's real good.
That's alcohol.

Whoo!

You got any ideas

On who you can sell
Moonshine vodka to?

I'm just gonna market
To our customers

And let
Word of mouth spread it.

I mean, our customers

Have tried everything
I've made so far.

Sell it for $150 a gallon,
And we got to have it

To get through the winter
And make your mama happy.

When she's happy,
We're all happy.

Me and lance just got done
With our potato vodka.

It turned out real high proof.

It's got a real
Good taste to it.

I think we can sell it.

I'll get the little bucket.
You get the full one.

We'll call it even.

♪♪

♪♪

Get up here and get
This pomegranate started, man.

-pomegranate.
-it's time to hit a home run.

In kentucky,
Chico and sondra

Are taking a leap of faith

On an unfamiliar fruit for their
Last run of the season.

This is what a pomegranate
Looks like.

Looks like a cross
Between an onion and an apple.

Now, do you see
All these seeds?

That's where you're going
To get all your juice from.

Want to make sure we get

All the fruit out
Of here that we can.

It's gonna be work.

That's why we're charging
A premium for this.

Pomegranate is gonna be
A great flavor.

I think it's going
To sell great.

It's trendy.

You're starting to
See it everywhere,

But you haven't really seen it
In shines and brandies yet.

Alcoholic beverages
Made of pomegranate juice

Is no new trend.

Even the ancient egyptians
Were in on the act.

Ain't no fruit,
That's seeds.

Exactly.
They're about like corn kernels

Stuck in this membrane
Right here.

I hate shelling corn.

Anytime you try something new,
You're taking a huge risk.

This could make us
Fall on our faces.

This could completely fail.

It might not work out,
But if it does work out,

The reward is huge.

Aw, yeah.
You're gonna do all that?

This will juice it.

Yeah, I got
A juicer right here.

Chico and I have never worked
With pomegranates before.

A couple of different ways
We can try it,

And then
I also bought this.

It's kind of a learning
Curve for us.

You can also mush
Them like this.

Well, not like that,
But see all the juice?

I mushed too hard.

We're not exactly sure what the
Best way to go about this is.

What are you doing
Right here?

-check this out.
-okay.

We have been mashing
These pomegranates

For a while, you know?

Get that other one.
We'll try to do two.

We've tried the vise.

We've tried rolling them
Around on the deck.

There is numerous ways
That we have attempted this

And horribly failed.

There's got to be
A better way than this.

I mean, look.
It's still slow, man.

I know.

I mean, we've been here
All damn day,

And we got barely
One run ready.

I'm done with this.

Finally, I just
Lay down and say,

"Look, you know,
Throw them in the strainer.

I'll take my hand
And mash them," you know?

So do you not want to use
The vise at all?

No.

I mean, you can do that
After you vise them,

But you're getting
A lot of juice.

Yeah, I'm gonna
Vise them all right.

Watch this.

Yeah, it's just pouring
Out that way.

That's fantastic.

All right.
Get me some cut in half.

That way, I can get
Some of this mashed.

-here you go.
-cool.

This is work, man.
I don't like doing this.

Hell yeah.

All these is about busted.

Pull it out
And see what we got.

Let's see what we got.
Oh, yeah.

We good.

We got to get these
Two buckets in the barrel,

Start breaking
Down the sugar.

Can you do it?
-yeah, I can...

-you got it?
-yep.

All right.
Lower that down.

Stop.

But it's fun.
You ain't no fun.

I'm gonna have to hire
Somebody else.

All right.

This pomegranate is the
Last run that we're gonna get.

It's crucial that we are
Successful through this.

The last run of the season
Is what keeps my family

Fed through the winter.

-all right.
-good job.

We are officially
Mashed in.

Now it's just
A waiting game.

Hopefully the weather will hold
Out, and it'll stay warm enough,

So it'll be successful, and then
We've got to get it sold,

And we'll be done
For the year.

All right.
I just hope it turns out.

It should.

You got
Way too much faith

In something
You ain't tried before.

You've got to have hope.

♪♪

We need to check that mash
And see how it's looking.

Less than a week away
From their gulf order deadline,

Patti and david
Check the progress

On their fermenting mash.

♪♪

That's ready.

Taste that alcohol
In it?

Mm-hmm.

All right.
Let's start pumping.

There's 12 barrels
We got to run.

We've only got 30-gallon stills,

So that's only 60 gallons
That we can run at a time.

We've got to be running
Around the clock.

It's just gonna be
A lot of work in it,

But it'll be worth it.

The duo will
Need to red-line

Their two small stills to crank

Out 100 gallons
Of pepper shine.

Success will bring their
Season total to 357 gallons.

-you gonna pump it?
-give me a minute.

Well, daddy, you said you was
Gonna put the pump in it.

-coming yet?
-it's coming out.

- all right.
- ooh.

What you coughing for?

It's strong.

This one right here is done.
I'm fixing to swap over.

We gonna be
Running around the clock,

Trying to get this order in,

So I think we've got to stop
Talking and start running shine.

That it?
-yep. That's it.

-all right.
-lighting mine up.

Don't stop.
Light this.

We got to do 100 gallons
To meet this order.

It's gonna be a lot of work,
But you got to do

What you got to do
To meet a order.

♪♪

All right.
Let's get us some oatmeal.

♪♪

You hear that noise?

How close you think
They are through there?

I'm gonna check it out.

We been hearing these
Loggers through the woods,

And every day,

It seems like they're
Getting closer and closer.

Spotting timber
Or something, you know?

We're kind of afraid maybe
They might walk in on us,

Or if they're at that
Wood line over there,

They could see our still site.

Tree spotters are
Hired by logging companies

To search out and mark the best
Trees to harvest.

There's a ribbon right there.

This means somebody been through
Here marking this timber.

There's another one
Laying over there.

I hope these loggers
Don't come this way,

And if they do,
They won't see our still site.

This could cost us a good
Probably $22,500.

It could be devastating
For us down here.

It's a lot of shine.

If you get caught with all that,

You going to the slammer
For a long time.

That's the property line
Right there.

So they're probably going
To cut from here back.

That's too close for us.

♪♪

Here.
Come on.

I'll help you plummet
To your death.

During a break from moonshining,

Sondra takes the opportunity

To make her childhood
Fantasy a reality.

Hold on!

It's been one of her lifelong
Dreams is actually fly around,

Like, play peter pan.

Whoo!

She always wanted to be
A pixie or a fairy,

And she got to do something
She always wanted to do.

-whee!
-she actually got to fly.

Well, they're probably
Gonna cut from here back.

That's too close for us.

Encroaching loggers
Have patti and david on edge

As they start their
Last run of the season.

I don't know if they're gonna
Come up in here or not.

How far do you think
They are?

Too close for comfort.

I hope these loggers
Don't come this way,

And if they do,
They won't see our still site.

Hopefully this thing
Here will work out.

Uh-oh.
There it comes.

Running these 12 barrels
All in one day is possible,

But it's just gonna take us
All day and into the night.

First bucket is done,
24 to go.

Whew.
That's a lot.

Whoo!
That's hot.

--what I want.
It's good.

You can taste
The pepper.

Patti and david's
Pepper-shine run

Will yield
A total of 100 gallons,

Which they'll combine with the
50 gallons of stockpiled liquor

For their final sale
Of the season

Down in the gulf of mexico.

This is gonna be
The cap of our season.

I want to please the cajuns here
Because that's where I'm from,

And that's what they like.

Doing good, eh?

Just sitting back, waiting.

Yep.
On a brighter note, daddy...

What?

...Thank you
For helping me.

Gonna be a good
Paycheck, though.

For me, it is.

I don't know how
You figure that.

We're gonna split it
Right down the middle,

And all expenses
Come out of yours.

♪♪

♪♪

What's up, tim?

I was moving some boxes.

-moving some boxes?
-moving some moonshine.

Always got something
Going on.

Yep, yep, yep.

What have you been
Doing the last few days?

I ain't seen you.

I ain't been doing
A whole lot.

You ain't been
Doing nothing,

Getting in trouble
Or nothing, have you?

No, no. I ain't...

Nothing I got to worry
About, huh?

No, no, no.

I ain't been out
In the woods, man.

Well, I just asked,
You know.

Yeah.

I know how it feels
To be a outlaw.

I know how it feels to be on
The other side of the fence,

But if I could get tickle
A legal job and keep him busy,

Maybe I can keep him
Out of jail.

I got something here
I want to show you.

Behind this door is
An expansion

Of climax moonshine.
-expansion?

Expansion.

Man, damn.

Whole lot of stuff here.

That's a whole lot
Of still right there.

I'd say that's about
The biggest damn still

I've ever seen in my life.

This is a big expansion
For the climax moonshine.

All right.

So you see here that's your
4,000-gallon pot still.

We've been working on this
Still for now

For actually about 2 years

Now trying to get
The expansion done.

Then comes over
To a 8-inch pipe.

This is the biggest still
I've ever seen in my life.

I'm kind of in awe
Just looking at this thing.

It's just massive.

So we got a lot of work,
A lot of opportunities.

-yeah?
-mm-hmm.

-yep.
-what kind of opportunity?

Opportunity for you
To have a job.

-me to have a job?
-yeah.

Are you talking
About a paying job?

You gonna pay me?
-yeah.

Yeah, I'm going
To pay you, you know?

It ain't, like,
In the backwoods now.

I mean,
I can't pay you cash.

I can't give you no big
Chunk of money.

You know,
You got to work.

You get a little bit
By the hour.

-yeah.
-you got to take taxes out.

Ugh.

You don't have to
Get arrested or nothing.

Yeah.

And you'd
Be working with me.

To be honest, I really
Don't know about this.

What kind of money
Are we talking?

I mean, like,
Real money, man,

Ben franklins
And stuff like that.

I'm used to making money
And making it fast.

I don't know about all these
Taxes and everything.

Making illegal moonshine,
That's really the only way

I know how to get that money.

I mean,
We got to figure out...

We got to get you
Working first.

You can't get paid until
You start working.

You work first.
Then you get paid.

Well...

All right.

-huh?
-all right.

A job making moonshine
With my partner?

-mm-hmm.
-yeah, I can deal with that.

-okay.
-sounds good to me.

I am looking forward to it.

It's kind of like we're back
In the woods again

Except we in a closed room
Inside a legal distillery,

And now we can work
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

No one is bothering us.

No one is trying to arrest us
Even if it rains,

So we'll see
What the future brings.

Hey, it's a whole lot better
Than being in the woods.

-that's right.
-you know?

For tim to bring me in,
Starting up this new big still

And everything,
It really makes me feel good,

And he believes in me enough
To let me help run this thing.

That right there,
That means the world to me.

All right.
Let's do it.

All right.
When you want to start?

Well,
I need some help now.

Next time on "Moonshiners"...

Son of a bitches, they've
Stole everything I've got!

No honor among thieves
In tennessee...

I don't have nothing left.
Son of a bitches!

I see two people in that truck.

I told that dude
To come by hisself.

What the hell is this?

...And outnumbered in kentucky.

Hey, what's up?
Done yet?

No. He brought somebody
Else with him.

Oh *bleep*