Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 7, Episode 17 - Foraging for a Long Winter Ahead - full transcript
In Tennessee, Mike sets himself up for a career high with a run of specialty liquor but faces a devastating setback. In the last run of the season, Sondra takes the reigns, and Rodgers tampers with his final run in an attempt to cash out.
♪♪
Every time we steal
A client or customer
From another moonshiner,
I have to worry about a still
Getting blown up.
I have to worry about my entire
Operation being destroyed
Because of jealousy.
As cutthroat as some people are,
You've got to worry about
How they'll retaliate.
But I will get even with them
Through money in my pocket
And liquor in their customer's
Bellies that they didn't run.
This history
Of blood feuds
And rough justice in appalachia
Is long and bloody.
And in the shadowy world
Of moonshine,
Where no protection
Under law exists,
Retaliation can be
The only means
Of settling a score.
On this episode of
"Moonshiners"...
This is not
A safe situation.
I've got 30-gallon of liquor
I'm going to sell to a guy
That I've met one time.
...The numbers
Aren't adding up in kentucky.
After ending
Far short of his goal,
One shiner resorts to plan "B."
I've seen hard times before.
I'm gonna have to go
To the mountains,
Try to make a living
A little different way now.
The pot's gone!
*bleep*
And a border war is
Heating up in eastern tennessee.
It's all gone, man!
Son of a bitches!
♪♪
♪ 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
It sure is a nice, pretty,
Sunny morning though, ain't it?
Oh, yeah.
In tennessee,
It's make-our-break
For mike and daniel,
Who were looking to clinch
Their season goal
With a new ingredient.
These satsumas,
These here are
Locally grown in mississippi,
Down where I was
Born and raised.
My grandpa and uncle's
Got an orchard down there
That they grow in.
Satsumas are
A type of tangerine
Originally brought
From japan to the banks
Of the mississippi
In the 1800s.
They're sometimes referred
To as "Honey citrus"
Because of their sweet flavor.
Satsumas have long been
Favored by growers
Due to their
Frost resistance,
With standing temperatures
As low as 12 degrees fahrenheit,
Which is nearly 15 degrees lower
Than the majority
Of cultivated citrus fruits.
That's
A coffee-cup full.
We down to
The last run of the day.
I just gotta head forward
And do what I gotta do for me
And my family.
♪♪
Take this jacket
Off a minute.
After hustling
All season,
Mike is only 25 gallons shy
Of his 600-gallon goal.
But with winter on his heels,
It'll be a race to the finish.
Time's against me.
It's getting cold.
I ain't quite made it
To my goal yet.
I've gotta get these satsumas
Mashed in and mashed in fast.
While satsumas
Are cold-resistant,
The yeast and mash is not.
If the temperature dips
Below 50 degrees fahrenheit,
Fermentation slows
Nearly to a halt,
Killing any chance mike has
To make a sellable liquor
And hit his season goal.
I hope that this stuff works off
In time for me to run it.
This means everything to me.
It brings me back
To when I was a kid.
You know, we had to use
Everything that we had down
There in mississippi
To make liquor out of.
Let's get this in there.
Damn, I couldn't have
Done it by myself.
There ain't no way.
Mike is betting
On this satsuma brandy
To keep with up with demand
Across two counties
Into next season.
By god, it's got
The sweetener to it now.
Whoo!
We're really rolling the dice
On this batch of mash right now.
Let's cap her off.
But if I make this satsuma
Liquor taste just right,
I can introduce it to people
Up here in the mountains.
I'm trying to get the
Brand-new flavor out there,
Create a demand for next year.
Let's get
Outta here.
♪♪
You can check it.
How's that?
-I gotcha.
-you go up there and look.
In kentucky, a recent
Cold snap is threatening
Chico and sondra's final run
And the money
They're counting on
To get them through the winter.
What's it look like?
It's a little
Foamy, still.
Foamy don't hurt none.
It's not sticky
At all.
We've had some
Cold weather coming in lately.
We don't know if it's affected
Our mash or not.
If it's not worked off,
If this cold weather
That came in has messed that up,
Then we're done for the year.
What's it taste like?
Like we're in business.
Off that barrel
And pull it outta that one,
And I'll start
Filling the still up.
I'm so proud of you.
Next year, I'll stay at home.
I gave sondra the lead
On this one, you know.
I sent her up
To check the barrels.
This barrel is
About empty.
How you looking in the still
Right there?
Yeah, she's good!
Pull it out.
Ah! We're ready to run!
I think she has got to the point
Where she knows as well
As I do how this is.
-all right.
-oh, you gonna do it all?
-yeah, I got to.
-I told you I could sit at home!
All right.
Last one in.
While sondra's
Pomegranate idea is a risk,
The process is similar
To any other fruit brandy.
Our mash is good to go,
But now we have to run it.
We don't know what
It's gonna taste like.
We don't know how
It's gonna turn out.
So you get nervous about one
Thing, that works out,
And then there's always
Something else
To be apprehensive about.
By making back-to-back
Runs through the night,
Chico and sondra should
Be able to produce
30 gallons
Of pomegranate brandy,
Putting them over
Their season goal.
Let's get the cap on.
Start making money.
This liquor,
We haven't run before.
So I'm gonna be extra careful
And take all the time it needs,
Because I don't know how it's
Gonna turn out anyway, you know.
We've never run
Any pomegranate before,
So we're gonna be
Extra careful.
We're gonna baby this one
Just a little bit to make sure
It turns out as good
As it possibly can.
Now we get to hurry up
And wait some more.
It's gonna be one
Of them nights.
We ain't outta the woods yet.
-I know.
This is the part that makes me
Nervous as a cat.
Yeah, but you remember
How nervous we were
About the watermelon
And the strawberry-banana?
Like, we're -- every time
We try anything new.
At least that was
A normal fruit.
We need this cash
To get through winter.
This is a little different
Type of liquor
That we've ever run.
And we don't know how
This run's gonna turn out.
If we don't make this last push,
It's trouble for my family.
This 30 gallons
Is for the savings.
I'm all nervous again.
We got a lot riding on this.
♪♪
-look.
-it's running now.
-yes!
-it's about time.
-we have liquor.
-that's liquor, too.
-yeah, the heads is gone.
-yeah.
We're done.
We're ready to start.
My god, we'll probably be able
To taste it soon, any minute.
Hurry!
-here.
-now we're going big.
That's all you.
You know you the guinea pig
With your liquor.
And this is your liquor.
When you come up with these hair
-brained ideas, it is all you.
What you think?
-that's awesome.
It's really smooth.
Lord have mercy!
It wasn't really like anything
I was expecting, you know?
It just kind of has that crisp
Tart kind of flavor to it.
It's probably some of
The smoothest liquor
That we've ever ran.
Taste it.
Like, it's really tart.
Tastes like
Pomegranates.
I mean, it's got
The after-flavor
On the back of your tongue,
Like the tart, you know?
Well, I believe that's about
The smoothest liquor
That you've run.
-it's very, very smooth.
-yeah, it -- it really is.
-it is smooth.
-I like it a lot, actually.
-yeah, it's really good.
But don't get attached to it,
'cause it's sold.
Get that back
In the bucket.
Chico's lined up
A potential buyer
He's never met before,
So he's setting up a pre-sale
Meeting to feel him out.
I've got a guy,
Gonna take all 30 gallons,
A dude I ain't never met before.
I'm sticking my neck out,
But if I can drop all 30-gallon
Off at one time,
That's the last risk
I have to take for the season.
We got our first run
Of the night done.
Now we need to get after
Our second barrel,
And then three and four.
We knew it was gonna be
A long night.
-I'm proud of it.
-me, too.
Good job, mama.
♪♪
Wanna go up here
And meet the buyer.
I'm really hoping
He's interested
In my new potato
Vodka moonshine.
In north carolina,
It's redemption or the rod
For lance.
After a string
Of costly failures
Nearly tanked his shine season,
He's throwing a hail mary
On an untested potato vodka
With a well-connected buyer.
Hell, this guy's got
A lotta connections.
If I can get in good with him,
Get him a product
That he really likes,
Be easy street for me.
I made a few mistakes early on.
That hurt, so having a win
This late in the season,
That'd be a huge weight
Off my shoulders.
While lance's errors
Kept him and jeff from hitting
Their season goal,
The higher price
Of his new vodka shine
Could earn them enough cash
To make it through
The oncoming winter.
Little worried
That, you know,
It being a new product,
He's not gonna wanna get it.
I've told them that
I got something new
And interesting for him,
But I didn't tell him
That it was potato vodka.
♪♪
♪♪
Not much.
How are you, sir?
I'm good, you?
Ready to try some
New moonshine?
♪♪
Here ya go.
Mm-hmm.
I like it.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm.
They stole
Everything I've got!
They ain't leave nothing
But my *bleep* barrels!
Mike's failed last run
Is just the beginning
Of his problems.
I don't know
What I'm gonna do.
♪♪
I like it.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Thank you, sir.
Nice doing business
With you.
Holler any time.
Now that lance has
Proven the marketability
Of his new potato vodka,
He'll need to capitalize
On it quickly
By running and selling
One last batch
Before he and his father
Shut down for the winter.
This is myflavor.
This is mine.
After my earlier mess-ups
This season,
It had to go successfully.
And to have dad back on my side,
That means the world to me.
♪♪
hershey.
In a north carolina cabin,
Winter's approach
Has mark scrambling
To make every drop count.
♪♪
This is the last batch
Of corn whiskey for the season.
I've brought it back
To the cabin here
To clean it up and proof it.
Got some cheesecloth here.
Gotta strain this liquor.
After my split with mike...
...'bout 300 gallons'
All I can come up with.
It's smelling good now.
I like to strain mine
At least twice.
The cleaner it is, the better.
Yeah, I like to proof
My liquor down.
It's way too hot to drink.
It ain't safe to drink it
Like that,
So better off to get her
Down to about 110
Before you drink it, really.
All righty.
Proof,
Which is the measure
Of the alcohol content
Of a beverage,
Is defined in the united states
As two-times the alcohol
Percentage by volume.
To temper the liquor, mark mixes
All the alcohol from his run
Into one container.
Next, he adds clean well water
Until the liquor
Is reduced to a suitable
Drinking level --
Between 90 and 110 proof.
Lastly, the liquor goes back
Into jars for sales.
Let's see here.
Check the proof on this.
When you proof it,
You wind up with more liquor.
And I need all the gallons
I can get.
Mm-hmm.
That's high.
I'd say it's about 160.
When shiners
Shake a jar of moonshine
To check the proof,
They're observing the size
Of the resulting bubbles
And how long they take
To dissipate.
After shaking the jar,
Large bubbles on the surface
Of the shine
That quickly pop indicate
High alcohol content, or proof.
When low-proof alcohol
Is put the shake test,
The bubbles are small
And linger on the surface
For a longer period of time.
This is due to the fact
That water has
A higher surface tension
Than alcohol.
The amount of surface tension
Is in direct proportion
To the amount of time
It takes for a bubble to pop.
The shake test takes
A practiced eye to master.
Some shiners are so proficient
At the technique
That they can match the readings
Of a hydrometer point for point.
My bubbles' leaving real quick,
And that tells me it's too high.
They're just about
A-vanishing quick as I shake it.
We gonna have to proof her down.
This right here is a good quart
Of ol' good, clean water.
It don't take a whole lotta
Water to proof it down.
Yeah, I like high-proof
Liquor to drink.
I like it around 110.
It's a-breaking in the middle,
Making a bridge.
This right here'll
Tell the tale.
Every time I proof my liquor,
I like to pour
A little bit in a pan.
Try a little fire test
Right here.
See how blue this flame is?
It's what you want.
Your blue flame,
It shows you that it's pure --
Pure alcohol.
Mm-hmm.
That is good.
Now I got this liquor
Proofed down.
Now all I gotta do is sell it.
It's been a tough shine season.
I've gotta prepare
For the winter.
♪♪
We got the last run
Of pomegranate done.
I'm getting rid of
All the liquor we got,
Putting the money
In our pockets.
The last run of the season is
What keeps my family
Fed through the winter.
Kentucky shiner chico
Is on his way to interview
A new buyer
To see if he's legit.
I'm going to meet this cat
That got ahold of me
Through a friend of mine,
You know.
I don't know this guy, so I'm
Gonna feel this dude out before
I put liquor into his hands.
This cat's wanting 30-gallon.
That's a red flag, you know.
I mean, the first time this cat
Ever got in touch with me,
He's wanting that big a number.
Oh, I got a pretty good
*bleep*-detector.
I can tell when somebody's
Pissing on my boot
And telling me it's raining.
So let's see what happens.
Man, where is this dude?
I don't like when people
Ain't on time.
♪♪
Yeah, that's him.
♪♪
What's up, buddy?
Yeah, where'd you say
You're from?
I know where you at.
I know some people over there.
Which, I know we know
Some of the same people,
But I hadn't met you.
So, what's on
Your mind?
-30 gallons.
-right.
That's a lotta liquor.
What you aiming on
Doing with it?
So you --
You bootlegging?
Yeah.
I can respect that.
At least you're honest
About it.
I'll be straight-up
With you.
It's pomegranate.
It's a high-dollar liquor.
I been selling it for $175
To a gallon.
I can't.
$150?
$150 good for you?
Right on.
All right, we'll meet up
Somewhere.
But be on time.
I understand.
*bleep* happens.
But I don't wanna be sitting
Here with liquor in the car.
And don't bring nobody
With you.
I mean that 100%.
All right.
Long as your money green
On both sides, we good.
-yeah.
-all right.
♪♪
I don't know this guy, and you
Know, 30 gallons is a lot.
But I believe I can trust
This dude, you know,
Because there is tell-tale signs
When somebody's jerking
You around, you know.
When I asked him a question,
He delivers a statement
Directly.
He keeps eye contact.
He's not fidgety.
He's not jumpy.
Your body and your eyes
Will tell on you way
Before your mouth does.
And if he's a bootlegger,
It may be a potential customer
For the future.
This dude is taking 30-gallon.
I'm comfortable
With $150 a gallon,
And he's gonna take
My entire run.
I think this is the way
To end my season.
But what steps he takes next
Will prove to whether
There'll be a future
With mine and his relationship.
♪♪
Well, daniel,
We'll get down here
And see if this mash
Is ready to run.
It's been awful cool.
So it won't be
Much longer,
And there ain't gonna be
No working mash.
Temperatures have been going
Up and down, up and down.
But it's fixin' to get cold
And stay cold.
Oh, yeah.
Tennessee shiners
Mike and daniel
Are headed back
To the still site.
They're going to meet
Their production goal
And close out their season
With a run of mike's
Satsuma brandy.
I'm anxious to taste
That satsuma anyway.
Be some good liquor.
A citrus-flavored moonshine --
What about that?
Yeah, and daniel,
I'd like to thank you, buddy,
For coming in here
And helping me like you have.
That ain't nothing,
But a thang.
Mark had a goal
Of 1,200 gallons,
And since I've
Went out on my own
And got you to help me
And everything,
I cut my goal down
To 600 gallons.
-right.
-if we get this run tonight,
That's gonna put us
Over the top this year.
Man, I've worked
My ass off this year.
And, you know, we're narrowing
Down to the last run.
I hope we can make us
A good run tonight.
Oh, hell.
The pot's gone, man!
*bleep*
♪♪
That *bleep* ain't
Happening to me!
♪♪
Everything's *bleep*
Gone, man.
Son of a bitches!
It's all gone, man!
Hey, what's up?
Well, he brought somebody
Else with him.
*bleep*
S.O.S. In kentucky.
He's waiting on me
To get off the phone.
♪♪
-the pot's gone.
-*bleep*
♪♪
Everything's
*bleep* gone, man.
Son of a bitches!
It's all gone, man!
Just as mike was about
To finish his season
In the black,
A ransacked site
And stolen still
Have him seeing red.
They stoled
Everything I've got!
They ain't leave nothing
But my *bleep* barrels!
I know it.This is $3,000-worth
Of damn copper
That it's gone.
Everything's sabotaged.
Mash barrels is turned over.
I don't have nothing left.
Man, I tell ya,
I've had so many setbacks
This year,
It's not even funny.
Oh!
Damn it to hell!
If you'd a-got that damn pump
Like I told you to,
I wouldn't be down here
Wallowing around
In this damn furnace.
I figured out
Me and mark's
Just two different people.
I'm gonna be expanding
My territories somewhat.
You don't think that ain't
Pretty dangerous?
Moonshiners --
They start getting
Into one another's
Territory,
People get hurt.
I'm the bootlegger.
Let me take care
Of the bootlegging.
So I split up with mark.
I went out on my own.
$800, man.
Holler at me
On the next run.
I been expanding my territory,
Going over into cocke county.
You have good one, son.
We'll see ya on the next trip.
Here we go.
That'll do it, brother.
That looks like
It's all there.
And then I tried to sell
To a guy named kelly.
He set me up.
Mark and digger tried to warn me
About other moonshiners
In the territory.
We're the nice guys
In this neighborhood.
There's boys around here
That ain't nice.
I can show you 30,
40 tombstones up here
That oughta be chiseled
With the words,
"I was warned."
So I may be some
Of the blame of this.
Oh, my god.
I don't know
What I'm gonna do.
You gotta watch
Who you trust, dude.
You know, I thought I had
A good agreement
With them fellers over there,
And it felt legit to me.
But you never know.
-let me ask you this.
That last time
You had a run-in,
Do you think
They followed you back?
Man, I don't know.
Might've been that damn snake
I tried to sell to.
I'd say you right.
I would say
That this was done
By somebody that knew him.
They're trying to shut him down
And prove a point.
I don't know who
It could've been,
But I've got
My suspicions.
I been going over
Into cocke county,
So I don't know if it was
A couple fellers over there
Or somebody that
Walked through here
And tore it down to go
Make some pocket change.
The loss of mike's
Still not only cost him
His final run of the season,
But over $3,000 invested
In copper and hardware.
♪♪
This is how
I feed my family.
I know.
I know exactly where you're
Coming from on that.
This is what puts bread
On the table.
This is what pays the bills.
Still yet, what am I gonna
Do for next season?
I've got $3,000
In that still site
Gone down the drain.
It ain't that easy
Just to rebuild.
Just have to build another
One bigger and better, buddy.
Mnm!
Let's just get this *bleep*
And get outta here, man.
Let's just -- let's pick
It up and what's left.
I'm trying
To console mike.
Hell, what's done is done.
All you can do is pick up
The pieces, rebuild,
Get bigger and better
Next year.
With turning to
The law for help not an option,
The only recourse
For a moonshiner
Is backwoods justice.
I'm fixin' to fix
Their asses, son!
I know who done this
*bleep* to me.
I'll go blow every damn thing
They got up.
I've put all my sweat, blood,
And tears into this still site.
Whoever come in here
And stole my still
Aimed to beat me down,
To knock me outta the game.
There ain't no damn way in hell
I'm gonna let 'em beat me.
The hell with 'em!
I'm coming back,
And I'm coming back stronger!
All these bastards left me is
A couple of damn plastic barrels
And my damn burners.
And now I've gotta regroup
And see what the hell I can do.
When I rebuild this
Coming up in spring,
I'm gonna hurt
A lotta damn feelings, son.
I'm gonna go ahead
And tell you.
What don't kill a man'll
Make him stronger.
I'm coming back stronger
Than ever, son, next year.
This sucks, dude.
Yeah, it sucks.
Let's get the hell outta here.
♪♪
♪♪
I've got 30-gallon of liquor
In this car right now.
And I'm going to sell to a guy
That I've met one time.
On a remote
Kentucky road,
Chico is gambling his freedom
On one last score worth $4,500.
We really need this money
To get through winter.
I mean, it's just
Do-or-die for us.
Although
The bootlegger seemed
Trustworthy face to face,
Chico is still taking
Every precaution.
I set up a meeting,
I felt him out.
He's got a good feel
To him, you know.
I mean, he was honest
And forthcoming with me.
But in this game,
I trust no one.
And a stumble like me
Getting locked up
Right here
At the end of the season,
Put my family
In serious jeopardy.
But this sale will pay our bills
Till we get up running again
Next year.
♪♪
I picked a gravel road.
It's away from everybody.
The only thing up and down
This road is, like,
A few old abandoned houses.
If I have to, in this car,
I can run and get away,
If I have to.
I hope it doesn't
Come down to that.
I can see where I told him
To meet me at.
I see headlights.
When you get this close,
When your nerves'll fail out.
The hell is this?
He brought somebody with him.
I told him to come
By his self.
Makes me nervous.
*bleep*.
The hell is this?
He brought somebody with him.
I told him to come
By his self.
Makes me nervous.
*bleep*.
On a dark
Kentucky night,
Chico finds his new customer
Has ignored a prime directive.
I don't want
That many eyes on me
When I'm selling liquor,
For my safety.
If he can have backup,
So can I.
Hey, what's up?
Done yet?
No, he brought somebody
Else with him.
*bleep*.
Sondra -- she's the only
Person in the world
That I trust
When I'm not certain.
He's waiting for you
Right now?
-he's sitting there.
-did he give you the money yet?
He's sitting
In the headlights,
Waiting on me
To get off the phone.
Then hurry up and get your money
And get the hell outta there.
It's our last run.
We've got to have the money.
Sell it and get the hell
Outta there.
-all right.
-be careful.
-love you.
-love you.
Bye.
All right, then.
Let's go.
Who is that?
I know, but two heads
Make me nervous
When I got that much liquor
In the truck.
Let's see that
Greenage.
All right, buddy.
Just hang out.
I'll bring it to ya.
I can't take the risk
Or the time
Of bootlegging
It out separately
And make the same
Amount of money.
I'm here.
He's got cash.
Sondra told me to go and do it,
So let's roll.
Holler at me
Next year, man.
Thank you.
And at the end of this,
I may have picked up
Another bootlegger.
9 times outta 10,
When someone showed up
With somebody else in the truck,
I would've probably
Cut bait and left.
But this was kind of
A do-or-die situation.
It was worth the extra
Little bit of risk
To leave with that money
And no liquor
And call it a season.
That's the most money
I've made in one drop.
I got a pocketful of cash.
I'm gonna spend some time
With my baby.
♪♪
♪♪
Across appalachia,
As icy winds herald
Winter's arrival,
Jeff and lance are toughing out
One final run
Of lance's vodka shine.
I built me a fire.
When your body's used
To 60s and 70s
And then you drop into the 30s
All at once...
♪♪
Jeff and lance made it
By the skin of their teeth.
The vodka moonshine
Finished fermenting
Just hours before
The temperature
Plummeted to near freezing.
Get the cap on this thing.
Get it ready to go in the worm.
Although this
11-gallon run of liquor
Hits the halfway mark
On their season goal,
The vodka's higher price
Should at least fetch them
Enough cash to make it
Through winter.
For this shiner duo,
Success is measured in cold,
Hard cash at the end of a sale.
This final transaction must
Go off without a hitch
To stave off a cold,
Long winter.
I'm a little nervous,
But I gotta get this deal done
And finish this season
Out strong.
♪♪
♪♪
What are you up to,
Brother?
I have.
Potato vodka moonshine.
I mean, this is
Top-shelf liquor.
Like it?
I've got 11 gallons.
Good deal.
Good doing business
With you, sir.
We'll get these
Loaded up.
♪♪
It's a good bit of money there.
This is a huge success
For the season.
Good deal. Maybe dad'll
Get off my back now.
With over $1,600
Safely in-hand,
Lance can share the good news
With his senior partner.
Hello?
Well, good.
I'm scott-free now.
Okay. I'll see you
In a little while.
-bye.
-yep.
Tastes like
Rye whiskey to me.
Yep.
Whoo!
Found kelly's still.
He set me up.
Little bit of dynamite,
I'm gonna blow him sky-high.
A war is
Brewing in appalachia.
I'd stay right there
If I was you.
This is gonna get ugly.
♪♪
I didn't have too good
A season this year.
I just have to switch my way
Around of living,
Get ready to hunt.
There ain't a whole lot
To a box trap,
Just a square box
About two-foot long.
It's really just two things
That makes 'em work --
Trigger system and the door.
When I get in the woods,
I believe I'll cut
My trigger system, moor it up.
Trigger system, it goes down
This hole with a notch in it,
And I'll sharpen
The bottom of it
And put an apple on the bottom.
And when he comes in there
To start eating on that apple,
He pushes on it,
Makes the door fall.
Once that door falls,
He's in there.
Grandpa -- he showed me how
To build these old box traps.
But I'd have to be awful hungry
Before I set in
To eating on them.
I like to kill my own meat.
I don't like to go to the store.
It's better meat,
And it's a whole lot
More fun going to get.
♪♪
So, what we
Gotta get out?
Barrels.
Everything
Moonshine-related.
Anything moonshine
-related, yeah.
Over in kentucky,
Chico and sondra are back
At their still site
Ready to pack it in
For the season.
I'm just trying to get
Everything cut and dry and gone.
-okay.
-you know what I mean?
We're just gonna cover
Our tracks, so to speak.
We don't wanna leave any
Remnants or evidence behind.
-I got -- yeah, let go.
-got it?
Ooh!
Oh, lord!
We set a nominal goal
This year of 376-gallon,
But with this last 30-gallon of
Pomegranate, we surpassed that.
I will take this
Down with me,
And then I'll go
Do ground support.
This season, chico and I
Literally got our operation
Off the ground.
It's the treehouse
You always wanted.
We're physically building
A suspended distillery
In the trees.
-all right, good.
-are you guys done yet?
-almost.
-that's bad-ass.
Ain't nobody else got
A setup like this.
That worked out great.
Not one time did somebody
Walk up on it.
We got to come up
With something new.
Chico and I really kind of
Followed the seasons this year.
We're getting soaked.
Let's get some of these
Bananas in here.
We really had to kind of
Pivot our ingredients
Each time
The weather changed.
Looks good,
Smells good.
We went from strawberry-banana
To watermelon to pomegranate.
-a pomer-what-it?
-a pomegranate.
We in kentucky!
You been watching too much
"Sex in the city."
This is a drink they would
Serve on "Sex in the city."
But it completely paid off.
We did it.
Catch!
You didn't catch it
Very good.
I have 100% confidence
That she could run
This setup on her own.
Got it?
She's been through worse.
Yeah, I know.
Chico puts a lot
Of faith in me now,
And I really feel like
An equal partner.
We've progressed as a couple.
We've progressed as partners.
Sondra has really
Turned into a moonshiner.
You done good this year.
-think so?
Yeah, you finally made it.
Okay.
I learned a lot up there.
You get, like, a "C."
Your my teacher,
So you get...
-you get an "A."
-...You get, like, a "D."
You get an "A."
Okay, okay.
You get an "A" too, then.
You're a pain in the ass,
But you're a good teacher.
I love you.
Say "Bye."
This site has served us well.
I really am to
The point where I'm tired,
I'm done with the season.
But I always hate
To see it leave.
Oh!
This is who I am.
This is how I provide
For my family, yes,
But I love this.
-say bye.
-bye, sky condo.
We will miss you.
♪♪
♪♪
This is the end
Of the moonshine season,
And I had a rough season.
It didn't work out for me.
Back at his
North carolina cabin,
Mark's failure
To hit his season goal
Has the self-reliant shiner
Turning to other skills
To survive
The harsh months ahead.
I fell short of my goal.
Just had too much to do,
Not enough time.
Oh, my god.
They're tore all to hell,
Ain't they?
This season, had
A pretty rough start.
Bunch of loggers come through,
Tore my still site up.
You mean to tell me
You wanna put
That rotten-ass fruit
In your mash?
I'll sell it for you,
But I don't want my name
On this, all right?
Me and mike --
We really didn't see eye to eye.
We split up.
Had to do all of
The work myself.
It's a whole lotta work,
Setting up by yourself.
Having a good partner, it makes
All the difference in the world.
I just didn't get the liquor
Made that I wanted to.
So I'm gonna have to go
To the mountains,
Try to make a living
A little different way now.
I'm gonna have to kill
About everything
I can this year
Just to make it.
Yeah, this is gonna
Be a hard winter.
I didn't make near the money
I usually do.
But I've seen hard times before.
I'll just have to hunt harder,
Is all I know.
This old gun --
It's been good to me.
It never let me down.
Next season, if I could
Find me a good partner,
I could make a whole
Lot more money.
It's just a whole lot better
With a partner.
Yeah, in the mountains
Is where I like to be.
Been in the mountains
All my life,
And I'm more comfortable
There than anywhere I'm at.
Moonshining --
It's a hard job.
It's a lot of work in it.
You have all kinds of problems,
But you just gotta fix 'em.
I've drunk a lotta
People's liquor.
But still, I like mine
Better than anybody's.
I guess I'll make it till I die.
♪♪
♪♪
Man, I've worked
My ass off this year.
To be honest with you,
I'm so tore up about my still
Being stolen and everything.
That's my livelihood.
That's what feeds my family!
♪♪
I've come down here,
And I've found kelly's still.
Kelly, when he set me up,
He stole my still.
And I can't make no more liquor,
So I'm gonna retaliate.
Little bit of dynamite --
I'm gonna blow him sky-high.
I'm gonna come in here
And give him a little surprise.
You can't go and tell the law,
So I'm out here on my own.
And I'm gonna hurt
Some feelings.
Little bit of dynamite'll
Teach him.
I'd stay right there
If I was you.
This is gonna get ugly.
♪♪
Next time on
The season finale of
"Moonshiners"...
A sale of this size --
This is gonna be a game-changer.
...Josh's final chance
At making a career-record sale
Could turn into an epic fail.
What's the deal, man?
Y'all on the way or what?
Change of plans?
*bleep*!
You're gonna be
Trapped in there.
From backwoods criminals
To legit distillers,
Two partners forge ahead
On a new path.
Think I'm gonna be
Real comfortable in here.
Oh, no.
And explosive payback
In tennessee.
Every time we steal
A client or customer
From another moonshiner,
I have to worry about a still
Getting blown up.
I have to worry about my entire
Operation being destroyed
Because of jealousy.
As cutthroat as some people are,
You've got to worry about
How they'll retaliate.
But I will get even with them
Through money in my pocket
And liquor in their customer's
Bellies that they didn't run.
This history
Of blood feuds
And rough justice in appalachia
Is long and bloody.
And in the shadowy world
Of moonshine,
Where no protection
Under law exists,
Retaliation can be
The only means
Of settling a score.
On this episode of
"Moonshiners"...
This is not
A safe situation.
I've got 30-gallon of liquor
I'm going to sell to a guy
That I've met one time.
...The numbers
Aren't adding up in kentucky.
After ending
Far short of his goal,
One shiner resorts to plan "B."
I've seen hard times before.
I'm gonna have to go
To the mountains,
Try to make a living
A little different way now.
The pot's gone!
*bleep*
And a border war is
Heating up in eastern tennessee.
It's all gone, man!
Son of a bitches!
♪♪
♪ 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
It sure is a nice, pretty,
Sunny morning though, ain't it?
Oh, yeah.
In tennessee,
It's make-our-break
For mike and daniel,
Who were looking to clinch
Their season goal
With a new ingredient.
These satsumas,
These here are
Locally grown in mississippi,
Down where I was
Born and raised.
My grandpa and uncle's
Got an orchard down there
That they grow in.
Satsumas are
A type of tangerine
Originally brought
From japan to the banks
Of the mississippi
In the 1800s.
They're sometimes referred
To as "Honey citrus"
Because of their sweet flavor.
Satsumas have long been
Favored by growers
Due to their
Frost resistance,
With standing temperatures
As low as 12 degrees fahrenheit,
Which is nearly 15 degrees lower
Than the majority
Of cultivated citrus fruits.
That's
A coffee-cup full.
We down to
The last run of the day.
I just gotta head forward
And do what I gotta do for me
And my family.
♪♪
Take this jacket
Off a minute.
After hustling
All season,
Mike is only 25 gallons shy
Of his 600-gallon goal.
But with winter on his heels,
It'll be a race to the finish.
Time's against me.
It's getting cold.
I ain't quite made it
To my goal yet.
I've gotta get these satsumas
Mashed in and mashed in fast.
While satsumas
Are cold-resistant,
The yeast and mash is not.
If the temperature dips
Below 50 degrees fahrenheit,
Fermentation slows
Nearly to a halt,
Killing any chance mike has
To make a sellable liquor
And hit his season goal.
I hope that this stuff works off
In time for me to run it.
This means everything to me.
It brings me back
To when I was a kid.
You know, we had to use
Everything that we had down
There in mississippi
To make liquor out of.
Let's get this in there.
Damn, I couldn't have
Done it by myself.
There ain't no way.
Mike is betting
On this satsuma brandy
To keep with up with demand
Across two counties
Into next season.
By god, it's got
The sweetener to it now.
Whoo!
We're really rolling the dice
On this batch of mash right now.
Let's cap her off.
But if I make this satsuma
Liquor taste just right,
I can introduce it to people
Up here in the mountains.
I'm trying to get the
Brand-new flavor out there,
Create a demand for next year.
Let's get
Outta here.
♪♪
You can check it.
How's that?
-I gotcha.
-you go up there and look.
In kentucky, a recent
Cold snap is threatening
Chico and sondra's final run
And the money
They're counting on
To get them through the winter.
What's it look like?
It's a little
Foamy, still.
Foamy don't hurt none.
It's not sticky
At all.
We've had some
Cold weather coming in lately.
We don't know if it's affected
Our mash or not.
If it's not worked off,
If this cold weather
That came in has messed that up,
Then we're done for the year.
What's it taste like?
Like we're in business.
Off that barrel
And pull it outta that one,
And I'll start
Filling the still up.
I'm so proud of you.
Next year, I'll stay at home.
I gave sondra the lead
On this one, you know.
I sent her up
To check the barrels.
This barrel is
About empty.
How you looking in the still
Right there?
Yeah, she's good!
Pull it out.
Ah! We're ready to run!
I think she has got to the point
Where she knows as well
As I do how this is.
-all right.
-oh, you gonna do it all?
-yeah, I got to.
-I told you I could sit at home!
All right.
Last one in.
While sondra's
Pomegranate idea is a risk,
The process is similar
To any other fruit brandy.
Our mash is good to go,
But now we have to run it.
We don't know what
It's gonna taste like.
We don't know how
It's gonna turn out.
So you get nervous about one
Thing, that works out,
And then there's always
Something else
To be apprehensive about.
By making back-to-back
Runs through the night,
Chico and sondra should
Be able to produce
30 gallons
Of pomegranate brandy,
Putting them over
Their season goal.
Let's get the cap on.
Start making money.
This liquor,
We haven't run before.
So I'm gonna be extra careful
And take all the time it needs,
Because I don't know how it's
Gonna turn out anyway, you know.
We've never run
Any pomegranate before,
So we're gonna be
Extra careful.
We're gonna baby this one
Just a little bit to make sure
It turns out as good
As it possibly can.
Now we get to hurry up
And wait some more.
It's gonna be one
Of them nights.
We ain't outta the woods yet.
-I know.
This is the part that makes me
Nervous as a cat.
Yeah, but you remember
How nervous we were
About the watermelon
And the strawberry-banana?
Like, we're -- every time
We try anything new.
At least that was
A normal fruit.
We need this cash
To get through winter.
This is a little different
Type of liquor
That we've ever run.
And we don't know how
This run's gonna turn out.
If we don't make this last push,
It's trouble for my family.
This 30 gallons
Is for the savings.
I'm all nervous again.
We got a lot riding on this.
♪♪
-look.
-it's running now.
-yes!
-it's about time.
-we have liquor.
-that's liquor, too.
-yeah, the heads is gone.
-yeah.
We're done.
We're ready to start.
My god, we'll probably be able
To taste it soon, any minute.
Hurry!
-here.
-now we're going big.
That's all you.
You know you the guinea pig
With your liquor.
And this is your liquor.
When you come up with these hair
-brained ideas, it is all you.
What you think?
-that's awesome.
It's really smooth.
Lord have mercy!
It wasn't really like anything
I was expecting, you know?
It just kind of has that crisp
Tart kind of flavor to it.
It's probably some of
The smoothest liquor
That we've ever ran.
Taste it.
Like, it's really tart.
Tastes like
Pomegranates.
I mean, it's got
The after-flavor
On the back of your tongue,
Like the tart, you know?
Well, I believe that's about
The smoothest liquor
That you've run.
-it's very, very smooth.
-yeah, it -- it really is.
-it is smooth.
-I like it a lot, actually.
-yeah, it's really good.
But don't get attached to it,
'cause it's sold.
Get that back
In the bucket.
Chico's lined up
A potential buyer
He's never met before,
So he's setting up a pre-sale
Meeting to feel him out.
I've got a guy,
Gonna take all 30 gallons,
A dude I ain't never met before.
I'm sticking my neck out,
But if I can drop all 30-gallon
Off at one time,
That's the last risk
I have to take for the season.
We got our first run
Of the night done.
Now we need to get after
Our second barrel,
And then three and four.
We knew it was gonna be
A long night.
-I'm proud of it.
-me, too.
Good job, mama.
♪♪
Wanna go up here
And meet the buyer.
I'm really hoping
He's interested
In my new potato
Vodka moonshine.
In north carolina,
It's redemption or the rod
For lance.
After a string
Of costly failures
Nearly tanked his shine season,
He's throwing a hail mary
On an untested potato vodka
With a well-connected buyer.
Hell, this guy's got
A lotta connections.
If I can get in good with him,
Get him a product
That he really likes,
Be easy street for me.
I made a few mistakes early on.
That hurt, so having a win
This late in the season,
That'd be a huge weight
Off my shoulders.
While lance's errors
Kept him and jeff from hitting
Their season goal,
The higher price
Of his new vodka shine
Could earn them enough cash
To make it through
The oncoming winter.
Little worried
That, you know,
It being a new product,
He's not gonna wanna get it.
I've told them that
I got something new
And interesting for him,
But I didn't tell him
That it was potato vodka.
♪♪
♪♪
Not much.
How are you, sir?
I'm good, you?
Ready to try some
New moonshine?
♪♪
Here ya go.
Mm-hmm.
I like it.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm.
They stole
Everything I've got!
They ain't leave nothing
But my *bleep* barrels!
Mike's failed last run
Is just the beginning
Of his problems.
I don't know
What I'm gonna do.
♪♪
I like it.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Thank you, sir.
Nice doing business
With you.
Holler any time.
Now that lance has
Proven the marketability
Of his new potato vodka,
He'll need to capitalize
On it quickly
By running and selling
One last batch
Before he and his father
Shut down for the winter.
This is myflavor.
This is mine.
After my earlier mess-ups
This season,
It had to go successfully.
And to have dad back on my side,
That means the world to me.
♪♪
hershey.
In a north carolina cabin,
Winter's approach
Has mark scrambling
To make every drop count.
♪♪
This is the last batch
Of corn whiskey for the season.
I've brought it back
To the cabin here
To clean it up and proof it.
Got some cheesecloth here.
Gotta strain this liquor.
After my split with mike...
...'bout 300 gallons'
All I can come up with.
It's smelling good now.
I like to strain mine
At least twice.
The cleaner it is, the better.
Yeah, I like to proof
My liquor down.
It's way too hot to drink.
It ain't safe to drink it
Like that,
So better off to get her
Down to about 110
Before you drink it, really.
All righty.
Proof,
Which is the measure
Of the alcohol content
Of a beverage,
Is defined in the united states
As two-times the alcohol
Percentage by volume.
To temper the liquor, mark mixes
All the alcohol from his run
Into one container.
Next, he adds clean well water
Until the liquor
Is reduced to a suitable
Drinking level --
Between 90 and 110 proof.
Lastly, the liquor goes back
Into jars for sales.
Let's see here.
Check the proof on this.
When you proof it,
You wind up with more liquor.
And I need all the gallons
I can get.
Mm-hmm.
That's high.
I'd say it's about 160.
When shiners
Shake a jar of moonshine
To check the proof,
They're observing the size
Of the resulting bubbles
And how long they take
To dissipate.
After shaking the jar,
Large bubbles on the surface
Of the shine
That quickly pop indicate
High alcohol content, or proof.
When low-proof alcohol
Is put the shake test,
The bubbles are small
And linger on the surface
For a longer period of time.
This is due to the fact
That water has
A higher surface tension
Than alcohol.
The amount of surface tension
Is in direct proportion
To the amount of time
It takes for a bubble to pop.
The shake test takes
A practiced eye to master.
Some shiners are so proficient
At the technique
That they can match the readings
Of a hydrometer point for point.
My bubbles' leaving real quick,
And that tells me it's too high.
They're just about
A-vanishing quick as I shake it.
We gonna have to proof her down.
This right here is a good quart
Of ol' good, clean water.
It don't take a whole lotta
Water to proof it down.
Yeah, I like high-proof
Liquor to drink.
I like it around 110.
It's a-breaking in the middle,
Making a bridge.
This right here'll
Tell the tale.
Every time I proof my liquor,
I like to pour
A little bit in a pan.
Try a little fire test
Right here.
See how blue this flame is?
It's what you want.
Your blue flame,
It shows you that it's pure --
Pure alcohol.
Mm-hmm.
That is good.
Now I got this liquor
Proofed down.
Now all I gotta do is sell it.
It's been a tough shine season.
I've gotta prepare
For the winter.
♪♪
We got the last run
Of pomegranate done.
I'm getting rid of
All the liquor we got,
Putting the money
In our pockets.
The last run of the season is
What keeps my family
Fed through the winter.
Kentucky shiner chico
Is on his way to interview
A new buyer
To see if he's legit.
I'm going to meet this cat
That got ahold of me
Through a friend of mine,
You know.
I don't know this guy, so I'm
Gonna feel this dude out before
I put liquor into his hands.
This cat's wanting 30-gallon.
That's a red flag, you know.
I mean, the first time this cat
Ever got in touch with me,
He's wanting that big a number.
Oh, I got a pretty good
*bleep*-detector.
I can tell when somebody's
Pissing on my boot
And telling me it's raining.
So let's see what happens.
Man, where is this dude?
I don't like when people
Ain't on time.
♪♪
Yeah, that's him.
♪♪
What's up, buddy?
Yeah, where'd you say
You're from?
I know where you at.
I know some people over there.
Which, I know we know
Some of the same people,
But I hadn't met you.
So, what's on
Your mind?
-30 gallons.
-right.
That's a lotta liquor.
What you aiming on
Doing with it?
So you --
You bootlegging?
Yeah.
I can respect that.
At least you're honest
About it.
I'll be straight-up
With you.
It's pomegranate.
It's a high-dollar liquor.
I been selling it for $175
To a gallon.
I can't.
$150?
$150 good for you?
Right on.
All right, we'll meet up
Somewhere.
But be on time.
I understand.
*bleep* happens.
But I don't wanna be sitting
Here with liquor in the car.
And don't bring nobody
With you.
I mean that 100%.
All right.
Long as your money green
On both sides, we good.
-yeah.
-all right.
♪♪
I don't know this guy, and you
Know, 30 gallons is a lot.
But I believe I can trust
This dude, you know,
Because there is tell-tale signs
When somebody's jerking
You around, you know.
When I asked him a question,
He delivers a statement
Directly.
He keeps eye contact.
He's not fidgety.
He's not jumpy.
Your body and your eyes
Will tell on you way
Before your mouth does.
And if he's a bootlegger,
It may be a potential customer
For the future.
This dude is taking 30-gallon.
I'm comfortable
With $150 a gallon,
And he's gonna take
My entire run.
I think this is the way
To end my season.
But what steps he takes next
Will prove to whether
There'll be a future
With mine and his relationship.
♪♪
Well, daniel,
We'll get down here
And see if this mash
Is ready to run.
It's been awful cool.
So it won't be
Much longer,
And there ain't gonna be
No working mash.
Temperatures have been going
Up and down, up and down.
But it's fixin' to get cold
And stay cold.
Oh, yeah.
Tennessee shiners
Mike and daniel
Are headed back
To the still site.
They're going to meet
Their production goal
And close out their season
With a run of mike's
Satsuma brandy.
I'm anxious to taste
That satsuma anyway.
Be some good liquor.
A citrus-flavored moonshine --
What about that?
Yeah, and daniel,
I'd like to thank you, buddy,
For coming in here
And helping me like you have.
That ain't nothing,
But a thang.
Mark had a goal
Of 1,200 gallons,
And since I've
Went out on my own
And got you to help me
And everything,
I cut my goal down
To 600 gallons.
-right.
-if we get this run tonight,
That's gonna put us
Over the top this year.
Man, I've worked
My ass off this year.
And, you know, we're narrowing
Down to the last run.
I hope we can make us
A good run tonight.
Oh, hell.
The pot's gone, man!
*bleep*
♪♪
That *bleep* ain't
Happening to me!
♪♪
Everything's *bleep*
Gone, man.
Son of a bitches!
It's all gone, man!
Hey, what's up?
Well, he brought somebody
Else with him.
*bleep*
S.O.S. In kentucky.
He's waiting on me
To get off the phone.
♪♪
-the pot's gone.
-*bleep*
♪♪
Everything's
*bleep* gone, man.
Son of a bitches!
It's all gone, man!
Just as mike was about
To finish his season
In the black,
A ransacked site
And stolen still
Have him seeing red.
They stoled
Everything I've got!
They ain't leave nothing
But my *bleep* barrels!
I know it.This is $3,000-worth
Of damn copper
That it's gone.
Everything's sabotaged.
Mash barrels is turned over.
I don't have nothing left.
Man, I tell ya,
I've had so many setbacks
This year,
It's not even funny.
Oh!
Damn it to hell!
If you'd a-got that damn pump
Like I told you to,
I wouldn't be down here
Wallowing around
In this damn furnace.
I figured out
Me and mark's
Just two different people.
I'm gonna be expanding
My territories somewhat.
You don't think that ain't
Pretty dangerous?
Moonshiners --
They start getting
Into one another's
Territory,
People get hurt.
I'm the bootlegger.
Let me take care
Of the bootlegging.
So I split up with mark.
I went out on my own.
$800, man.
Holler at me
On the next run.
I been expanding my territory,
Going over into cocke county.
You have good one, son.
We'll see ya on the next trip.
Here we go.
That'll do it, brother.
That looks like
It's all there.
And then I tried to sell
To a guy named kelly.
He set me up.
Mark and digger tried to warn me
About other moonshiners
In the territory.
We're the nice guys
In this neighborhood.
There's boys around here
That ain't nice.
I can show you 30,
40 tombstones up here
That oughta be chiseled
With the words,
"I was warned."
So I may be some
Of the blame of this.
Oh, my god.
I don't know
What I'm gonna do.
You gotta watch
Who you trust, dude.
You know, I thought I had
A good agreement
With them fellers over there,
And it felt legit to me.
But you never know.
-let me ask you this.
That last time
You had a run-in,
Do you think
They followed you back?
Man, I don't know.
Might've been that damn snake
I tried to sell to.
I'd say you right.
I would say
That this was done
By somebody that knew him.
They're trying to shut him down
And prove a point.
I don't know who
It could've been,
But I've got
My suspicions.
I been going over
Into cocke county,
So I don't know if it was
A couple fellers over there
Or somebody that
Walked through here
And tore it down to go
Make some pocket change.
The loss of mike's
Still not only cost him
His final run of the season,
But over $3,000 invested
In copper and hardware.
♪♪
This is how
I feed my family.
I know.
I know exactly where you're
Coming from on that.
This is what puts bread
On the table.
This is what pays the bills.
Still yet, what am I gonna
Do for next season?
I've got $3,000
In that still site
Gone down the drain.
It ain't that easy
Just to rebuild.
Just have to build another
One bigger and better, buddy.
Mnm!
Let's just get this *bleep*
And get outta here, man.
Let's just -- let's pick
It up and what's left.
I'm trying
To console mike.
Hell, what's done is done.
All you can do is pick up
The pieces, rebuild,
Get bigger and better
Next year.
With turning to
The law for help not an option,
The only recourse
For a moonshiner
Is backwoods justice.
I'm fixin' to fix
Their asses, son!
I know who done this
*bleep* to me.
I'll go blow every damn thing
They got up.
I've put all my sweat, blood,
And tears into this still site.
Whoever come in here
And stole my still
Aimed to beat me down,
To knock me outta the game.
There ain't no damn way in hell
I'm gonna let 'em beat me.
The hell with 'em!
I'm coming back,
And I'm coming back stronger!
All these bastards left me is
A couple of damn plastic barrels
And my damn burners.
And now I've gotta regroup
And see what the hell I can do.
When I rebuild this
Coming up in spring,
I'm gonna hurt
A lotta damn feelings, son.
I'm gonna go ahead
And tell you.
What don't kill a man'll
Make him stronger.
I'm coming back stronger
Than ever, son, next year.
This sucks, dude.
Yeah, it sucks.
Let's get the hell outta here.
♪♪
♪♪
I've got 30-gallon of liquor
In this car right now.
And I'm going to sell to a guy
That I've met one time.
On a remote
Kentucky road,
Chico is gambling his freedom
On one last score worth $4,500.
We really need this money
To get through winter.
I mean, it's just
Do-or-die for us.
Although
The bootlegger seemed
Trustworthy face to face,
Chico is still taking
Every precaution.
I set up a meeting,
I felt him out.
He's got a good feel
To him, you know.
I mean, he was honest
And forthcoming with me.
But in this game,
I trust no one.
And a stumble like me
Getting locked up
Right here
At the end of the season,
Put my family
In serious jeopardy.
But this sale will pay our bills
Till we get up running again
Next year.
♪♪
I picked a gravel road.
It's away from everybody.
The only thing up and down
This road is, like,
A few old abandoned houses.
If I have to, in this car,
I can run and get away,
If I have to.
I hope it doesn't
Come down to that.
I can see where I told him
To meet me at.
I see headlights.
When you get this close,
When your nerves'll fail out.
The hell is this?
He brought somebody with him.
I told him to come
By his self.
Makes me nervous.
*bleep*.
The hell is this?
He brought somebody with him.
I told him to come
By his self.
Makes me nervous.
*bleep*.
On a dark
Kentucky night,
Chico finds his new customer
Has ignored a prime directive.
I don't want
That many eyes on me
When I'm selling liquor,
For my safety.
If he can have backup,
So can I.
Hey, what's up?
Done yet?
No, he brought somebody
Else with him.
*bleep*.
Sondra -- she's the only
Person in the world
That I trust
When I'm not certain.
He's waiting for you
Right now?
-he's sitting there.
-did he give you the money yet?
He's sitting
In the headlights,
Waiting on me
To get off the phone.
Then hurry up and get your money
And get the hell outta there.
It's our last run.
We've got to have the money.
Sell it and get the hell
Outta there.
-all right.
-be careful.
-love you.
-love you.
Bye.
All right, then.
Let's go.
Who is that?
I know, but two heads
Make me nervous
When I got that much liquor
In the truck.
Let's see that
Greenage.
All right, buddy.
Just hang out.
I'll bring it to ya.
I can't take the risk
Or the time
Of bootlegging
It out separately
And make the same
Amount of money.
I'm here.
He's got cash.
Sondra told me to go and do it,
So let's roll.
Holler at me
Next year, man.
Thank you.
And at the end of this,
I may have picked up
Another bootlegger.
9 times outta 10,
When someone showed up
With somebody else in the truck,
I would've probably
Cut bait and left.
But this was kind of
A do-or-die situation.
It was worth the extra
Little bit of risk
To leave with that money
And no liquor
And call it a season.
That's the most money
I've made in one drop.
I got a pocketful of cash.
I'm gonna spend some time
With my baby.
♪♪
♪♪
Across appalachia,
As icy winds herald
Winter's arrival,
Jeff and lance are toughing out
One final run
Of lance's vodka shine.
I built me a fire.
When your body's used
To 60s and 70s
And then you drop into the 30s
All at once...
♪♪
Jeff and lance made it
By the skin of their teeth.
The vodka moonshine
Finished fermenting
Just hours before
The temperature
Plummeted to near freezing.
Get the cap on this thing.
Get it ready to go in the worm.
Although this
11-gallon run of liquor
Hits the halfway mark
On their season goal,
The vodka's higher price
Should at least fetch them
Enough cash to make it
Through winter.
For this shiner duo,
Success is measured in cold,
Hard cash at the end of a sale.
This final transaction must
Go off without a hitch
To stave off a cold,
Long winter.
I'm a little nervous,
But I gotta get this deal done
And finish this season
Out strong.
♪♪
♪♪
What are you up to,
Brother?
I have.
Potato vodka moonshine.
I mean, this is
Top-shelf liquor.
Like it?
I've got 11 gallons.
Good deal.
Good doing business
With you, sir.
We'll get these
Loaded up.
♪♪
It's a good bit of money there.
This is a huge success
For the season.
Good deal. Maybe dad'll
Get off my back now.
With over $1,600
Safely in-hand,
Lance can share the good news
With his senior partner.
Hello?
Well, good.
I'm scott-free now.
Okay. I'll see you
In a little while.
-bye.
-yep.
Tastes like
Rye whiskey to me.
Yep.
Whoo!
Found kelly's still.
He set me up.
Little bit of dynamite,
I'm gonna blow him sky-high.
A war is
Brewing in appalachia.
I'd stay right there
If I was you.
This is gonna get ugly.
♪♪
I didn't have too good
A season this year.
I just have to switch my way
Around of living,
Get ready to hunt.
There ain't a whole lot
To a box trap,
Just a square box
About two-foot long.
It's really just two things
That makes 'em work --
Trigger system and the door.
When I get in the woods,
I believe I'll cut
My trigger system, moor it up.
Trigger system, it goes down
This hole with a notch in it,
And I'll sharpen
The bottom of it
And put an apple on the bottom.
And when he comes in there
To start eating on that apple,
He pushes on it,
Makes the door fall.
Once that door falls,
He's in there.
Grandpa -- he showed me how
To build these old box traps.
But I'd have to be awful hungry
Before I set in
To eating on them.
I like to kill my own meat.
I don't like to go to the store.
It's better meat,
And it's a whole lot
More fun going to get.
♪♪
So, what we
Gotta get out?
Barrels.
Everything
Moonshine-related.
Anything moonshine
-related, yeah.
Over in kentucky,
Chico and sondra are back
At their still site
Ready to pack it in
For the season.
I'm just trying to get
Everything cut and dry and gone.
-okay.
-you know what I mean?
We're just gonna cover
Our tracks, so to speak.
We don't wanna leave any
Remnants or evidence behind.
-I got -- yeah, let go.
-got it?
Ooh!
Oh, lord!
We set a nominal goal
This year of 376-gallon,
But with this last 30-gallon of
Pomegranate, we surpassed that.
I will take this
Down with me,
And then I'll go
Do ground support.
This season, chico and I
Literally got our operation
Off the ground.
It's the treehouse
You always wanted.
We're physically building
A suspended distillery
In the trees.
-all right, good.
-are you guys done yet?
-almost.
-that's bad-ass.
Ain't nobody else got
A setup like this.
That worked out great.
Not one time did somebody
Walk up on it.
We got to come up
With something new.
Chico and I really kind of
Followed the seasons this year.
We're getting soaked.
Let's get some of these
Bananas in here.
We really had to kind of
Pivot our ingredients
Each time
The weather changed.
Looks good,
Smells good.
We went from strawberry-banana
To watermelon to pomegranate.
-a pomer-what-it?
-a pomegranate.
We in kentucky!
You been watching too much
"Sex in the city."
This is a drink they would
Serve on "Sex in the city."
But it completely paid off.
We did it.
Catch!
You didn't catch it
Very good.
I have 100% confidence
That she could run
This setup on her own.
Got it?
She's been through worse.
Yeah, I know.
Chico puts a lot
Of faith in me now,
And I really feel like
An equal partner.
We've progressed as a couple.
We've progressed as partners.
Sondra has really
Turned into a moonshiner.
You done good this year.
-think so?
Yeah, you finally made it.
Okay.
I learned a lot up there.
You get, like, a "C."
Your my teacher,
So you get...
-you get an "A."
-...You get, like, a "D."
You get an "A."
Okay, okay.
You get an "A" too, then.
You're a pain in the ass,
But you're a good teacher.
I love you.
Say "Bye."
This site has served us well.
I really am to
The point where I'm tired,
I'm done with the season.
But I always hate
To see it leave.
Oh!
This is who I am.
This is how I provide
For my family, yes,
But I love this.
-say bye.
-bye, sky condo.
We will miss you.
♪♪
♪♪
This is the end
Of the moonshine season,
And I had a rough season.
It didn't work out for me.
Back at his
North carolina cabin,
Mark's failure
To hit his season goal
Has the self-reliant shiner
Turning to other skills
To survive
The harsh months ahead.
I fell short of my goal.
Just had too much to do,
Not enough time.
Oh, my god.
They're tore all to hell,
Ain't they?
This season, had
A pretty rough start.
Bunch of loggers come through,
Tore my still site up.
You mean to tell me
You wanna put
That rotten-ass fruit
In your mash?
I'll sell it for you,
But I don't want my name
On this, all right?
Me and mike --
We really didn't see eye to eye.
We split up.
Had to do all of
The work myself.
It's a whole lotta work,
Setting up by yourself.
Having a good partner, it makes
All the difference in the world.
I just didn't get the liquor
Made that I wanted to.
So I'm gonna have to go
To the mountains,
Try to make a living
A little different way now.
I'm gonna have to kill
About everything
I can this year
Just to make it.
Yeah, this is gonna
Be a hard winter.
I didn't make near the money
I usually do.
But I've seen hard times before.
I'll just have to hunt harder,
Is all I know.
This old gun --
It's been good to me.
It never let me down.
Next season, if I could
Find me a good partner,
I could make a whole
Lot more money.
It's just a whole lot better
With a partner.
Yeah, in the mountains
Is where I like to be.
Been in the mountains
All my life,
And I'm more comfortable
There than anywhere I'm at.
Moonshining --
It's a hard job.
It's a lot of work in it.
You have all kinds of problems,
But you just gotta fix 'em.
I've drunk a lotta
People's liquor.
But still, I like mine
Better than anybody's.
I guess I'll make it till I die.
♪♪
♪♪
Man, I've worked
My ass off this year.
To be honest with you,
I'm so tore up about my still
Being stolen and everything.
That's my livelihood.
That's what feeds my family!
♪♪
I've come down here,
And I've found kelly's still.
Kelly, when he set me up,
He stole my still.
And I can't make no more liquor,
So I'm gonna retaliate.
Little bit of dynamite --
I'm gonna blow him sky-high.
I'm gonna come in here
And give him a little surprise.
You can't go and tell the law,
So I'm out here on my own.
And I'm gonna hurt
Some feelings.
Little bit of dynamite'll
Teach him.
I'd stay right there
If I was you.
This is gonna get ugly.
♪♪
Next time on
The season finale of
"Moonshiners"...
A sale of this size --
This is gonna be a game-changer.
...Josh's final chance
At making a career-record sale
Could turn into an epic fail.
What's the deal, man?
Y'all on the way or what?
Change of plans?
*bleep*!
You're gonna be
Trapped in there.
From backwoods criminals
To legit distillers,
Two partners forge ahead
On a new path.
Think I'm gonna be
Real comfortable in here.
Oh, no.
And explosive payback
In tennessee.