Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 8, Episode 5 - Burden of Proof - full transcript
Ten years after Popcorn Sutton's death, his widow reveals a clue that could lead Mark and Digger to a hidden stash; Mike must gin up his brandy game to pay off his debt to Mark and Digger; Donnie and Teresa build a still site in a Kentucky cave.
Narrator: on this episode
Of "Moonshiners"...
-you ready to race, buddy?
-yes, sir.
...One moonshiner's
Slow road to recovery
Becomes the fast track to
Disaster in north carolina.
Oh lord, oh lord.
Aah!
If it rains it'll
Cool them caps off
And it'll condense
Back in the damn pot.
Digger: *bleep*.
Mother nature threatens to put
One shine operation
Underwater in tennessee.
It's gonna be hell
Making 1,100 gallons
And we can't get
The first jug made.
And two smoky mountain
Moonshiners
Come face to face with the law.
Gotta get rid of him.
Man: this is how
We make the moonshine!
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
♪♪
Pbbth! Eh, that a hard
Hit ball back there.
Ramsey: that's unregulated
Gas for us.
[ chuckling ]
Narrator: in the foothills of
The great smoky mountains,
Mark and digger are
Ready to run their
First big batch of the season.
The hard-fought choice of
Mark's cherry-vanilla moonshine.
Give this thing a look-see.
We got intentions of doing
This cherry-vanilla run today.
Because we're not sure
That this mash will
Maintain its integrity
For a day or two extra
Such as a grain mash will.
Eh, it's deader than
Last year's calendar.
We need to get
This running,
And I mean pretty quick.
But it's cloudy, it's
Drizzled off and on.
I'm uneasy.
I'm telling you,
If it rains
It'll cool them caps off
And it'll condense
Back in the damn pot.
*bleep*
Digger:
This mash is ready to run.
But if it starts raining
And your running liquor,
The rain hits the caps and well,
It's just like a worm.
It starts condensing that vapor
Right back down into the pot.
And they never get
It back through
The condenser arm
Over into the thump keg
And over into the worm.
We better get this done.
We gotta get 'em
All pumped over.
There's a lot of money
At stake with this run.
Narrator: if mark and digger's
Mash goes bad
Before they can run it,
They stand to lose
Over 10 grand.
Digger: we've got a couple
Hundred dollars
In each one of these barrels
With cherries alone.
[ thunder rumbling ]
There you go, boys.
Thunder, it comes.
Damn it.
It's gonna be hell
Making 1,100 gallons
When we can't get
The first jug made.
Pissing me off.
You know, a rainstorm
Here can last 10 seconds
Or it can last for 10 days.
Well, I'ma tell you what,
We ain't gonna get to run these.
I'm just glad that we
Ain't got the burners lit
And it done about halfway
Through heating up.
Yeah, if we'd have got
It halfway fired up
And it just was
Starting to boil,
We'd have lost some liquor.
This damn rain's
Got me sideways.
I know it.
You know, there's a
Lot riding on this.
It's the first run of the season
On big sloppy and the twins
And it's pretty, pretty
Expensive mash in
And even though
Mash has to be run,
I'd rather take a chance
On waiting another day
Than getting rained
Completely out
And losing all of it, you know?
*bleep*
Let's go.
So much for that.
It's just part of being
In the liquor business.
If you're not willing to deal
With things such as this,
Then you need to
Be digging taters
Or working in a factory.
That's why we call this
The appalachian rain forest.
It is.
♪♪
Josh: we're already up
And running this season
And it's not too bad considering
Not too long ago I hit a wall
Between 80 and 100 miles an hour
And broke all these bones
And messed up my ligaments
And everything else.
I need to crawl back
Up on that horse.
I'm ready to bite
The dog that bit me.
I'm ready to go to the
Track and win a race.
Honestly, I'm sick and
Tired of sitting around
Feeling sorry for myself.
Narrator:
Three counties to the southeast
In columbus, north carolina,
Josh's shine season and health
Are on an upward swing.
With his first run a success,
Josh is looking to
Offload 26 gallons
Of premium whiskey
And start paying off
His mounting medical bills.
Josh: I really need to make
My goals this season
Because I'ma start
Losing customers
And I got more doctor
Bills than ever.
But I'm feeling great.
I've got a good still
Site at red dog's
And I'm about to put
Money in my pocket.
It's really kind of a miracle.
♪♪
-how's it going?
-good.
♪♪
-how much is all this gonna be?
-1,000 bucks.
-it should all be in there.
-all right, appreciate it.
-thank you, man.
-y'all be careful.
♪♪
Right now we're just
Really hitting our stride.
As long as I keep making liquor,
Making money, everybody's happy.
Today's a pretty good day.
I put money in my pocket,
Got some mashes ready to run.
We just gotta make it happen.
Red dog:
Whoa, slicker than *bleep*.
Hey, josh?
Yo, buddy?
It's all ready, start filling up
The worm barrel.
I'll help you get some water.
Turn that bad boy
On for me.
Go ahead, man.
Yeah!
You know, I'm feeling
Really damn good.
I love being at red dog's,
Busting off runs.
It's just the perfect spot.
How long before you
Can ride a motorcycle?
I don't know if I'm
Ready to pull on
The steering wheel
Of that race car
And damn jerking in gear.
Josh is tough.
He'll get back up and going.
Well josh, we had an
Agreement, you know,
For a certain
Amount of time.
I told you I really
Didn't wanna
Get back into it
Heavy duty.
I think it's time
To shut her down.
I think we need to
Move out of here.
What you mean move out of here?
Hell, we just now
Got rolling good.
I know we did.
But the thing that
Gets me is civilization
Is moving in on us.
That's what worries
Me more than anything.
There's housing
Coming in closer.
Gonna be some people
Hunting close.
It's not gonna take
But one or two people
Gonna spot this, get
Nosy, and call us in.
Red dog's an old dog,
And I respect what
He has to say.
But at the same time, we're
Just now getting it dialed in.
Red dog, you should let us
Finish out the season here, man.
I got all these
Bills come to speed
And now I can't
Even pay my bills.
I gotta have over $75,000
Just for one bill.
Man, I hate it,
But I believe
We pushed our luck
Staying as long
As we have.
The next thing you know
We're gonna be
In federal court.
I know, it's a hard
Decision for me to make.
But I'm hearing dirt bikes.
I'm hearing chainsaws.
Red dog, you just being
Paranoid in your old age.
No, I'm not being paranoid.Still taking a risk.
Well, I don't wanna be in
The federal courthouse.
We'll get this next run in
So you'll have
A little cushion.
We can figure out something.
Having to move
Out of red dog's
Really just kind of took
The wind out of my sails,
And having to move my
Still site once again.
I'm really not sure
Where I'ma go next.
I'm gonna have to do something.
I got a ton of doctor bills.
There it goes right there.
Man, red dog.
We just got up
And going good.
I know, I know.
Chuck:
I love red dog to death.
But we're just now
Getting our season started
And I think he's
A little paranoid.
Oh, I believe that's better
Than the last time.
It's smooth.
What do you think, dog?
They'll pay
Top dollar for that.
Yeah.Look, man,
I respect your wishes
And I-I really appreciate
Everything you've
Done for us.
I just can't see
Leaving yet.
We're just now
Getting it dialed in.
Josh: there's no way
I'm mad at red dog
But this is the perfect site.
We had mountain creek
Water, great cover,
Red dog watching over it.
How do you beat that?
All right, last one.
Let's get out of here.
Son of a bitch.
♪♪
We're gonna rehydrate
Some yeast here.
We're just gonna pour it
In here into the water.
Then we'll take it and
Pour it into the mash.
Narrator:
Two states to the northwest
In beattyville, kentucky,
Donnie and teresa
Are getting ready
To mash in at their
New still site --
A hidden cave in the daniel
Boone national forest.
Our goal this season is
To try to get 500 gallons.
It's gonna be tough to do
Where we're gonna be at.
So this yeast has got
A little different
Temperature range than
What I'd normally use.
It works at a
Colder temperature.
So it's gonna make sure the mash
Will work in the
Cold environment
At the cave down there.
There's thousands
Of types of yeast.
Wine yeast, champagne yeast.
And just on down the line.
There's all
Different kinds.
I've never used this
Yeast here today
That we're gonna mash,
But should work pretty
Good in the cave.
Narrator: in order to meet
His ambitious season goal,
Donnie is testing
Several types of yeast
To determine which
Strain will work best
In the cool, damp climate
Of his cave still site.
He'll compare the
Fermentation rate
Of one barrel at the cave
Against a control
Barrel at his cabin.
Donnie:
Heading to the cave.
[ engine starts ]
At this new still site,
I believe it's
Gonna work out good.
It's gonna be a
Lot of work though.
It's a 50 gallon pot.
I'm worried about taking it in
'cause our still site's in
A really rough location.
Mind tightening it
Just a little bit?
Okay, that's good.
Let's see what
We got here.
That work?
To the moonshine
And beyond.
[ laughs ]
Be careful, it's slick.
The pot, it's not real heavy.
But by time you
Get it strapped on...
Set it on this rock here.
...You're ready
To set it down.
This cave is the best place
That we've found so far.
Because it's got
Water and shelter.
Teresa: I feel like
We've moved a house.
But we have rocks everywhere.
It's not easy to work with.
Yee-haw, girl.
I can't believe
We just did that.
I like for everything
To be level.
What do you think?
It looks level to me.
If not, when you're
Running the still,
It'll make a worm.
It'll shoot out and stop
Then shoot out and stop.
We gotta get this level, too.
Need a rock for this
Back side right here.
Teresa:
Donnie is a perfectionist.
We're delayed enough already.
We've got to get this
Mash working and run it
And make us some whiskey.
We're definitely close.
Donnie: yeah, teresa makes fun
Of me for being so picky
But I'd rather it
Be right than wrong.
It looks like that's low
On the left-hand side.
It's not bad.
Let me see.
Are you kidding me?
I think it's still off.
Does it ever end?
[ both laugh ]
We've got everything set
Up and it's looking good.
We've got running water,
We've gotta run and get it.
The first thing we're gonna
Do is mix our mash up today.
We've gotta heat the water up.
I like to get it
Up to 160 degrees
'cause I don't grind my grain.
Well, especially using
Rye, if you grind it,
You'll get too much
Of a peppery taste.
I believe it's at 160.
Yeah, that'll work.
Very good.
Hot, hot.
With it being that hot,
The grain will actually swell
And start cracking open.
And that's how you get
The flavor out of it.
Put this hot water in here
And it'll slowly open up.
What we make is
A lot better than
What you can get at a store.
We need to wait
'till it cools down
To around 95 degrees and we're
Gonna add our yeast to it
And see what happens.
Well, I hope this works.
You never know
'till you try.
♪♪
-you ready to race, buddy?
-yes, sir. *bleep*
Narrator: josh throws the dice
On a high speed gamble
In north carolina.
Holy crap, what am I thinking?
Aah!
♪♪
Narrator:
In the blue ridge mountains,
Mark recruits help
From his cousin, huck.
Huck: hello, mark.
It's been a while.
Well you done some
Work, ain't you?
You know what you're doing.
Yep, gotta have
That water.
[chainsaw cutting]
Oh, yeah.
It'll be perfect.
[chainsaw cutting]
Narrator: every moonshiner needs
Cold, clean water
To make liquor.
Mark chose his still
Site because of
It's proximity to a
Spring-fed mountain stream.
That water source lies
Approximately 400 feet away.
To get the water
Down to his still,
Mark will build a trough system
From birch tree trunks.
First he'll fell the
Trees and cut the trunks
Into 20 foot lengths.
Then he'll use a chainsaw
To carve channels
Along the entire
Length of each log.
Once that's complete,
He'll position the logs
To direct the gravity
Fed flow of water
From the source to within
30 feet of the still.
Finally, mark will
Complete the last 10 yards
With a lightweight
Pine box trough system.
Mark prefers the open
Trough network of logs
Because any clogs that
May occur during a run
Are easily located and removed.
Huck:
It's all downhill now.
The tall, thin american birch
Which stretches to
Compete for sunlight
On the mountain slopes
Will make an ideal
Aqueduct for mark's
Water system.
Mark: dad-gummit.
[ chainsaw cutting ]
We got her down.
♪♪
[ grunts ]
♪♪
♪♪
J.B,, why don't you get up
Here and lead the way?
[ laughs ]
Narrator:
Two counties to the north
In eastern tennessee,
After the rain stalled
Their first attempt
To make liquor, mark and
Digger must run today
Or risk losing a $10,000 payday.
-it rained good, didn't it?
-yep.
Let's start
Capping these up.
We ain't lift these
Rascals since last year.
Affectionately nicknamed
Big sloppy and the twins,
Mark and digger's
Three pot still
Holds 700 gallons of mash
And on a good run can produce
As much as 80 gallons of liquor.
You ready?
Let her rip, tater chip.
Digger:
J.B. And mark and myself,
We've all got a long history
In the liquor business.
Every chance I get
I'ma have him out here.
I don't believe
Popcorn's made
No more damn paste
Than you have.
We don't expect him to do
A lot of physical labor,
But just j.B.'s presence
Kind of keeps us grounded.
And also, he's the finest
Paste maker that's ever been.
You gotta have paste
And j.B. Excels at it.
A fella wouldn't clock
In and do this *bleep*
On a regular job, would he?
I wouldn't do it if somebody
Was telling me to, probably.
If we get 40 of
Them at 130 proof --
That gets two thumbs up
From siskel and ebert.
That'll be 80 gallons of
Probably 70 proof, seven grain.
Boy, it's getting
Muggy ain't it?
I don't know, at least there
Ain't no moisture falling.
Well, they is running
Down the crack of my ass.
[ laughing ]
About all that.
Is it coming?Yep.
The slower you can run
Your liquor, the better.
It takes away the fire from it,
But you know, when you're
Just running a gallon
Every 10 or 15 minutes,
You do the math.
I mean, it's a long time.
Ooh, it's still
A little fiery.
But it ain't bad.
It's got a good flavor to it.
Let digger try him
A swig of that.
♪♪
Hmm,
That's right tasty.
It ain't bad...It's pretty damn good.
...For high proof liquor.
Well, they're filling now.
I've got a stream a-going now.
Yes, you have.
Ramsey: I'd like to fill
Every one of these jars up
And honestly I think
That we can.
Well, there's another.
That's got us over halfway.
♪♪
That's a good run.
Especially the way we're
Gonna tamper it out.
Narrator: once proofed down,
Mark and digger's run
Will yield 70 gallons
Of high-dollar cherry-vanilla
Sipping cream.
Digger:
You remember the way, j.B.?
You just run us on out of here.
♪♪
Teresa: first running?
Yeah, we should make 500
Gallons easily this year.
You know we're gonna
Have to celebrate
This special occasion,
Don't you?
Uh-oh.What can we get to celebrate?
Well, it is the northern
Kind, the moonshine.
Uh-oh.
Oh.[ both laughing ]
Narrator:
Eight counties northwest
In beattyville, kentucky,
Donnie and teresa are
Returning to their still site
To run their first
Liquor of the season.
Let's go make
Some moonshine.
All right.
Teresa:
So today's the big day.
I've been around donnie making
Moonshine for years now.
But never got my hands
Dirty and actually been
A part of it.
Figure that water
Will be good today.
Is it raining enough,
You think?
Well, it's not
Rained a whole lot.
I hope it's still running.
It's gonna take me a while
To learn how to make it.
Just watching it is one thing.
But actually being
Involved in the process
Is a whole different story.
Our mash should be
Ready to run.
I hear the water flowing.
Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho.
We have leaks.
We'll have to go up
Inside the cave in order
To work on that
A little bit.
I mean, the barrel
Looks full to me.
But it's not running
Hard enough to run whiskey.
After a couple hours
Our worm would get hot.
We can't have that happen.
We're finding cracks
In some of the pieces
Of river cane.
That's cracked
On both ends.
So we have to change it out
And put a new piece in.
We're gonna have to be really
Careful splitting that.
I cut a little extra
Just in case.
This river cane tends
To crack really easy.
So that's gonna be
Another obstacle.
If we don't have a
Good flow of water,
It blows the whole thing.
Donnie: we can tape that
Just to hold it.
Try to find the right pieces
That we could piece together
And we tape those
Up with duct tape.
Duct tape is one of the best
Tools that you can have.
You can use it for
About anything.
It's not bad.
I think we've pulled it off.
The water's great.
We got a good flow of water.
All right, good deal.
How's the mash?
Looks good, smells good.
It's good,
I believe it's ready.
It's good and sweet.Donnie: good and sweet?
Well, hell.
Another damn problem.
It's always something.
It's got sugar in it?
I thought it was
Supposed to be sweet.
When it works off it's
Supposed to get sour.
That's how you know
When it's ready to run.
It's pure sugar.
Son of a bitch.
Narrator:
Fermented mash has a sour flavor
Because the yeast have converted
All the sugar to alcohol.
Sweet tasting mash indicates
Incomplete fermentation.
We ain't gonna run today.
Are you kidding?This got cold.
The yeast has, and
It's not worked off.
The cooler temperature
Of the cave
Has caused the yeast
To go dormant,
Ceasing the
Fermentation process.
Donnie: the mash here in the
Cave is not working off.
This is a dry county which means
I've got customers
Really counting on me.
'cause this is our first batch.
It's really important.
I can't afford to lose any
Customers or any sales.
Always something.
I swear to god, if it ain't
One thing it's another.
So what now?
We gotta do something.
We've got to get to running
'cause everybody in
The world's a-hollering.
I know.
We may have to try to
Get some mash in here
A different way.
We do have a barrel
At the cabin
But I don't know how
We'll get it in here.
We don't have a whole lot
Of different options here.
And about the only
Thing I can think,
I do have another
Barrel at the cabin
That we can use but
It's my control barrel
To help test the yeast
Against the difference
In temperatures.
Now you have to try to figure
Out how to get down here.
I don't know how
We're gonna do that.
A barrel of mash will
Weigh about 500 pounds.
And there's no way
That we can pack this
Down inside the cave.
But I have to make whiskey.
I don't know how we'll
Get it down here.
♪♪
Damn it -- atv.
Narrator:
The wheels of justice grind
One smoky mountain moonshine
Operation to a halt.
-oh, get down.
-get down.
♪♪
-redneck engineering.
-like that.
Narrator:
In robbinsville, north carolina,
Mark is nearing
Completion on his
Birch trunk water trough system.
Huck: well let's get this
Water going, mark,
So we make sure everything's
Gonna work right.
♪♪
♪♪
Yeah, looks good.
♪♪
Narrator: to fill his mash
Barrel with water,
Mark will first need
To divert its flow
Through a simple garden hose.
Huck: it's gonna be
A real pretty sight
To see seven of these
Mash barrels up here
And working off.
Narrator: priced to move
At $100 a gallon,
Mark's corn whiskey
Is in high demand.
We get that done that'll
Be ready to run, won't it?
Yeah.
♪♪
Josh: this is what you call
A hillbilly seal.
This was a bit of
A 90-mile-an-hour
Down high speed
Duct-tape kind of job.
I hate to be duct taping
On my car right here
In front of the
Whole world to see.
Narrator: five counties east
In columbus, north carolina,
After losing his still site,
Josh turns his attention to
Another appalachian tradition.
Josh: six and a half
Quarts of oil?
Yeah.
We just got kicked
Out of red dog's
And that sucked.
But I gotta keep on keeping on.
And honestly, racing is
Something that I love
And I don't wanna give it
Up because of aggravating
Little setbacks.
♪♪
Narrator:
Just eight weeks after his
100 mile per hour crash,
Josh is back in the game
Racing for $1,000
Winner-take-all prize.
Ugh, golly it is
Bright out here.
I'm as ready as I'm gonna get
Considering we're
Here for $1,000 race
And I ain't won one yet.
[ laughs ]
I'm trying to think positive.
-what's up, big dog?
-what's up, man?
Keeping yourself saucy,
I love you, man.
Glad you made it.Hell, yeah.
I wanna be here
Every *bleep* week.
You know that.
Josh is all banged up this year.
But he didn't even
Let it faze him.
It'd be nice to win one.
I ain't won one yet.
You'll get it.
You'll get it.
Maybe lucky chucky will
Bring you some luck.
You reckon?
Yeah.
He's had so much downfalls
I guess he just runs past it
And he says let's get going.
We ain't got time to waste.
[ engine starts ]
Narrator: the american sport
Of stock car racing
Has it's roots in the
Illegal liquor industry.
With the advent
Of the automobile,
Bootleggers avoided detection
By using cars that
Were ordinary looking,
Or stock, on the outside,
But hidden underneath that
Plain-looking exterior
Were high horsepower engines
Capable of leaving
Any lawman that dared to
Give chase in the dust.
When they weren't
Delivering liquor,
Bootleggers who wanted to
Show their mechanical savvy
And driving prowess
Took to cow pastures
And farm fields to
Compete in local races
For bragging rights.
As the speed of the cars grew
And these events began
To gain popularity,
The competition moved
Out of the fields
And onto dirt tracks once
Meant for horse races.
Then when prohibition ended
And many bootleggers
Suddenly found
Themselves unemployed,
They took the skills they
Honed on the mountain roads
Of the south and applied them
To the professional
Driving circuit.
Former liquor runners
Like junior johnson
And lee petty began to
Win titles in the sport.
Today, dirt track
Stock car racing
Remains the most popular
Automotive sport in america.
♪♪
♪♪
Josh: racing's a thrill
That I don't even know
How to put into words.
I feel more fearless than ever.
But there's also
This other part of me
That, like, keeps having
These flashbacks.
Waking up and going in
And out in the hospital
And all these things keep
Flashing through my mind.
♪♪
Holy crap, what am I thinking?
[ laughs ]
♪♪
Holy crap.
Oh *bleep*.
I'm more determined than ever.
I been blowing off body parts,
Breaking all these bones.
Been having all these issues.
And it just makes it hard
For me to think about
Having any more accidents.
Oh lord, oh lord.
Aah!
Narrator:
On a north carolina speedway...
Josh: holy crap,
What am I thinking?
Narrator: ...Josh is once again
Playing too close to the edge.
Aah!
Wild dog!
Holy *bleep*.
♪♪
I'm more afraid
Than I've ever been
In my whole life
Of getting hurt,
But everything's got a risk.
Racing is something that I love
And I don't wanna give it up
Because the fear
Of getting hurt.
I don't wanna be like that.
I'd rather die.
♪♪
I was doing good then I dang
Lost control over there.
My motor ain't running good.
My brakes ain't working right.
Ugh.
I wasn't dead last was I?
You were second to last.
Second to last?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, y'all.
I had fun, though.
Have you had fun?Yes!
Good. We gotta do
Something to the motor.
Yeah, I know.It just ain't hitting right.
Let me get a cold drink.Go ahead.
What the hell happened
To you out there?
The harder I drove the car,
The worse it drove.
What about your shoulder?
Feeling better?
I'm ready to race
Motorcycles.
[ laughs ]
You know, I been thinking
About something.
All right?
I don't know
How stupid it is,
But I been thinking about
The year before last,
I got ran out of my spot
Because somebody found it
And stole my *bleep*.
Right.
The last season, they
Started charging me
For my spot so then
I come talking to you,
Really not expecting to
Land on your property.
What I was thinking,
If I'm constantly
Having to move,
Why not make a
Still that I can put
Anywhere I want?
I was thinking about maybe
Putting some sort of still
In the front of the
Trailer right here.
A mobile still site?A mobile still site.
I can even, like, take it to
Some of these rallies and stuff.
All them spots
Have running water,
Electricity, and sewage.
While we're sitting around
Partying and *bleep*.
We could be making a run
Under everybody's noses.
That's genius.I think it'll work.
Josh: I'm not 100% sure this
Is the best idea in the world.
But by taking my
Operation on the road,
That means I'm gonna be able
To make liquor, and sell liquor
At any biker rally,
Any festival.
But right now I gotta
Figure out how to build it.
I'll never have to *bleep*
Move my still again,
I'll just put it in my truck
And move it somewhere.
Hell, that'll work.Let's go watch some races.
Yeah, we don't have to
Worry about them bears
And all that mud.
♪♪
♪♪
It's ready to run.
There's no way we can
Pack this down there.
No way in the world.
Weighs almost
As much as you do.
Oh, that's not
Even funny.
Narrator: in beattyville,
Kentucky, donnie and teresa
Are putting their
Backs into the work
As they move a 500-pound barrel
Of mash to their still site.
Gonna try to use the hose,
We'll get the mash in there.
Hopefully we've got
Enough to reach.
That's the only other
Way I know to do.
Donnie: now, this is our first
Batch of the season.
It's really important,
'cause we can't wait
On the other barrel.
I hope this works,
If not, we're gonna
Be hurtin' for sure.
Yep, we don't have
That much time.
We've got to get
This mash down there,
And get the whiskey run.
Tarp is trying to
Blow off on us.
Oh, gosh.
All it'd take would be
For one person to see it,
And they'd probably call
A sheriff right away.
We're gonna try to park
The truck atop of the cliff,
As close as we can
Get to the cave.
This is not the ideal way
To do this,
We're sittin' on the side of
The road and we're exposed.
Anyone can drive by and see us,
But we don't have
Any other choice.
This is what we got to do.
I'll drop the hose over,
You can catch it.
It's real heavy, so we're
Gonna use some water hose
That we're gonna run,
And hopefully we can
Gravity feed it in there.
I say we go over right here.
Not sure it's gonna work,
But we're gonna try.
It's a long way
Down there.
Can you hear me?
Yeah!
It's probably 150 feet
Straight down, right here.
Teresa: looks really
Dangerous to me.
My knees are shakin'
Just thinkin' about it.
It's about to come
Over, watch out!
Ooh. It is slick.
Alright!
♪♪
Got it!
Walk with it slowly
Toward the still.
Donnie: here we go, we're gonna
Open the valve up here,
And see if it's gonna work.
We'll know here in a minute.
I think we're good!
Alright, make sure
You use the filter!
Right now, we've got the
Funnel in and filter there,
So I'm just waitin'
On the mash.
I feel some pressure.
It's comin'!
Oh, here we go,
It's comin'!
Woo-wee!
♪♪
I believe we got
This one right.
Let's go make
Some moonshine.
Pot's full, we got
Our mash in there,
And we're ready to cook it.
I can't believe
That worked.
I can't either.
[ laughs ]
Good job.
Donnie: the truck's hidden
And the pot is full.
So we're ready to light
A fire underneath of it,
And put the cap on it,
See what happens.
♪♪
We got flame!
This is our first
Run here in the cave.
Now we'll paste our cap in,
And we'll be ready to go.
It seems to be heatin'
Up too, fairly quick.
Just a little bit
Right in the seam.
Don't take very much.
Won't be much longer.
♪♪
There we go!
Teresa: we're really exited.
After all these delays...Pour that out.
...And set backs, we're
Finally runnin' liquor.
Whoo, real hot!
It's got a really good smell.160 proof!
You know, we got 50 gallons
Of mash here in the pot.
Well, heres our
First sour granny!
We should get six gallons
Of whiskey after we run it.
Crystal clear!
We should wind up with
Eight gallons total.
Rollin' on pretty good,
Innit?
Oh, yeah!
This run of whiskey here,
I might call it captain caveman,
Or something like that,
I'm not sure.
[ laughs ]
Now we gotta sell it!
Teresa: this is a really
Good run for us.
Next challenge is
Gettin it outta here.
Donnie: [ laughs ]
It's always another job.
♪♪
Yeah, you'll get wet 'cause
It's full of water, ain't it?
Yeah.
Narrator:
In north carolina,
Mark and huck finish
Their still site.
They're just hours away
From the first drops
Of moonshine for the season.
There it is.
Be about right,
Ain't it?
[ engine revs ]
[ engine revs ]
I believe
He's goin' on now.
Whew, damn!
♪♪
Here comes the law!
[ laughs ]
Yee-haw!
Moonshinin' is really important
To kentucky history.
This is all sandstone.
The cliffs in this
Part of the country,
Also have some
Hidden, ancient secrets.
Check this out.
What is that?
There's been several
Theories about it.
One was, an ancient celtic
Religious writing.
I think, also, a sharpenin'
Place for indians.
It's pretty amazing.
How long do you think
This has been here?
Thousands of years,
I would say.
Wow, this is amazing.
You can see there's
Marks even way up here.
Look's like
A little stick man.
Yeah. [ laughs ]
Narrator: there's one race
That josh is leading.
But with his still
Site shut down,
Mark and digger
Are quickly closing the gap.
Narrator:
Deep in the smoky mountains,
Mark and huck hunker down
As a suspected lawman comes
Within yards of
Their still site.
♪♪
Ugh!
Huck: no.
We'll have to be on high
Alert now, that's for sure.
You can't hardly tell
There's anything over there.
We'll rest easier now,
Can't we?
♪♪
Digger: we gotta get this
Liquor up there.
Ramsey: yeah, I ain't
Lookin' forward to that.
Narrator: in an eastern
Tennessee warehouse...
They ain't gonna
Tote their-self.
...Mark and digger are ready
To turn a batch of
High-proof moonshine...
22 more jugs to go.
...Into a cherry-vanilla
Sipping cream.
Whew, damn, it's hot.
Hotter than a bitch wolf
In a forest fire.
That's what they say,
It ain't the heat,
It's the humility.
Today, we've gotta mix all
The cherry-vanilla liquor,
With the sippin' cream.
And instead of lettin' it
Vent itself out like that,
Old pop, well he done like
This, and didn't realize
When they level out,
They pour faster.
It vents itself equal.
We like base grain
Liquor, so to speak.
But change and time
Simply doesn't permit us
To live in that era no more.
If you'da told me 20 years ago,
That I was gonna be makin'
A smooth-sippin',
Creamed liquor.
Well, I'da laughed
Ya out the door.
But this is how we
Make our livin',
And if we don't change,
Then we don't survive.
Who knows what it'll
Be in five years.
I'm sayin it's 75,
80 proof.
Well, that's what we want.
We want everybody to think
They're getting
Their money's worth.
Narrator: when mark and digger
Finish mixing the cream
With the cherry-vanilla shine,
They'll have 70 gallons of
Tennessee sipping cream,
Worth over $10,000.
We gotta get rid
Of it, too.
I've got a little idea.
You wanna hear it,
Here go.
You know, beaz is in town,
And he's comin' to visit.Killer beaz.
We've got an old
Buddy, killer beaz,
He's an old comedian buddy.
He's brokered lots of
Liquor for us over the years
In nashville with
Country music clientele.
This is mark and digger.
We got somethin to show ya, man.
♪♪
Wow, it's fantastic.
If beaz is wantin' to
Know how to make liquor,
As bad as he says
He wants to.
Then he's gonna pay
His tuition
By gettin' rid
Of this liquor.
Yeah, I think
That's excellent.
[ laughs ]
Digger: beaz wants to learn
To make liquor,
'cause he's not shut up
About it for years.
Called me the other night,
Said he was comin' into town
After he finished a
Show in chattanooga.
So I got to thinkin' I'm
Gonna put him to the task
To sellin' this cherry-vanilla,
Sippin' cream liquor.
That's his trial by fire.[ laughs ]
-hey, hey buddy!
-there you are.
So we put this in beaz's court,
He knows some money people.
He can probably run 'em down.
Ramsey: digger's got a
Proposition for you,
If you wanna learn
To make liquor.
Okay?
We got just a little tiny
Bit of a chore for you.
Follow me, young man.
You've always had a buyer.Yeah.
What we have in front of us.
2% milk?
60 gallons of cherry-vanilla,
Sipping cream.
Cherry-vanilla?Vanilla sipping --
What'd they lower the
Drinkin' age to 12?
Yep, lucky for us, 'cause
That means more customers.
Wow.
And all we want
For you to bring back
Is $10,500.
This is primo stuff, it
Took a long time to make.
That's 175 bucks
A gallon.
Whatever you get out of it,
Above that, that's yours.
When you bring us
$10,500 of our money.
That's your tuition to
Learn how to make liquor.
The moonshine skills.
Are you down
For the count?
♪♪
I'll do it.
Welcome to mine and mark's
Moonshine school.
If you can meet the task.
Ramsey: as long as he
Brings us the money,
Then his tuition's paid.
You know, a lot of colleges,
There's a qualifying exam?
Mm-hmmthere it is.
You gotta carry it
Down the steps
And load it, haul it off.
Three flights of stairs.
Good doin' business
With ya, I hope.
Time will tell, if you don't
Blow a gasket on the stairs.
Oh, damn.
Narrator: next time
On "Moonshiners"...
Come on *bleep*
Ya *bleep*.
...A partnership nears
The breaking point
In tennessee.
Either you gon' work with me,
Or you gon' work without.
Louisiana swamp-style
Bootlegging.
I don't know, really, if
It's an undercover cop.
Narrator: and the most
Notorious moonshiner
In modern virginia history...
Our place has been
Compromised.
...Steps in
To help his son.
My advice would be
To forget about it.
Of "Moonshiners"...
-you ready to race, buddy?
-yes, sir.
...One moonshiner's
Slow road to recovery
Becomes the fast track to
Disaster in north carolina.
Oh lord, oh lord.
Aah!
If it rains it'll
Cool them caps off
And it'll condense
Back in the damn pot.
Digger: *bleep*.
Mother nature threatens to put
One shine operation
Underwater in tennessee.
It's gonna be hell
Making 1,100 gallons
And we can't get
The first jug made.
And two smoky mountain
Moonshiners
Come face to face with the law.
Gotta get rid of him.
Man: this is how
We make the moonshine!
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
♪♪
Pbbth! Eh, that a hard
Hit ball back there.
Ramsey: that's unregulated
Gas for us.
[ chuckling ]
Narrator: in the foothills of
The great smoky mountains,
Mark and digger are
Ready to run their
First big batch of the season.
The hard-fought choice of
Mark's cherry-vanilla moonshine.
Give this thing a look-see.
We got intentions of doing
This cherry-vanilla run today.
Because we're not sure
That this mash will
Maintain its integrity
For a day or two extra
Such as a grain mash will.
Eh, it's deader than
Last year's calendar.
We need to get
This running,
And I mean pretty quick.
But it's cloudy, it's
Drizzled off and on.
I'm uneasy.
I'm telling you,
If it rains
It'll cool them caps off
And it'll condense
Back in the damn pot.
*bleep*
Digger:
This mash is ready to run.
But if it starts raining
And your running liquor,
The rain hits the caps and well,
It's just like a worm.
It starts condensing that vapor
Right back down into the pot.
And they never get
It back through
The condenser arm
Over into the thump keg
And over into the worm.
We better get this done.
We gotta get 'em
All pumped over.
There's a lot of money
At stake with this run.
Narrator: if mark and digger's
Mash goes bad
Before they can run it,
They stand to lose
Over 10 grand.
Digger: we've got a couple
Hundred dollars
In each one of these barrels
With cherries alone.
[ thunder rumbling ]
There you go, boys.
Thunder, it comes.
Damn it.
It's gonna be hell
Making 1,100 gallons
When we can't get
The first jug made.
Pissing me off.
You know, a rainstorm
Here can last 10 seconds
Or it can last for 10 days.
Well, I'ma tell you what,
We ain't gonna get to run these.
I'm just glad that we
Ain't got the burners lit
And it done about halfway
Through heating up.
Yeah, if we'd have got
It halfway fired up
And it just was
Starting to boil,
We'd have lost some liquor.
This damn rain's
Got me sideways.
I know it.
You know, there's a
Lot riding on this.
It's the first run of the season
On big sloppy and the twins
And it's pretty, pretty
Expensive mash in
And even though
Mash has to be run,
I'd rather take a chance
On waiting another day
Than getting rained
Completely out
And losing all of it, you know?
*bleep*
Let's go.
So much for that.
It's just part of being
In the liquor business.
If you're not willing to deal
With things such as this,
Then you need to
Be digging taters
Or working in a factory.
That's why we call this
The appalachian rain forest.
It is.
♪♪
Josh: we're already up
And running this season
And it's not too bad considering
Not too long ago I hit a wall
Between 80 and 100 miles an hour
And broke all these bones
And messed up my ligaments
And everything else.
I need to crawl back
Up on that horse.
I'm ready to bite
The dog that bit me.
I'm ready to go to the
Track and win a race.
Honestly, I'm sick and
Tired of sitting around
Feeling sorry for myself.
Narrator:
Three counties to the southeast
In columbus, north carolina,
Josh's shine season and health
Are on an upward swing.
With his first run a success,
Josh is looking to
Offload 26 gallons
Of premium whiskey
And start paying off
His mounting medical bills.
Josh: I really need to make
My goals this season
Because I'ma start
Losing customers
And I got more doctor
Bills than ever.
But I'm feeling great.
I've got a good still
Site at red dog's
And I'm about to put
Money in my pocket.
It's really kind of a miracle.
♪♪
-how's it going?
-good.
♪♪
-how much is all this gonna be?
-1,000 bucks.
-it should all be in there.
-all right, appreciate it.
-thank you, man.
-y'all be careful.
♪♪
Right now we're just
Really hitting our stride.
As long as I keep making liquor,
Making money, everybody's happy.
Today's a pretty good day.
I put money in my pocket,
Got some mashes ready to run.
We just gotta make it happen.
Red dog:
Whoa, slicker than *bleep*.
Hey, josh?
Yo, buddy?
It's all ready, start filling up
The worm barrel.
I'll help you get some water.
Turn that bad boy
On for me.
Go ahead, man.
Yeah!
You know, I'm feeling
Really damn good.
I love being at red dog's,
Busting off runs.
It's just the perfect spot.
How long before you
Can ride a motorcycle?
I don't know if I'm
Ready to pull on
The steering wheel
Of that race car
And damn jerking in gear.
Josh is tough.
He'll get back up and going.
Well josh, we had an
Agreement, you know,
For a certain
Amount of time.
I told you I really
Didn't wanna
Get back into it
Heavy duty.
I think it's time
To shut her down.
I think we need to
Move out of here.
What you mean move out of here?
Hell, we just now
Got rolling good.
I know we did.
But the thing that
Gets me is civilization
Is moving in on us.
That's what worries
Me more than anything.
There's housing
Coming in closer.
Gonna be some people
Hunting close.
It's not gonna take
But one or two people
Gonna spot this, get
Nosy, and call us in.
Red dog's an old dog,
And I respect what
He has to say.
But at the same time, we're
Just now getting it dialed in.
Red dog, you should let us
Finish out the season here, man.
I got all these
Bills come to speed
And now I can't
Even pay my bills.
I gotta have over $75,000
Just for one bill.
Man, I hate it,
But I believe
We pushed our luck
Staying as long
As we have.
The next thing you know
We're gonna be
In federal court.
I know, it's a hard
Decision for me to make.
But I'm hearing dirt bikes.
I'm hearing chainsaws.
Red dog, you just being
Paranoid in your old age.
No, I'm not being paranoid.Still taking a risk.
Well, I don't wanna be in
The federal courthouse.
We'll get this next run in
So you'll have
A little cushion.
We can figure out something.
Having to move
Out of red dog's
Really just kind of took
The wind out of my sails,
And having to move my
Still site once again.
I'm really not sure
Where I'ma go next.
I'm gonna have to do something.
I got a ton of doctor bills.
There it goes right there.
Man, red dog.
We just got up
And going good.
I know, I know.
Chuck:
I love red dog to death.
But we're just now
Getting our season started
And I think he's
A little paranoid.
Oh, I believe that's better
Than the last time.
It's smooth.
What do you think, dog?
They'll pay
Top dollar for that.
Yeah.Look, man,
I respect your wishes
And I-I really appreciate
Everything you've
Done for us.
I just can't see
Leaving yet.
We're just now
Getting it dialed in.
Josh: there's no way
I'm mad at red dog
But this is the perfect site.
We had mountain creek
Water, great cover,
Red dog watching over it.
How do you beat that?
All right, last one.
Let's get out of here.
Son of a bitch.
♪♪
We're gonna rehydrate
Some yeast here.
We're just gonna pour it
In here into the water.
Then we'll take it and
Pour it into the mash.
Narrator:
Two states to the northwest
In beattyville, kentucky,
Donnie and teresa
Are getting ready
To mash in at their
New still site --
A hidden cave in the daniel
Boone national forest.
Our goal this season is
To try to get 500 gallons.
It's gonna be tough to do
Where we're gonna be at.
So this yeast has got
A little different
Temperature range than
What I'd normally use.
It works at a
Colder temperature.
So it's gonna make sure the mash
Will work in the
Cold environment
At the cave down there.
There's thousands
Of types of yeast.
Wine yeast, champagne yeast.
And just on down the line.
There's all
Different kinds.
I've never used this
Yeast here today
That we're gonna mash,
But should work pretty
Good in the cave.
Narrator: in order to meet
His ambitious season goal,
Donnie is testing
Several types of yeast
To determine which
Strain will work best
In the cool, damp climate
Of his cave still site.
He'll compare the
Fermentation rate
Of one barrel at the cave
Against a control
Barrel at his cabin.
Donnie:
Heading to the cave.
[ engine starts ]
At this new still site,
I believe it's
Gonna work out good.
It's gonna be a
Lot of work though.
It's a 50 gallon pot.
I'm worried about taking it in
'cause our still site's in
A really rough location.
Mind tightening it
Just a little bit?
Okay, that's good.
Let's see what
We got here.
That work?
To the moonshine
And beyond.
[ laughs ]
Be careful, it's slick.
The pot, it's not real heavy.
But by time you
Get it strapped on...
Set it on this rock here.
...You're ready
To set it down.
This cave is the best place
That we've found so far.
Because it's got
Water and shelter.
Teresa: I feel like
We've moved a house.
But we have rocks everywhere.
It's not easy to work with.
Yee-haw, girl.
I can't believe
We just did that.
I like for everything
To be level.
What do you think?
It looks level to me.
If not, when you're
Running the still,
It'll make a worm.
It'll shoot out and stop
Then shoot out and stop.
We gotta get this level, too.
Need a rock for this
Back side right here.
Teresa:
Donnie is a perfectionist.
We're delayed enough already.
We've got to get this
Mash working and run it
And make us some whiskey.
We're definitely close.
Donnie: yeah, teresa makes fun
Of me for being so picky
But I'd rather it
Be right than wrong.
It looks like that's low
On the left-hand side.
It's not bad.
Let me see.
Are you kidding me?
I think it's still off.
Does it ever end?
[ both laugh ]
We've got everything set
Up and it's looking good.
We've got running water,
We've gotta run and get it.
The first thing we're gonna
Do is mix our mash up today.
We've gotta heat the water up.
I like to get it
Up to 160 degrees
'cause I don't grind my grain.
Well, especially using
Rye, if you grind it,
You'll get too much
Of a peppery taste.
I believe it's at 160.
Yeah, that'll work.
Very good.
Hot, hot.
With it being that hot,
The grain will actually swell
And start cracking open.
And that's how you get
The flavor out of it.
Put this hot water in here
And it'll slowly open up.
What we make is
A lot better than
What you can get at a store.
We need to wait
'till it cools down
To around 95 degrees and we're
Gonna add our yeast to it
And see what happens.
Well, I hope this works.
You never know
'till you try.
♪♪
-you ready to race, buddy?
-yes, sir. *bleep*
Narrator: josh throws the dice
On a high speed gamble
In north carolina.
Holy crap, what am I thinking?
Aah!
♪♪
Narrator:
In the blue ridge mountains,
Mark recruits help
From his cousin, huck.
Huck: hello, mark.
It's been a while.
Well you done some
Work, ain't you?
You know what you're doing.
Yep, gotta have
That water.
[chainsaw cutting]
Oh, yeah.
It'll be perfect.
[chainsaw cutting]
Narrator: every moonshiner needs
Cold, clean water
To make liquor.
Mark chose his still
Site because of
It's proximity to a
Spring-fed mountain stream.
That water source lies
Approximately 400 feet away.
To get the water
Down to his still,
Mark will build a trough system
From birch tree trunks.
First he'll fell the
Trees and cut the trunks
Into 20 foot lengths.
Then he'll use a chainsaw
To carve channels
Along the entire
Length of each log.
Once that's complete,
He'll position the logs
To direct the gravity
Fed flow of water
From the source to within
30 feet of the still.
Finally, mark will
Complete the last 10 yards
With a lightweight
Pine box trough system.
Mark prefers the open
Trough network of logs
Because any clogs that
May occur during a run
Are easily located and removed.
Huck:
It's all downhill now.
The tall, thin american birch
Which stretches to
Compete for sunlight
On the mountain slopes
Will make an ideal
Aqueduct for mark's
Water system.
Mark: dad-gummit.
[ chainsaw cutting ]
We got her down.
♪♪
[ grunts ]
♪♪
♪♪
J.B,, why don't you get up
Here and lead the way?
[ laughs ]
Narrator:
Two counties to the north
In eastern tennessee,
After the rain stalled
Their first attempt
To make liquor, mark and
Digger must run today
Or risk losing a $10,000 payday.
-it rained good, didn't it?
-yep.
Let's start
Capping these up.
We ain't lift these
Rascals since last year.
Affectionately nicknamed
Big sloppy and the twins,
Mark and digger's
Three pot still
Holds 700 gallons of mash
And on a good run can produce
As much as 80 gallons of liquor.
You ready?
Let her rip, tater chip.
Digger:
J.B. And mark and myself,
We've all got a long history
In the liquor business.
Every chance I get
I'ma have him out here.
I don't believe
Popcorn's made
No more damn paste
Than you have.
We don't expect him to do
A lot of physical labor,
But just j.B.'s presence
Kind of keeps us grounded.
And also, he's the finest
Paste maker that's ever been.
You gotta have paste
And j.B. Excels at it.
A fella wouldn't clock
In and do this *bleep*
On a regular job, would he?
I wouldn't do it if somebody
Was telling me to, probably.
If we get 40 of
Them at 130 proof --
That gets two thumbs up
From siskel and ebert.
That'll be 80 gallons of
Probably 70 proof, seven grain.
Boy, it's getting
Muggy ain't it?
I don't know, at least there
Ain't no moisture falling.
Well, they is running
Down the crack of my ass.
[ laughing ]
About all that.
Is it coming?Yep.
The slower you can run
Your liquor, the better.
It takes away the fire from it,
But you know, when you're
Just running a gallon
Every 10 or 15 minutes,
You do the math.
I mean, it's a long time.
Ooh, it's still
A little fiery.
But it ain't bad.
It's got a good flavor to it.
Let digger try him
A swig of that.
♪♪
Hmm,
That's right tasty.
It ain't bad...It's pretty damn good.
...For high proof liquor.
Well, they're filling now.
I've got a stream a-going now.
Yes, you have.
Ramsey: I'd like to fill
Every one of these jars up
And honestly I think
That we can.
Well, there's another.
That's got us over halfway.
♪♪
That's a good run.
Especially the way we're
Gonna tamper it out.
Narrator: once proofed down,
Mark and digger's run
Will yield 70 gallons
Of high-dollar cherry-vanilla
Sipping cream.
Digger:
You remember the way, j.B.?
You just run us on out of here.
♪♪
Teresa: first running?
Yeah, we should make 500
Gallons easily this year.
You know we're gonna
Have to celebrate
This special occasion,
Don't you?
Uh-oh.What can we get to celebrate?
Well, it is the northern
Kind, the moonshine.
Uh-oh.
Oh.[ both laughing ]
Narrator:
Eight counties northwest
In beattyville, kentucky,
Donnie and teresa are
Returning to their still site
To run their first
Liquor of the season.
Let's go make
Some moonshine.
All right.
Teresa:
So today's the big day.
I've been around donnie making
Moonshine for years now.
But never got my hands
Dirty and actually been
A part of it.
Figure that water
Will be good today.
Is it raining enough,
You think?
Well, it's not
Rained a whole lot.
I hope it's still running.
It's gonna take me a while
To learn how to make it.
Just watching it is one thing.
But actually being
Involved in the process
Is a whole different story.
Our mash should be
Ready to run.
I hear the water flowing.
Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho.
We have leaks.
We'll have to go up
Inside the cave in order
To work on that
A little bit.
I mean, the barrel
Looks full to me.
But it's not running
Hard enough to run whiskey.
After a couple hours
Our worm would get hot.
We can't have that happen.
We're finding cracks
In some of the pieces
Of river cane.
That's cracked
On both ends.
So we have to change it out
And put a new piece in.
We're gonna have to be really
Careful splitting that.
I cut a little extra
Just in case.
This river cane tends
To crack really easy.
So that's gonna be
Another obstacle.
If we don't have a
Good flow of water,
It blows the whole thing.
Donnie: we can tape that
Just to hold it.
Try to find the right pieces
That we could piece together
And we tape those
Up with duct tape.
Duct tape is one of the best
Tools that you can have.
You can use it for
About anything.
It's not bad.
I think we've pulled it off.
The water's great.
We got a good flow of water.
All right, good deal.
How's the mash?
Looks good, smells good.
It's good,
I believe it's ready.
It's good and sweet.Donnie: good and sweet?
Well, hell.
Another damn problem.
It's always something.
It's got sugar in it?
I thought it was
Supposed to be sweet.
When it works off it's
Supposed to get sour.
That's how you know
When it's ready to run.
It's pure sugar.
Son of a bitch.
Narrator:
Fermented mash has a sour flavor
Because the yeast have converted
All the sugar to alcohol.
Sweet tasting mash indicates
Incomplete fermentation.
We ain't gonna run today.
Are you kidding?This got cold.
The yeast has, and
It's not worked off.
The cooler temperature
Of the cave
Has caused the yeast
To go dormant,
Ceasing the
Fermentation process.
Donnie: the mash here in the
Cave is not working off.
This is a dry county which means
I've got customers
Really counting on me.
'cause this is our first batch.
It's really important.
I can't afford to lose any
Customers or any sales.
Always something.
I swear to god, if it ain't
One thing it's another.
So what now?
We gotta do something.
We've got to get to running
'cause everybody in
The world's a-hollering.
I know.
We may have to try to
Get some mash in here
A different way.
We do have a barrel
At the cabin
But I don't know how
We'll get it in here.
We don't have a whole lot
Of different options here.
And about the only
Thing I can think,
I do have another
Barrel at the cabin
That we can use but
It's my control barrel
To help test the yeast
Against the difference
In temperatures.
Now you have to try to figure
Out how to get down here.
I don't know how
We're gonna do that.
A barrel of mash will
Weigh about 500 pounds.
And there's no way
That we can pack this
Down inside the cave.
But I have to make whiskey.
I don't know how we'll
Get it down here.
♪♪
Damn it -- atv.
Narrator:
The wheels of justice grind
One smoky mountain moonshine
Operation to a halt.
-oh, get down.
-get down.
♪♪
-redneck engineering.
-like that.
Narrator:
In robbinsville, north carolina,
Mark is nearing
Completion on his
Birch trunk water trough system.
Huck: well let's get this
Water going, mark,
So we make sure everything's
Gonna work right.
♪♪
♪♪
Yeah, looks good.
♪♪
Narrator: to fill his mash
Barrel with water,
Mark will first need
To divert its flow
Through a simple garden hose.
Huck: it's gonna be
A real pretty sight
To see seven of these
Mash barrels up here
And working off.
Narrator: priced to move
At $100 a gallon,
Mark's corn whiskey
Is in high demand.
We get that done that'll
Be ready to run, won't it?
Yeah.
♪♪
Josh: this is what you call
A hillbilly seal.
This was a bit of
A 90-mile-an-hour
Down high speed
Duct-tape kind of job.
I hate to be duct taping
On my car right here
In front of the
Whole world to see.
Narrator: five counties east
In columbus, north carolina,
After losing his still site,
Josh turns his attention to
Another appalachian tradition.
Josh: six and a half
Quarts of oil?
Yeah.
We just got kicked
Out of red dog's
And that sucked.
But I gotta keep on keeping on.
And honestly, racing is
Something that I love
And I don't wanna give it
Up because of aggravating
Little setbacks.
♪♪
Narrator:
Just eight weeks after his
100 mile per hour crash,
Josh is back in the game
Racing for $1,000
Winner-take-all prize.
Ugh, golly it is
Bright out here.
I'm as ready as I'm gonna get
Considering we're
Here for $1,000 race
And I ain't won one yet.
[ laughs ]
I'm trying to think positive.
-what's up, big dog?
-what's up, man?
Keeping yourself saucy,
I love you, man.
Glad you made it.Hell, yeah.
I wanna be here
Every *bleep* week.
You know that.
Josh is all banged up this year.
But he didn't even
Let it faze him.
It'd be nice to win one.
I ain't won one yet.
You'll get it.
You'll get it.
Maybe lucky chucky will
Bring you some luck.
You reckon?
Yeah.
He's had so much downfalls
I guess he just runs past it
And he says let's get going.
We ain't got time to waste.
[ engine starts ]
Narrator: the american sport
Of stock car racing
Has it's roots in the
Illegal liquor industry.
With the advent
Of the automobile,
Bootleggers avoided detection
By using cars that
Were ordinary looking,
Or stock, on the outside,
But hidden underneath that
Plain-looking exterior
Were high horsepower engines
Capable of leaving
Any lawman that dared to
Give chase in the dust.
When they weren't
Delivering liquor,
Bootleggers who wanted to
Show their mechanical savvy
And driving prowess
Took to cow pastures
And farm fields to
Compete in local races
For bragging rights.
As the speed of the cars grew
And these events began
To gain popularity,
The competition moved
Out of the fields
And onto dirt tracks once
Meant for horse races.
Then when prohibition ended
And many bootleggers
Suddenly found
Themselves unemployed,
They took the skills they
Honed on the mountain roads
Of the south and applied them
To the professional
Driving circuit.
Former liquor runners
Like junior johnson
And lee petty began to
Win titles in the sport.
Today, dirt track
Stock car racing
Remains the most popular
Automotive sport in america.
♪♪
♪♪
Josh: racing's a thrill
That I don't even know
How to put into words.
I feel more fearless than ever.
But there's also
This other part of me
That, like, keeps having
These flashbacks.
Waking up and going in
And out in the hospital
And all these things keep
Flashing through my mind.
♪♪
Holy crap, what am I thinking?
[ laughs ]
♪♪
Holy crap.
Oh *bleep*.
I'm more determined than ever.
I been blowing off body parts,
Breaking all these bones.
Been having all these issues.
And it just makes it hard
For me to think about
Having any more accidents.
Oh lord, oh lord.
Aah!
Narrator:
On a north carolina speedway...
Josh: holy crap,
What am I thinking?
Narrator: ...Josh is once again
Playing too close to the edge.
Aah!
Wild dog!
Holy *bleep*.
♪♪
I'm more afraid
Than I've ever been
In my whole life
Of getting hurt,
But everything's got a risk.
Racing is something that I love
And I don't wanna give it up
Because the fear
Of getting hurt.
I don't wanna be like that.
I'd rather die.
♪♪
I was doing good then I dang
Lost control over there.
My motor ain't running good.
My brakes ain't working right.
Ugh.
I wasn't dead last was I?
You were second to last.
Second to last?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, y'all.
I had fun, though.
Have you had fun?Yes!
Good. We gotta do
Something to the motor.
Yeah, I know.It just ain't hitting right.
Let me get a cold drink.Go ahead.
What the hell happened
To you out there?
The harder I drove the car,
The worse it drove.
What about your shoulder?
Feeling better?
I'm ready to race
Motorcycles.
[ laughs ]
You know, I been thinking
About something.
All right?
I don't know
How stupid it is,
But I been thinking about
The year before last,
I got ran out of my spot
Because somebody found it
And stole my *bleep*.
Right.
The last season, they
Started charging me
For my spot so then
I come talking to you,
Really not expecting to
Land on your property.
What I was thinking,
If I'm constantly
Having to move,
Why not make a
Still that I can put
Anywhere I want?
I was thinking about maybe
Putting some sort of still
In the front of the
Trailer right here.
A mobile still site?A mobile still site.
I can even, like, take it to
Some of these rallies and stuff.
All them spots
Have running water,
Electricity, and sewage.
While we're sitting around
Partying and *bleep*.
We could be making a run
Under everybody's noses.
That's genius.I think it'll work.
Josh: I'm not 100% sure this
Is the best idea in the world.
But by taking my
Operation on the road,
That means I'm gonna be able
To make liquor, and sell liquor
At any biker rally,
Any festival.
But right now I gotta
Figure out how to build it.
I'll never have to *bleep*
Move my still again,
I'll just put it in my truck
And move it somewhere.
Hell, that'll work.Let's go watch some races.
Yeah, we don't have to
Worry about them bears
And all that mud.
♪♪
♪♪
It's ready to run.
There's no way we can
Pack this down there.
No way in the world.
Weighs almost
As much as you do.
Oh, that's not
Even funny.
Narrator: in beattyville,
Kentucky, donnie and teresa
Are putting their
Backs into the work
As they move a 500-pound barrel
Of mash to their still site.
Gonna try to use the hose,
We'll get the mash in there.
Hopefully we've got
Enough to reach.
That's the only other
Way I know to do.
Donnie: now, this is our first
Batch of the season.
It's really important,
'cause we can't wait
On the other barrel.
I hope this works,
If not, we're gonna
Be hurtin' for sure.
Yep, we don't have
That much time.
We've got to get
This mash down there,
And get the whiskey run.
Tarp is trying to
Blow off on us.
Oh, gosh.
All it'd take would be
For one person to see it,
And they'd probably call
A sheriff right away.
We're gonna try to park
The truck atop of the cliff,
As close as we can
Get to the cave.
This is not the ideal way
To do this,
We're sittin' on the side of
The road and we're exposed.
Anyone can drive by and see us,
But we don't have
Any other choice.
This is what we got to do.
I'll drop the hose over,
You can catch it.
It's real heavy, so we're
Gonna use some water hose
That we're gonna run,
And hopefully we can
Gravity feed it in there.
I say we go over right here.
Not sure it's gonna work,
But we're gonna try.
It's a long way
Down there.
Can you hear me?
Yeah!
It's probably 150 feet
Straight down, right here.
Teresa: looks really
Dangerous to me.
My knees are shakin'
Just thinkin' about it.
It's about to come
Over, watch out!
Ooh. It is slick.
Alright!
♪♪
Got it!
Walk with it slowly
Toward the still.
Donnie: here we go, we're gonna
Open the valve up here,
And see if it's gonna work.
We'll know here in a minute.
I think we're good!
Alright, make sure
You use the filter!
Right now, we've got the
Funnel in and filter there,
So I'm just waitin'
On the mash.
I feel some pressure.
It's comin'!
Oh, here we go,
It's comin'!
Woo-wee!
♪♪
I believe we got
This one right.
Let's go make
Some moonshine.
Pot's full, we got
Our mash in there,
And we're ready to cook it.
I can't believe
That worked.
I can't either.
[ laughs ]
Good job.
Donnie: the truck's hidden
And the pot is full.
So we're ready to light
A fire underneath of it,
And put the cap on it,
See what happens.
♪♪
We got flame!
This is our first
Run here in the cave.
Now we'll paste our cap in,
And we'll be ready to go.
It seems to be heatin'
Up too, fairly quick.
Just a little bit
Right in the seam.
Don't take very much.
Won't be much longer.
♪♪
There we go!
Teresa: we're really exited.
After all these delays...Pour that out.
...And set backs, we're
Finally runnin' liquor.
Whoo, real hot!
It's got a really good smell.160 proof!
You know, we got 50 gallons
Of mash here in the pot.
Well, heres our
First sour granny!
We should get six gallons
Of whiskey after we run it.
Crystal clear!
We should wind up with
Eight gallons total.
Rollin' on pretty good,
Innit?
Oh, yeah!
This run of whiskey here,
I might call it captain caveman,
Or something like that,
I'm not sure.
[ laughs ]
Now we gotta sell it!
Teresa: this is a really
Good run for us.
Next challenge is
Gettin it outta here.
Donnie: [ laughs ]
It's always another job.
♪♪
Yeah, you'll get wet 'cause
It's full of water, ain't it?
Yeah.
Narrator:
In north carolina,
Mark and huck finish
Their still site.
They're just hours away
From the first drops
Of moonshine for the season.
There it is.
Be about right,
Ain't it?
[ engine revs ]
[ engine revs ]
I believe
He's goin' on now.
Whew, damn!
♪♪
Here comes the law!
[ laughs ]
Yee-haw!
Moonshinin' is really important
To kentucky history.
This is all sandstone.
The cliffs in this
Part of the country,
Also have some
Hidden, ancient secrets.
Check this out.
What is that?
There's been several
Theories about it.
One was, an ancient celtic
Religious writing.
I think, also, a sharpenin'
Place for indians.
It's pretty amazing.
How long do you think
This has been here?
Thousands of years,
I would say.
Wow, this is amazing.
You can see there's
Marks even way up here.
Look's like
A little stick man.
Yeah. [ laughs ]
Narrator: there's one race
That josh is leading.
But with his still
Site shut down,
Mark and digger
Are quickly closing the gap.
Narrator:
Deep in the smoky mountains,
Mark and huck hunker down
As a suspected lawman comes
Within yards of
Their still site.
♪♪
Ugh!
Huck: no.
We'll have to be on high
Alert now, that's for sure.
You can't hardly tell
There's anything over there.
We'll rest easier now,
Can't we?
♪♪
Digger: we gotta get this
Liquor up there.
Ramsey: yeah, I ain't
Lookin' forward to that.
Narrator: in an eastern
Tennessee warehouse...
They ain't gonna
Tote their-self.
...Mark and digger are ready
To turn a batch of
High-proof moonshine...
22 more jugs to go.
...Into a cherry-vanilla
Sipping cream.
Whew, damn, it's hot.
Hotter than a bitch wolf
In a forest fire.
That's what they say,
It ain't the heat,
It's the humility.
Today, we've gotta mix all
The cherry-vanilla liquor,
With the sippin' cream.
And instead of lettin' it
Vent itself out like that,
Old pop, well he done like
This, and didn't realize
When they level out,
They pour faster.
It vents itself equal.
We like base grain
Liquor, so to speak.
But change and time
Simply doesn't permit us
To live in that era no more.
If you'da told me 20 years ago,
That I was gonna be makin'
A smooth-sippin',
Creamed liquor.
Well, I'da laughed
Ya out the door.
But this is how we
Make our livin',
And if we don't change,
Then we don't survive.
Who knows what it'll
Be in five years.
I'm sayin it's 75,
80 proof.
Well, that's what we want.
We want everybody to think
They're getting
Their money's worth.
Narrator: when mark and digger
Finish mixing the cream
With the cherry-vanilla shine,
They'll have 70 gallons of
Tennessee sipping cream,
Worth over $10,000.
We gotta get rid
Of it, too.
I've got a little idea.
You wanna hear it,
Here go.
You know, beaz is in town,
And he's comin' to visit.Killer beaz.
We've got an old
Buddy, killer beaz,
He's an old comedian buddy.
He's brokered lots of
Liquor for us over the years
In nashville with
Country music clientele.
This is mark and digger.
We got somethin to show ya, man.
♪♪
Wow, it's fantastic.
If beaz is wantin' to
Know how to make liquor,
As bad as he says
He wants to.
Then he's gonna pay
His tuition
By gettin' rid
Of this liquor.
Yeah, I think
That's excellent.
[ laughs ]
Digger: beaz wants to learn
To make liquor,
'cause he's not shut up
About it for years.
Called me the other night,
Said he was comin' into town
After he finished a
Show in chattanooga.
So I got to thinkin' I'm
Gonna put him to the task
To sellin' this cherry-vanilla,
Sippin' cream liquor.
That's his trial by fire.[ laughs ]
-hey, hey buddy!
-there you are.
So we put this in beaz's court,
He knows some money people.
He can probably run 'em down.
Ramsey: digger's got a
Proposition for you,
If you wanna learn
To make liquor.
Okay?
We got just a little tiny
Bit of a chore for you.
Follow me, young man.
You've always had a buyer.Yeah.
What we have in front of us.
2% milk?
60 gallons of cherry-vanilla,
Sipping cream.
Cherry-vanilla?Vanilla sipping --
What'd they lower the
Drinkin' age to 12?
Yep, lucky for us, 'cause
That means more customers.
Wow.
And all we want
For you to bring back
Is $10,500.
This is primo stuff, it
Took a long time to make.
That's 175 bucks
A gallon.
Whatever you get out of it,
Above that, that's yours.
When you bring us
$10,500 of our money.
That's your tuition to
Learn how to make liquor.
The moonshine skills.
Are you down
For the count?
♪♪
I'll do it.
Welcome to mine and mark's
Moonshine school.
If you can meet the task.
Ramsey: as long as he
Brings us the money,
Then his tuition's paid.
You know, a lot of colleges,
There's a qualifying exam?
Mm-hmmthere it is.
You gotta carry it
Down the steps
And load it, haul it off.
Three flights of stairs.
Good doin' business
With ya, I hope.
Time will tell, if you don't
Blow a gasket on the stairs.
Oh, damn.
Narrator: next time
On "Moonshiners"...
Come on *bleep*
Ya *bleep*.
...A partnership nears
The breaking point
In tennessee.
Either you gon' work with me,
Or you gon' work without.
Louisiana swamp-style
Bootlegging.
I don't know, really, if
It's an undercover cop.
Narrator: and the most
Notorious moonshiner
In modern virginia history...
Our place has been
Compromised.
...Steps in
To help his son.
My advice would be
To forget about it.