Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 8, Episode 6 - Breaking the Laws - full transcript

♪♪

On this episode of
"Moonshiners"...

Come on, get the damn gear.
It's damn raining, son!

You know you can kiss me
Right in the crack of the ass.

Severe weather in
Sevier county.

Either you gonna work with me
Or you gonna work without me.

Let's see who that is.

You have a prepaid call

From *bleep* county jail.

A call from inside.

Tim, how you doing?



Tickle, tickle, tickle.

And two ex-con shiners
Consult the don

Of franklin county moonshine
On their next move.

We think our place
Has been compromised.

This is how
We make the moonshine.

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

Every day it's raining.

It's not stoppin',
This don't look good.

In culpeper, virginia,

Four days of rain threaten to
Destroy tim's harvest,

And with it, his dream to
Create a double rye whiskey.

It's not just the rye,
You know.

It's the whole project,
It's the opportunity

To make another brand.



J.T. And tickle they came up
With a double rye recipe

Which caused us to have to
Invest in buying more rye

And you're dealing with
Mother nature out here.

This is a big
Gamble that we took.

How much rye you got?

In order to keep cost
Down for his new recipe

Tim bought a field
Of rye on speculation

And a silo for dry storage.

That's the field right there.

But if the crop fails,

He'll lose his entire
$10,000 investment

And the ability to launch
A new flagship spirit.

It's not good.

I see some holes over
There where some of it

Is getting washed away.

This thing got too heavy right
There and the wind blew it down.

Right now,
I'm kind of concerned.

I don't know how much moonshine
It's gonna yield at the end.

God.

It keeps on raining
And the wind comes in

And just lays it down like this,
I can't combine it.

You can't pick it.

You gotta get it when it's red.

You gotta get it when
The moisture content

Is just right.

You can't just go pick it
When you want to.

I gotta get the seed,
I don't need the straw.

See that one's up
Tall and spilling out,

That's what you want, like that.

See there, look at that.
There's a seed right there.

It's costing a whole lot of
Money to put it together,

And if one variable
Goes out of it

The whole thing ends.

At the end of the day,
I'm trying to make money.

I'm trying to sell
A good product.

It doesn't come together,
Then I'm done.

♪♪

I'm kinda lost on
This thing because

I never did rye before,
But, you know.

let's see who that is.

Hello, this is a prepaid call

From *bleep* county jail.

To accept this call
Press three now.

hello.

Hey, tim, how you doing?

Tickle, tickle, tickle.

I think
We got something here.

Think hell, I know we got
Something right there.

Through a happy accident,

Tim's old still hand tickle
Stumbled upon the recipe

For a double rye whiskey,

But before he could
See it bottled,

He landed a 12-month bid
Back in the slammer.

This is the longest
I've ever had to pull.

I've really missed
A whole lot, you know.

I've missed taking daisy
To college, you know.

Yeah, I know, I know.
Some things you just can't help.

You gotta plan here, because
It look like every day

You turn around you're
Getting locked back up.

You know, looking back
On what all I've missed

Out on being in here,
I think that right there

Is enough to keep me from
Wanting to go back in here.

That's for sure.

Yeah, yeah, look,
Me and j.T. Tried to make

This double rye recipe.

Well, I tell you what,
It did turn out good.

I bought the rye straight
Out of the field.

I spent $10,000 on
This thing already

And I haven't even
Paid anything yet.

I'm kinda banking on this thing.

Sounds like you done put
A whole lot into this,

And I definitely be
Willing to help you out

Once I get out of here.

Well, hopefully when you get
Out you'll be back up here,

Then we can get back together
And get this thing done.

You can count on it.

I'll be there to pick you up
When you get out,

Just give me a call.

All right, sounds good.

All right.

♪♪

Damn, it's damn raining
Its ass off.

One state to the south
In sevier county,

Mike and daniel are
Ready to mash in

A new mulberry-infused
Rye whiskey.

This year me and dan
Were trying to come up

With new flavored stuff
Because it, you know,

It yields a higher price
Per gallon.

And we thought, you know,

A mulberry is just
Sweet as sugar

And it's got
A taste all it's own,

So why not make
A mulberry flavored whiskey?

For their new recipe,
Mike and daniel

Are using native north american
Red mulberries,

Which are similar to
Blackberries and when ripe

Exhibit a good balance of
Sweetness and tartness.

But the red mulberry tree
Is now disappearing

Due to hybridization from black
And white mulberries trees,

Which is the sole food
Source for silk worms,

Imported from china in
The early 17th century

To support
The booming silk trade.

We need to make our
Base mash out of rye

And when we come back
After it's ready to run,

We're gonna infuse it with
Mulberries

Through our gin baskets

And it'll be
A mulberry rye whiskey.

Come on and get in damn gear,
It's damn raining, son.

I'm in gear, I'm in bulldog.

We'd usually never be
Out here in this rain,

But I've got to get my debt
Paid off to mark and digger.

I'm gonna go ahead
And pour this damn sugar

In this barrel
Because it's getting

Soppin' ass wet.

It's fixing to go
All over the place.

Get in a hurry every
Once in a while, please.

-I ain't going to.
-you gonna have to.

Well, I ain't doing it.

There comes a time to get
In a damn hurry, doesn't it?

You move a little faster,
We can get done faster.

I'm wanting to get this
Mashed in, in a hurry,

And get out of here, you know.

It irks my nerves the way
Daniel is just nonchalant,

That's the only
Way I can tell you.

He gets in no hurry for nothing.

It don't matter if
A tornado is coming through,

A freight train is
Coming down the tracks.

Come on, let's go.

You know, you can kiss me
Right in the crack of the ass.

How you like that *bleep*?

I got *bleep* to do.

Either you gonna work with me,
Or you gonna work without me.

Well, I ain't gonna work
With a smart ass either.

I ain't smart assed you.

You're smart assing me
Right now.

I said,
Let's get in a hurry.

Right now,
You a smart assing me.

No, you smart assed me.

Right now mike's
Really pissing me off.

He can be real
High-strung person.

He tries to do everything
Real fast and in a hurry.

Give me some gas.

Let's throw the rye in.

There's some things in
Life that you can do fast

But making liquor's
Not one of them.

You know it ain't
Even my debt, really,

But I'm still helping
You work and pay it out.

That's right,
That counts for a lot.

Yeah, it does.

Dan didn't have to come in
And do this, to help me out,

And he standing for me
And I appreciate him for that.

But it's pouring down rain,
You get wet,

It's rolling down
The crack of your ass.

I got ornery, upset,
And I didn't mean to do that.

I just acted out of haste
And I apologize for that.

Yeah.

I believe that's
Steeped in enough.

You know, if I didn't
Have this debt to pay off

I'd be making money
Hand over fist.

Honestly, we've still
Got a long ways to go.

I'm starting to think that we
Maybe can't make enough liquor

To get it sold to get
Our debt paid off in time.

All right, old buddy,
Let's get the hell out of here.

♪♪

♪♪

Taillight's out, I'll get
It fixed quick as I can, damnit.

Yeah, that's
A rookie mistake there.

It's a perfect thing to give
Them an excuse to stop you.

Nine counties to the northeast,

Two of virginia's most
Notorious moonshiners

Are on the hunt for
A new still site.

Our place has been compromised,

But we've got customers
Begging for peach brandy.

We've got three different
Spots where we keep

A couple barrels of peaches
Mashed in and ready to go.

We have to get round
Before they all go bad

And customers don't
Have any brandy

And we don't have any money.

Thought I might've
Seen somebody.

After spotting lawmen
Snooping in the woods nearby,

Henry and kenny had to
Leave their still site.

Let's get the hell
On out of here.

Now they need to find
A place to distill

Their costly peach brandy
Mash before it spoils.

♪♪

I'm going down to talk to dad.

Several years ago,
He lost a still place,

He went back in and tried
To run off some mash.

We're thinking about
Doing the same thing,

And we need his advice on it.

We gotta make sure
We don't overlook anything

Because we can't afford to.

If we do, it's over.

-oh, hell.
-there's the cops.

Brake light's out.

This is a bad sign.

It's a state trooper, too.

What's a state trooper doing
On the back roads like this?

I don't like that,
I don't like that at all.

♪♪

-writing 'em up, too.
-it was something, yeah.

Glad he had them
Instead of us.

Man, that gives me flashbacks
Of prison right there.

Out here's dad's house.

Dad, he's the king pin
Of it all.

Whatever the situation is,
He'll know.

He's the expert on it.

-how you doing, uncle amos?
-hey, pop, how you doing?

-good to see you.
-you're looking good.

Yeah.

Feeling a little better,
Aren't you?

Yeah.

Born in 1936
In franklin county, virginia,

Amos law began his moonshine
Career at the age of 16.

At 21, he was arrested for
Possession of two tons of sugar,

A key ingredient for
Making illegal liquor.

He was sentenced to 10 months
In a federal penitentiary,

The first of several
Stints behind bars.

Over the next 60 years,

Amos law became
A moonshine legend,

Building the largest
Illegal liquor operation

In virginia history,
Distributing bootleg shine

To nip joints
And back room bars as far north

As philadelphia and new york.

I remember you was
Telling me a story,

Back in the '60s,
Where the law had raided you

And then they cut
Your still place up

And you went back
And y'all got caught.

So how did they raid
Y'all that day?

How did they set it up?

Y'all didn't watch
It the night before?

Right.

Oh, hell, you thought
They did it on purpose,

Knowing y'all were coming back.
-yeah.

They baited him.

I hope they're not
Doing that to us.

That's what I thought,
I thought you were fast.

Two years in prison.

Every time I turn around
He was in jail.

And I'll never forget,
You know, when he would leave,

And he'd be hugging
All of us. Whew.

And he'd be crying and, uh...

You know, you just
Had to suck it up.

He had to suck it up.

And he'd go off to jail,
You know,

He missed a lot of us
Growing up.

Then, what did I do?
The same thing.

It's hard to believe that you
Would see something like that

As a child and then go
Into the same business.

Anything you'd do
Different on it?

Maybe go to a different
Line of business or...

-yeah.
-do it all over the same?

Yeah.

It's tough, it's tough
When they found us,

But with that said,
The moonshine will come out

And he'll go right
Back in the woods

And start it all
Over again because

He's always thinking in his mind
He's going to get away with it.

Ken and I we got a little bit
Of a dilemma going on here.

We think our place
Has been compromised.

I got this brandy
And we gotta run it,

But I don't have a new spot yet.

Too much
Money tied up in it.

We're gonna lose our customers.

It's about to worry us
To death to get it run.

So if we did a line of scout,

Get out walk around a little
Bit, check for tracks,

Have us a getaway car.

I mean, we'd have
A little chance

Of getting away wouldn't we?

I would say no.

I agree with you,
It's pretty serious.

Things are pretty serious.

I been to prison twice.

You know, you leave
Your family and everything.

It was pretty bad.

We had intentions of
Going back.

But then, after
Talking to the old man,

He was very adamant
About do not go back.

We listen to the old man.
We listen to him.

We gotta get those
Barrels running.

They're hollering for
That brandy, they want it.

I expect you gonna want you
A jar or two of it yourself,

Ain't ya?

I figured you would.

Oh, man.
Somebody didn't calculate right.

This is stuff is
Setting up quick.

In virginia,
Good shine threatened

By a bad foundation.

This is not good at all.

♪♪

Looky there, looky there.

Carolyn, came all
The way in here.

Somebody got that cow excited.

He's looking at it
And saying what in the world.

In virginia,
A break in the weather

Provides tim
An opportunity to proceed

With his rye harvest
And storage plan.

-there you go, we got to it.
-yeah, step one.

Well, we found this grain bin.

We actually are pushing
For time because

We gotta get it back to the farm
So we can do some repair work.

This whole thing is a gamble.

Rye is one of those grains that
Kinda vulnerable to weather,

A lot of rain
And flooding and stuff,

It can just wash it away,
But at the end of the day

I gotta be ready to store.

If all this falls apart,
Just one little element of it

Then I lose all the time,
I lose all the money

And I can't get that back.

Step one.

Step one, I could
Bust a hole here

And start
Taking this stuff out.

There's no way we're gonna move
This grain tank

Unless we get the old
Grain out of there.

The problem is it's been
Sitting here for 14 years

And hasn't been used
And it's actually got about

1,500 pounds of grain
Stuck in there.

It's not an easy job.

Yeah, there you go.
Here we go.

Work it, chuck, work it.

You're gonna have
A respiratory infection

By morning at least.

♪♪

Just looky there, huh?

There's some of
That pterodactyl.

Whoever seen such a thing, man.

Huh? That's a baby
Pterodactyl, look at that.

That's a ugly thing,
Whoo, stinks, too.

You know there ain't
Many of them around,

They're an endangered species.

They said they died,
Like, 2,000 years ago,

But there's some still
Flying around here.

All that grain was
Really baked in there.

Once we got it moving,
We got the last of it out.

♪♪

We need some penetrating oil.

The big challenge is moving it.

We gotta turn this thing over
And we gotta haul it,

We gotta set it back up.

It's, like, 20 feet tall,
10 feet wide.

It's big, it's heavy,
It's sitting up on legs.

I think that will get it,
Chuck.

We got a big track hoe,
Try to lift this thing up,

Get it on our trailer
And get it back to the farm.

Well, I think we just hook
A chain on this cable

And she'll just noose right up.

Anytime you get into
Something like this

You always got that
Little nervous.

Kinda like betting on
That horse, it's no guarantee.

He may break a leg at any time.

Slow, he's gotta go slow.

That's risky business up there.

He's gotta hang on with one hand

While he hooks
And tapes it with the other.

I mean, this thing
Probably weighs

A couple of thousand pounds.

This grain bin turns over
And falls on someone,

We're probably
Going to a funeral.

All right, go up.

You got it.

I just worried about
Whether it's gonna hold it

When you turn it
Around like that.

That thing spins that
Chain could come off.

You can lay it
Down on the ladder.

I'll turn it around,
Pick it up, pick it up.

Easy, easy, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Spin it, spin it.

You gotta keep it tight,
Watch out, chuck.

Easy, easy, easy, whoa!

Oh, it's gonna fall.
Step back!

-whew, that was close.
-that's good. Let it down.

If we'd have swung
It much longer,

I think it would
Have tipped over.

We're gonna figure
Out how to hang it.

I believe we can hook
It on the side there.

Figure out something.

Yeah, we'll figure out
Something before you get back.

All right.

We got the tank laid down,
We got it turned over safely

Without killing anyone
Or damaging the tank.

All right, come on back.

Now this grain bin's
Got to be put together.

We gotta sit this thing up

But first we gotta pour
The concrete

As soon as possible.

♪♪

That sucker's still alive,
Daddy.

Don't bring it, what the hell,
Get away from me with it.

Be a long carry for you to
Carry me out of these woods.

Several states
To the southwest in louisiana,

Father and daughter duo,
Patti and david,

Are 40 gallons
Into their season,

But progress is slow.

That's gonna fill 'er up.
Cap number two on.

This season,
The shiners have turned out

Several runs of corn whiskey
On their two still setup.

This still here has had a lot of
Liquor run through it.

I like it because it's aged,

It's not shiny
Like a new penny.

Kinda like you.

It's a new season
And I've got high goals.

I'm planning on wanting
To do 1,000 gallons

Of moonshine this year.

I'm getting a drip
Over here, girl.

Yeah, it looks like it.

There comes a point
In business where

You're either doing it
For yourself,

Or you're doing it
To build a business.

I want to expand
This into a business.

Oh, there we go.
It's running, daddy.

Yep.

I think I can reach
Our goal this season.

We've gotta make
A lot of sales on water.

Man, that stuff's hot.

I like being on the water.

It keeps you away from the cops,

But it's just far away
From the still site.

It takes a long time
To go back and forth

Think we'll be able to
Meet the goal?

I hope so.

We're coming out
Here in these woods

And we're bring all this crap.

We really ain't making
A whole heck of a lot of money.

By the time you do all
Our work we've done,

All our traveling
In and out of here.

We get enough mash
Barrels going,

Constantly have them rolling.

1,000 gallons is a lot
Of liquor to make.

Where we're at this
Year is difficult

Because we're so far
Back in the woods.

90% of our sales are on
The water this year, you know.

It's a perfect still site

But it's just time wise
Killing us.

-don't pour that out.
-I ain't.

I was fixing to say,
We'll drink that.

Today, we yield 10 gallons.

I'm satisfied with that,
That's a good run.

♪♪

-whew.
-let's go.

By the time we get
Down to the water

It'll be another whole day.

The 10-gallon run
Will yield $1,000,

But getting the money in hand
Is a whole other operation.

You know, I like
Running in the woods,

But it sure is
Time consuming.

It sure is, baby.

Once we get our
Moonshine buckets,

We're having to load it up
Into the ride

And we ride way
Out of the woods.

Then we gotta get it into
The back of the truck.

Load up our ride.

Then you gotta come home,

Get a boat because most things
We do is by boat.

By the time we get
It to the buyer,

I mean it might take us
A whole day to get a sale done.

We're just wasting too much time
Being that far in the woods.

♪♪

That must be some
Expensive concrete.

You got some expensive
Wheels on this thing.

-yes, it is.
-it is.

Back in virginia...

That'll get it because it's
Gonna land right there.

Tim and chuck are pouring

The concrete foundation
For their rye silo.

Yeah, push it on over in here.

The weather just broke,
The rye is almost ready

To be harvested from the farm.

Give me a splash over here.

We've got this old
Grain bin that's badly

In need of some repairs.

But first we're gonna
Pour some concrete,

Make a pad for it
So that the silo

Will be level and also
Secure because if wind comes by

And hits them just right,
They can tip over.

All the way to the front
Because I'm still high.

-get some more juice.
-a little more now.

Gonna get ready
And time is running out.

Give me some more.
That's it?

That's two yards?

-we didn't get enough.
-oh, no.

That's not good, it's hard
To believe that's two yards.

That ain't two yards,
It's short.

Yeah, I don't know man.

We started dumping the concrete.

We started working it,
Pushing it into corners,

Next thing you know
The guy looks at us like

I'm out of concrete.

Well, go back
And get another yard,

Finish the damn thing up.

The problem is if this
Stuff starts setting up

Before we can get
The concrete back,

And it starts to dry out.

We don't get it mixed
Together all at the same time

It can form a void
In the middle.

It can be a crack in the middle.

Oh, man.

Somebody didn't calculate right,

This stuff is setting up quick.

This is not good at all.

It's drying fast.

♪♪

Whoo!

We're gonna run out of concrete.
This is not good.

The problem is if this stuff
Starts setting up

Before we can get
The concrete back,

It can form a void
In the middle.

It can be a crack in the middle.

I ain't never seen such a mess.

'cause I don't know
When he's coming back.

This stuff is setting up quick.

Hopefully when the guy comes
Back with the second load

All this is gonna
Match together.

You know, it's gotta
Cling together.

Whoo.

-this is not good,
-what you wanna do?

I don't know, tim.

Oh, you see that?

I think I hear
The truck coming now.

You hear a truck?

There's a truck, chuck.

There he is, huh.

Come on.

Looks like we got it
Just in the nick of time.

Just a little hiccup
Here in this process.

Oh, she's soupy.

Me and chuck just smoothed
It out with some shovels,

Trowel it down
And just let it dry,

Then we gotta put
The panels on to the grain bin.

Set it up, anchor it down,
And we'll be ready for the rye.

♪♪

♪♪

Oh, damn,
We're gonna have to pull

A late night tonight, son.

Ah, it's part of it, man.

I'd rather run at night
Anyway, I like it better.

Across the state line,

By the light of
The tennessee moon,

Mike and daniel are
Preparing to run

Their mulberry rye moonshine.

These mulberries,
They good stuff.

They're sweeter than sugar.

Me and daniel's up
Against the wall.

We got to run around
The clock to get our debts paid.

♪♪

Whoo, damn!

We decided to do a mulberry rye,

So we're gonna put mulberries
Into the gin baskets,

That's gonna infuse
The mulberry flavor.

It's gonna be a damn good
Sweet flavor on the front side,

You'll have just a touch of
The spiciness on the back.

I've got a pot full now of mash

And what we're doing is
Putting some extra mash

In our thump keg, steams
Gonna double distill this

And get a lot more
Liquor out of it.

I'd say that's enough.

Here's let put a fire
Under it.

♪♪

The worst thing about this
Whole deal here today,

Mark and digger's gonna end
Up getting most of this cut

Off this liquor.

Well, I've gotta try to sell it
For a pretty high price.

Well, all we can do is sit back

And wait a little
While now, brother.

We can build us
A fire and go to cooking

Good ol' turtle gumbo.

I, myself, and mike, too,
We like to catch us

A big mud turtle
Or two and cook it.

I brought us some
Rice and everything

To go with that.

Really?

Let that *bleep*
Get good and hot.

A lot of people turn
Their nose up at turtle,

But I won't.

I'll not neither, I'll turn
It down my belly, won't you?

Yes, sir.

Turtle hunting,
It's something I've done

Since I was a kid.

I growed up doing it,
Always loved it.

Love to eat turtles, they got
A lot of good meat in them.

There's five to seven different
Types of meat in a turtle.

Oh, yeah, I'd say she's about
Ready to eat, don't you?

Here I'll go ahead
And dip yours up for you.

-you're a fine feller.
-I know it.

This right here is
How you run liquor.

Yeah, buddy.

I like god's grocery store,

What you can grow,
Kill or catch.

Me, too.

There ain't nothing wrong with
It if a man kills something

And turns in and eats it.

Nope.

Everybody back in the day
Run by the light of the moon,

That's why they call it
Moonshine originally.

It's always the safer
Thing to do at night.

You take less chance
Of getting caught.

-it's getting warmer.
-starting to move on up.

Look at that
Rolling in there.

Look at that rolling
Out of there.

There it flies.

Whew.

It's hot but you can taste
That mulberry all day long...

155, baby.

Dead on the money.

That's so damn clear I believe
We're good on them heads.

See if it won't
Put that fire out.

I believe it will.

♪♪

Yeah, I love to
Watch *bleep* burn some.

Ha, ha!

♪♪

When you see a big
Ball of fire roll up

When you put the heads on,

You know it's nice oxygen,
You got some real good alcohol.

When proofed down,
Mike and daniel's

Mulberry rye moonshine
Will yield six gallons

Of premium liquor,
Inching them closer

To paying off their debt
To mark and digger.

I tell you what, buddy,
The mulberry rye,

I believe it's gonna
Sell damn good.

Oh, yeah, it'll sell.

There'll be people wanting it,
I can guarantee it.

Few more we can get out of
Debt with mark and digger

We gonna put some
Money in our pockets.

♪♪

Two states to
The southwest in louisiana,

Patti and david are slipping
Into the bayou to unload

A grand's worth of corn whiskey.

And I like working on the water.
It's a lot safer to me.

We're not out here
On the highway.

To reach their first-time buyer,

Patti and david are using
A small flat bottom boat

Called a pirogue to help them

Slide through
The swamp undetected.

Come on, we've got
A lot of paddling to go.

Some people think
Pirogues aren't stable,

But they're a good boat for
Getting around this country.

You got a real narrow spot,

You can't beat 'em
For sneaking around.

We've got a big goal
To meet this season.

We've got 1,000 gallons of
Moonshine

That we've gotta produce.

I've already got customers
Breathing down my neck.

We just don't have enough
Time to run liquor.

Being in the woods,
Coming out the woods,

It's not gonna cut it for us.

Got a little ways to go.

When you're meeting somebody
On a buyer, or anywhere,

I mean, automatically,
I'm gonna think they're shady.

I mean, I'm out here selling
Illegal stuff to them, you know,

I don't know really
If it's an undercover cop.

I love this place already.

♪♪

We get up with him
We'll be $1,000 richer.

The only thing we really
Gotta worry about on the water

Is the game warden,
But a lot of times

You have enough time
To get rid of it.

You throw it down in the water,
Poke a hole in it

Or pour it in the water before
He ever gets there to us.

Maybe he'll be around
This bend.

I hope so, I'm getting
Tired of paddling.

Oh, whoa, whoa,
There he is right there.

♪♪

Ben?

We've got your
10 gallons of shine.

1,000 bucks.

You knew before
You got here, right?

You got my money?

Yeah, making sure
I got the right amount.

That's the right amount, daddy,
Give him them buckets.

You know, making shine
For me and daddy

Is something that's
Always in our family.

It's just a way of life for us.

You get ready for some
More just give us a holler.

I'm serious about willing
To do whatever it takes

To reach this goal
Of 1,000 gallons,

But we're not gonna be able
To meet our goal this season

Being that far in the woods.

We're gonna have to come
Up with something different,

This is tiring, buddy.

That one right there looks
Like a boot track to me.

This right here is
Another track right here.

Two virginia shiners
Face a bad omen.

Didn't find but
One set of tracks.

You know it could
Have been anybody.

I don't like it.

♪♪

Chuck,
Look at this thing.

I think I'm just gonna
Take the cutting torch --

-uh-huh.
-...And then just cut them all,

Pull this out,
And take it apart.

In culpeper, virginia....

-you got it?
-I think that's all we need.

Tim is putting
The new set of panels

On the silo before
Moving it into position.

I believe that's
The fastest way to do it.

We're gonna replace
The whole bottom end

Of this grain bin before
We can put it in operation.

The whole bottom is
Rusted out of it,

Some nasty stuff in it,
This is a big job.

The rye's almost ready to
Be harvest from the farm.

Get you some gloves, chuck.

All right, let's just get
That little ring out there,

Then we can start bolting.

We gotta finish
This silo today.

That's all there is to it.

Oh, yeah, that's good now.

We've ordered
A crane to come in.

The crane's gonna be
Here in about two hours.

Each panel has maybe
200 bolts and screws.

I got the bolt, give me a nut.

Time is running out,

So we had to
Get art to come and help us out.

Art, he's our fix-it man
At the distillery.

He's been around
For a long time.

He's that go-to guy.

He's a great welder,
Fabricator.

So we rolling, chuck?

We're doing good, tim,
We are moving, man.

How 'bout that right there?
Get that one.

It's getting closer.

All right, you got it?

All right, now we got it.

Art, you still alive?

We gotta hurry up and get art
Outta there before he dies.

There's a truck coming now.

Our crane operator is here.

We're putting
The last piece in now.

Right now, we're finishing up,

Got all of
The major bolts tight,

We got the bracing done
And here comes the crane.

...We're about done.

Rigging is important.
This thing is 25 feet tall.

It's about 10 feet in diameter.

It looks good, man.

Weighs a few thousand pounds.

I got a cable,
I got chains on it.

-all right, chuck.
-got it?

Go in right here.

It's all about safety.

That's it right there,
Straight just like that.

Want that thing going
Straight to the road.

We have to be ready to set it
Onto the concrete pad.

All right, all right.

We gotta bring it back
And center it now.

You want it to be level

And plum because
They can turn over.

All right,
Will it go in here?

Bring it on. Twist it.

That's it right there,
You want it just like that.

-that was easy.
-good deal.

He picked it up,
He counter-balanced it.

He knew exactly what he was
Doing and he just set it

Right up on its legs,
Placed it onto the platform

That we had built
And we bolt it down.

-what do you think, huh?
-cut the rye, fill it up.

And make some whisk, eh?

-double rye whisk.
-some double rye.

You got it, tim.

Tell that sun to keep on
Shining 'cause we need that rye.

♪♪

♪♪

-what are you up to?
-cleaning up the horses.

Whoo. It's hot in that sun,
You can't find us a shady place?

In louisiana,
Patti and david

Are charting a new
Course for their season.

But if they're going to succeed,

It'll have to be
All hands on deck.

I want to talk to
You about something.

-what you got?
-dallas is my husband.

We've been married
About 23 years now.

He's by my side in
Everything that I do

And I'm pretty
Much backing him up

And by his side in
Everything he does.

I don't know
About this season.

I done got myself way
Over my head I think.

What was your quota
This year?

1,000 gallons
And I just don't know

If we're going to
Be able to hit it.

You know, we're 40 miles back
In the darn woods.

It taking time,
It's killing us on time.

Getting in there
And getting out.

We got snakes.

Well, what's your thoughts?

I mean, surely y'all have
Been thinking about it.

We're thinking about
Building us a barge

Or something and getting out
On the water, you know?

Make it like a house boat.

We could actually
Make it on the water.

We can transport it
Right there.

Makes sense.

It'll have to be
An extra sturdy barge.

You don't want a rocking still
When you got a fire under it.

Well, it's gonna be
A lot of work

That we're gonna
Have to put into it.

Maybe you can get
On board this season

With us and help us
Meet that goal.

We need help this season,
You know.

We can't do this by ourself.

So, I mean the only person that

We know that we can
Trust is dallas.

And I'm asking,
Will you help us?

-help y'all run, too?
-yes.

Dallas can do pretty
Much anything.

I mean, he's good at
Being a carpenter.

He's good at welding.

So he's a pretty good handyman.

I don't want to see
You and your daddy lose

Any customers y'all have

Simply because you can't
Produce enough.

So whatever I need to do
From here on out I'll do,

Whatever it takes.

Having dallas come in,
I'm pretty sure and confident

That that'll help us
Meet the goal.

If you're stressed,
Guess what, I live with you.

I'm stressed, too.

So...

I've never made
Shine on the water

So this will be our first time.

So it's gonna be an experience
For all three of us, really.

-all right.
-thank you, dallas.

♪♪

Gonna pull in this

Back road right here
And drop you off.

You can just drop me off.

It'll take a while,
That's for sure.

Let's just stay
For 45 minutes.

It's got to be good.

Then I'll pick you up.

Yeah, I'm gonna check it out
Really, really good.

If there's anything in
There, I'll find it.

Three states to the northeast,

Henry and kenny law
Are scrambling

To find the new still site.

We're really caught in
A catch-22 here.

We've got the mash
That needs to be run

And you only have
A certain amount of time

Before it goes bad on you.

We got customers
Looking for the liquor.

The old man was very adamant
About do not go back in.

So we decided to
Listen to the old man.

We're gonna check out a site.

Kenny's gonna do
A little recon work on it

But we know the terrain
And we won't be that long.

We don't have
But a few barrels to run.

We make the best shine
That you can drink,

We always have.

We have it all sold
Before we make it.

You're obligated
To your customers.

There's a barbed
Wire fence here.

Kenny has spent a lifetime

Tracking game through
The virginia woods,

A skill that transfers well

To looking for intruders
On a still site.

About the only signs I'm seeing
Is, like, deer tracks.

Too small for a boot track.

Paws are so sharp, see?
They sink down in there.

Let's head out this way
And see what we got.

All the timber is a pine so
It's soft when you walk on it

And the law, it's probably
Good for them because

It would be a whole
Lot easier for them

To sneak up on you
Not making any racket.

Up to this big log right here.

If you're gonna find a track,

That's where you're
Gonna find it.

Because you have to
Lift up and when you set

Your foot down, it's got
A lot of weight on it.

If they would've had to
Have stepped over it,

See it would have
Left the mark down,

It would have pushed
The weight down.

I told henry if there was
Anything around here,

I'd find it.

Once the mash clears up
And it's done,

You gotta get it run.

If you don't, your alcohol then

Will evaporate within
Two or three days.

It's ready to run now.

♪♪

Let's check this right here.

♪♪

That one right there looks
Like a boot track to me.

I don't know.

This right here is
Another track right here.

I think it mighty close together
For it to be deer or something.

Deer wouldn't leave
A track that close together.

That's too big to be
For a deer.

That's about the worst
Looking sign I've seen.

These boot tracks look old.

You know,
It could have been anybody.

I don't like it, but, you know,

We've got to get this mash
Run now.

You can't let one little
Old sign stop you, you know?

I think I'll go back
And talk to henry.

Me and him will discuss it
And then we'll go from there.

Let's get in here
And try to get us one.

Uh-huh.

I've been eating mud
Turtle all my life.

It don't cost me nothing to come
Out here and catch a mud turtle.

There we go.

-we got three hooks out now?
-yep.

Actually, their scientific name
Is the american snapping turtle.

I used to do this a lot in
The creek,

They're a lot fresher.

I'll eat 'em out of a mud hole.
I don't care, I ain't picky.

Mud turtles, they're delicious.

I'll clean him and cook him
And make a stew out of him.

I think we may have one.
I got it.

Hey, come on, man, there he is.

-there he is.
-we got him.

That's a good little
Mud turtle.

That right there will
Cut your finger off.

Here's another line,
Ain't it?

-looks like we got one.
-that's a good one there.

Whoo-whee.

Let's go throw him in
The truck and get out of here.

-dang it.
-get him by the tail.

Oh, he slipped out of my hand.

Josh is still out
Front with 119 gallons.

Followed by
Mark and digger with 70.

Patti and david sneak onto
The count with 50 gallons

While mike and daniel continue

Working in debt relief
With 24 gallons.

♪♪

♪♪

Last load, yeah.

-keep your eyes open, man.
-oh, yeah.

Kenny went back to a still
Site and found a hill track.

Kenny and I got to
Thinking about it

And these tracks
Don't look fresh.

So we're gonna take a shot.

We're gonna run it
And we're gonna run it now.

It's risky,
But I believe we can do it.

In the foothills of
The blue ridge mountains

Henry and kenny law are ready
To run at a single use site

Before their mash spoils.

We decided to go
Ahead and run it.

We don't have no choice.

It's either do or die.
We gotta get it run.

I think we'll put
This dirt down,

Keep from the fire coming up
And burning the sides out.

We got a few barrels
Of pete brandy.

If you keep it too long,

The alcohol will
Evaporate out of it.

We've never run liquor
At this site before.

It only needs to work
This one time for us.

That's all we need.

You want to set this still now,

Get it out of our way?
-yeah, uh-huh.

When we got into
Mass production,

We went to the submarine types.

You can't beat it,
They just set up easier.

You can make
A whole lot with it.

Designed with
An emphasis on efficiency

And high output, the black pot
Submarine still has its

Origins in the blue ridge
Mountains of virginia.

Typically made from wood panels
And sheet steel,

It's cost effective
And easy to build.

All right, ken,
This is the last one.

What we're doing now is these
Things have to be seeded.

If you let your seeds go down
In that still, it'll burn.

-keep working on it.
-it kind of puts a little bit

Of a different taste
In it, too.

All this has got
To be thrown away.

What we're doing here,
We've got to heat this water

And this fire to keep this tank
From freezing.

Normally, these propane
Tanks have got these little

Regulators on it which doesn't
Allow but so much pressure

To go through to
The end of that hose.

But in this rush that we're in,
We don't use regulators.

We're getting all the pressure
Straight off of this tank

And when you do that,
These tanks will freeze up solid

If you don't heat this water up.

Unregulated gas flow
Could cause the valve

To ice, freeze up or crack,
Resulting in a deadly explosion.

Propane is dangerous,
Very dangerous.

It blows, it goes
Straight to that flame.

A buddy of mine was
Caught right in the middle

Between the safety valve
And the still one time

And the flames just blew,
It just floats in the air.

He was right up in
The middle of it.

We had to get him
To the hospital.

It's time to roll with it.

♪♪

I'm gonna turn it up
Just to look at it.

We've got to be watching.

Yeah, I've been
Keeping my eyes peeled.

This is when they
Like to hit you,

When you're real busy trying
To get everything stirred,

Pace made up, good time for
Them to sneak right up on you.

So we always like to keep
Our heads moving around.

♪♪

That will be our cool down.

It ain't throwing up
Nothing but steam.

Perfect.

Here she comes, kenny.

-is she running?
-yeah.

Get a bit of
The head off here.

Now we're ready to run,
Kenny, bring it on.

Turn him up a little bit,
We'll get this thing going.

♪♪

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I can't taste
Nothing but peach.

It's got awesome, awesome taste,
Awesome smell.

The batch turned out excellent.
The bead is perfect.

That's a good 105,

Maybe a little bit
Stronger than that.

But that's our taste,
It's about right.

Henry and kenny produce

10 gallons of
High-proof peach brandy.

Now with the run behind them,

They'll need to focus
Their attention on finding

A more permanent still site
To ride out the season.

Finally made it.

Let's get the heck out of
Here before we get caught.

Next time on "Moonshiners"...

This is a heating element
For a hot water heater.

These are electric,
No fire, no propane.

Josh's plan b takes
Center stage in north carolina.

I'm gonna be going to
Lots of biker rallies

And festivals,
Start making some money.

Got the motor on,
We're gonna move into the field.

In virginia,
Tim bets against mother nature

With his rye harvest
On the line.

We had some flooding
And a lot of rain

Come in but we're
Gonna make it happen.

We've just gotta go.

I'll say $2,000.

And in the smoky mountains,

Two shiners try
To keep cool heads

Under the hot lights of the law.

-there's the law right there.
-we need to stay calm.

no, god, no.