Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 9, Episode 11 - Say Yes to the Mess - full transcript
Tickle announces his engagement and Tim discovers why his best friend can't quit the outlaw side. Unable to sell any shine, Mike attempts a long-distance bootleg that puts him in the crosshairs of the law. Josh bets that Sin City ...
Narrator: on this episode
Of "Moonshiners"...
You've probably never been
To a store like this, have you?
No, I have not.
In virginia,
Heads are spinning.
What do you think?
You spin anymore,
I'm going to get dizzy.
But it's not just
The moonshine,
It's tickle's
Life-changing news.
I mean, you are not prepared
To get, what, married at all.
But, I mean, we have
No other damn choice
But to get out here
And bootleg it ourselves, man.
In tennessee, stuck with more
Moonshine than they can sell,
Mike and jerry
Risk a long-distance bootleg.
That son of a bitch
Is blue-lighting us, man.
What are you talking about,
You got to go to vegas tomorrow?
We got work to do.
My help don't want to work.
What am I going to do now?
Narrator:
And one unlucky carolina shiner
Goes all-in on a vegas gamble.
-moon!
-shine!
Let's get loose with it!
Man: this is how we make
The moonshine.
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
Well, tickle calls me,
And he says, you know,
He wants to meet for lunch.
He's got something seriously
He wants to talk to me about.
You never know with tickle,
Though.
I mean, it could be anything.
Narrator: in central virginia,
Tim is headed into town
To meet tickle
After his long-time friend
Asked to have a face-to-face
Conversation.
-how's it going, tim?
-what's going on?
Oh, not a whole lot, just wanted
To talk to you about something.
Yeah, you got to talk to me
About something?
That means
You need something.
Woman: can I get you
Something to drink?
Sweet tea.
It's got to be serious,
I know, when you call me.
Well, you know,
It kind of is.
Yeah, it is.
It's pretty serious.
You done got in trouble?
No, no, no,
Ain't in trouble.
You need some money?
-well...
-there you go. I knew it.
-kind of, but no,
-I knew it.
What are you going to buy,
Then?
You need money.
What you going to buy?
Well, I'm...
Well, I'm planning
On getting married,
Is what
I'm planning on doing.
-married?
-yeah.
How you going to
Get married?
You got to find somebody
You're going to marry.
I mean, you know, tickle has
Been in prison for a long time,
And then all of a sudden,
He's going to get married.
I mean, you know, I haven't seen
Nobody knocking down
Tickle's door
Wanting to marry him,
And then I'm like, "Wow."
Her name is carol.
How long
You been knowing her?
I been knowing her
About six years now on and off.
Why you
Got to get married?
Why?
Did you get her pregnant?
No, I figured it's about time,
You know?
I'm getting old, getting ugly.
You know what I'm saying.
Here, look,
Check it out.
I got a picture of her
Right here.
Let me show you this.
Yeah, it's getting interested.
Show me.
Alright.
That's her.
You going to go broke
Trying to pay for that.
-no.
-you'll never pay for that.
That's one reason
I've been running around
Like I've been
Running around this year.
I want to be able to be
Financially secure,
If I'm going to start
A life in this woman.
You know, tim,
He's a little skeptical
About carol and I
Getting married.
I guess I can understand it
To a point, you know?
I hadn't been long
Got out of jail,
And, bam, next thing you know,
I'm getting married.
You know, the man really just
Wants what's best for me.
Well, it sounds like
You're going to get married.
Yeah, yeah,
I'm going to get married.
But there's a lot of things
We got to think about, you know?
You asked me to help you,
It sounds like.
Yeah.
Well, I know I need
To get you dressed up.
What, you going to put me
In some sort of monkey suit
Or something?
I mean, I'm all-in,
You know?
Tickle is ready to get
Married and everything,
But he's not really ready.
We got to get to work here,
And we got a long ways to go
And a short time to get there.
And you can't wear the hat,
Then.
-come on now.
-you got to take your hat off.
No, I don't want to take
My hat off.
I never take my hat off.
She going to tell you
To take it off.
♪♪
♪♪
Damn, a little bit
Bumpy, ain't it?
But, hey, we're off
The beaten path.
Narrator: deep on the back roads
Of sevier county, tennessee,
Desperate times
Call for desperate measures.
Last season, mike was moving
Gallon after gallon
Of illegal liquor
At a premium price.
This season, local demand
Has dried up.
I mean, have you got your liquor
Some damn where else?
Narrator:
Now, to make a dent in their
Growing stockpile
Of unsold shine,
Mike and jerry are meeting
A big-time bootlegger
To strike a deal.
Buddy, I hate resorting
To get somebody
To damn move
This stuff for us,
But we ain't doing
No good getting it gone,
And I don't like running around
Trying to hustle it out.
Mike: we've got so much liquor
Stashed up in our stash house,
We're spinning
Our wheels around here
Trying to find a handful
Of customers to buy anything.
So we're going to meet
A bootlegger to see
If he wants to do a little bit
Of bootlegging for us
And get this liquor sold.
Well, here we are, jerry.
This our guy here?
That looks like him.
-how you doing?
-how was your trip?
-oh, it was a long one.
-what's going on, bud?
I'm jerry.
-this is jerry.
Well, you ready to do
Some bootlegging for us?
That depends on
What you've got.
We've got, what,
140 gallons?
140, 150 gallons,
Yeah?
I'm getting $140 a gallon.
How much at a time do you
Think you can get rid of?
I could probably get in between
40 and 50 gallons right now.
That's a pretty good chunk.
What you thinking
On the gallon there?
Well, that's what's going
To hurt your feelings
Because you
Selling at $140.
I'm going to want $70.
I'm going to want half.
There ain't no damn way.
This man right here
Gets half.
I mean,
I can't give you half.
Well, what business y'all
Got between each other
Ain't got nothing
To do with me.
Y'all want me
To move your liquor,
It's going to
Cost you half.
We can't do that.
He wants 50 damn percent
On every gallon
That we sell him.
There is no damn way
We can do that.
Me and this guy right here,
We can wear the damn horns
Off of a billy goat,
We can turn out so much liquor.
We could keep you running.
-we run a constant flow.
I told him
I can produce enough alcohol
To keep you on the road
Selling continuously.
The conversation kind of changed
Right then.
But it's got to benefit us, too.
You know what I mean?
We all got to make money.
Tell you what,
You just think on it.
We can keep you
Employed, son.
We can keep you busy.
Just take your time
And think on it, let us know.
Alright.
Shoot, damn,
$70 a gallon?
Ain't no way.
-ain't no way, unh-unh.
I've never been struck before
With 50% from nobody.
That's a pretty high number.
And we ain't barely making
That kind of money.
Supplies and everything.
-there's supplies, the labor,
But, now, when I said I can
Employ him for the duration,
He's thinking on it now.
♪♪
♪♪
I hope he's got
A good plan
Because I'm not working
In that smell today.
That stuff stinks,
Man.
Yeah, hell,
I got a headache from it.
Narrator: across the state line
In polk county, north carolina,
With the help of tickle,
Josh got his first run
Of the season under his belt
And some money in his pocket,
But to get back to work
With colt and cuz,
Josh must deal with
A toxic chemical
In the old telephone poles
They used to build their site.
What's your plan there,
Man?
I know you got something
Up your sleeve.
We didn't come this far
To just give up now.
These telephone poles
Have been coated in creosote.
It is a problem.
I had no idea that creosote
Was a carcinogen.
Colt brought it
To my attention.
We looked it up.
It is a problem, but I've got
A solution to fix that.
Check this out, boys.
You ain't going to
Believe this.
Alright,
So I got this stuff.
Yeah?
It's made specifically
For that.
Boy, you spent some money
On this here?
-so this is my setup here.
-look at this thing.
I bought y'all masks.
Okay?
So if you can put a mask
Together, you can put it --
-oh, yeah.
-I got me a mask.
These telephone poles smelling
The way they do, my guys,
I can't expose them to toxic,
Possibly cancer-causing stuff.
This stuff right here
Is two-part,
And what
We're going to do is
We're going to doggone
Mix this up.
We're going to go over there,
And we're going to spray
Every bit of that
With this stuff right here.
And you know
What it's going to do?
It's going to totally
Seal it up,
And we ain't going to
Smell it no more.
It's not going to be
Toxic to us.
Ooh.
Colt: josh did
A little research on it,
Figured out
What we needed to spray.
I think it's going to coat
The stuff well.
I think it's going to work.
[ generator turns on ]
I got my here mask
Put together, boy.
-these masks are good, man.
-yeah, they're good.
I feel a lot more safer
In here now.
I been brought here by the gods
To help me make you safer
Because you going to lose
Everything you got if you don't.
I really thought my still site
Might be doomed.
I really wasn't sure
What the answer was,
But I think
I found the answer.
Alright.
So it's right here.
It's very important we wear
These masks while we spray this
Because it's got a damn
Major health concern
With permanent brain
And nervous system damage.
I've never used this
Before,
So that's not where this
Brain damage is coming from.
It says don't get it
In your eye, though.
-no *bleep*
-or don't drink it.
I know how you are.
[ laughs ]
It's like milk.
You want some milk?
It is pretty thick.
Look at that.
Colt:
Oh, man, that looks good.
This is like a wood epoxy,
And you damn paint it
All over the logs.
Here we go.
It coats it.
It's a win-win for everybody.
That's it. You're out.
We got her coated up
Pretty good here.
She's going to
Seal up clear.
Man, I'm so glad we got
This thing sprayed down.
I just can't wait for it
To dry off
So I can damn get
My still site in here
And start making
Some liquor.
As long as it makes it where
We could tolerate to be in here
And it ain't going to mess
Our stuff up,
I'm happy.
-yeah.
Narrator: coming up,
On a country road in tennessee,
There's nowhere to run
And nowhere to hide.
Mike:
Oh, the son of a bitch.
What are we going to do,
Jerry?
Jerry: just stay calm.
Mike:
Another day in paradise.
Well, jerry, we'll get
One more run, brother.
-yep.
-damn, son.
She's getting later
In the season.
*bleep* keeps getting heavier,
Don't it?
Narrator:
In sevier county, tennessee,
After weeks of small sales,
Mike and jerry
Finally have a big order
For caramel apple moonshine.
The only catch, the buyer is
On the other side of the state.
Mike and jerry are still
Searching for a bootlegger.
You got her?
Alright.
Mike: I've got
An old mountain hillbilly
That wants to buy 50 gallons
From us.
The only problem is he's on
The other side of tennessee.
You know, I'm going to
Sell it to him,
But that means we just going to
Have to do this bootleg ourself.
Tastes like it's got a good
Apple-cider taste to it.
That's a hard apple cider
We're pumping in there
Right now.
Me and jerry,
We're going to run
Some of this apple mash
That we've got.
We're going to put some caramel
And sliced apples in
To infuse that flavor
On the end result.
-running good and clear.
-it's a good one, ain't it?
Good stream, yeah.
You know, we got all them
Dang backings left.
This would be
A perfect opportunity
To put these backings
In here with this.
That will up the damn proof
Of this stuff, buddy.
We've got some backings leftover
From our previous apple runs,
And that's going to up
Our proof even more.
Narrator: during distillation,
The first drinkable alcohol
To come out of the still
Is high-proof
And free of impurities.
As the run progresses,
The liquor coming from the still
Decreases in proof,
While the presence of impurities
Like terpenoids and fusel oils
Increases by the end of the run.
Only unpalatable, low-volume
Alcohol called tails,
Back ends, or backings
Is produced.
While undesirable
For drinking,
A veteran shiner will save
The low-proof product
Of these backings
To add to another batch of mash
And boost the proof
Of the next run.
Alright,
Let's put these backings in.
-[ speaks indistinctly ]
-don't spill it.
That's one way to split it,
Ain't it?
Yep,
Right down the middle.
Fire in the hole.
[ speaks indistinctly ]
Oh, yeah.
We're fixing them up
Some good stuff, baby.
Alright, we're going to slice up
The apples with a knife.
We're going to leave them
Quartered up.
They will last a lot longer
Inside the jars.
These are what we're going
To put in our jars.
As far as the caramel
Flavoring goes,
100% hard caramel candies
Is what it is.
We want
That caramel-apple taste
Like you're at the fair
Biting into a caramel apple
Without pulling
Your damn teeth out.
Hold your mouth right,
Son.
Oh *bleep* you made it.
See there?
See what you can do?
Everything is going to be
Swinging here after while.
We'll have it dancing around,
Baby, doing the jig.
Let's get her pasted in.
Me and jerry, we're going to do
A little bit of bootlegging.
Yeah, I'm a little nervous
About it
Because that's a pretty damn
Dangerous game.
Oh, I hate like hell
Having to do this, man.
Jerry:
Me and you both, man.
Me and jerry went
And met this buddy of mine.
He wants 50 damn percent.
We can't afford -- definitely
Can't afford to give him 50%.
You know, jerry, we may have
To bite the bullet a little bit,
But we can't chance
Taking that kind of risk.
I don't mind
Biting the bullet.
I just don't want to chew
On the whole damn gun.
Well, no,
I understand that,
But I think we need
To talk to him
And come to an agreement
So me and you can be right here
Where we belong
And not running this stuff
Up and down the highway.
We've got to come to some kind
Of happy medium here, you know?
All we can do is wait on it
To heat up.
♪ we're getting ready to do
That jiggy, baby ♪
Oh, yeah.
[ chuckles ] oh, boy.
Crap, man, we got it.
It's already coming out of here.
Show me some alky-hol.
We'll catch
The damn head.
That smells like acetone.
She's doing her thing now.
We need to get that first bit
Off, and we taste it.
Damn almighty, baby,
That's alcohol right there.
-yeah.
-let's put the pad on.
There you go.
By god, I bet you that'll burn.
Won't it?
-maybe it will.
Get this bucket under it.
170.
Hell yeah.
It's starting to
Mellow down now.
Another one down,
Let's rock 'n' roll.
Let's fill
Another one up.
Well, I tell you what.
It's some good-tasting stuff,
Man.
You can taste the apple
And the caramel in that.
I'm going to tell you,
Look, I think we nailed it
On this one, brother.
-hell yeah.
Narrator: with 25 gallons
Of caramel apple moonshine,
Mike and jerry are halfway
To filling
Their 50-gallon order,
Their biggest sale
Of the season by far.
Just run it off one more time
For damn sure.
♪♪
[ donkey braying ]
Narrator:
Two counties south, in the
Mountains of western carolina...
...Mark and huck
Have a ripe opportunity,
Vines loaded with grapes a local
Farmer has offered up for free.
[ spits ]
Huck: mm-hmm.
[ donkey braying ]
♪♪
♪♪
Hope nothing in there
Bursts into flames.
Right?
What if there's gas in it?
-we're all gonna *bleep*
-[ speaks indistinctly ]
I don't know.
Would it?
I don't think so.
Narrator: five counties east,
Josh and colt are rushing
To complete the furnace
For their still site,
One of the last pieces
To be added
To their elaborate
Moonshine setup.
Now we're cooking.
Josh:
We're working on the furnace,
Trying to get it done
So we can make some mash
And make some moonshine,
Finally get all this work done,
But I'm sick and tired of having
To keep on keeping on,
Building sites and rebuilding
Stuff, building new stills.
So you know I got to go
To vegas tomorrow, right?
What you talking about,
You got to go to vegas tomorrow?
We got work to do.
-I got a show.
What the hell
Are you talking about?
I told you about that.
I got to go to vegas.
I got to play a show.
That's supposed to be
In a couple weeks.
That's tomorrow.
-no way.
-swear.
Josh: colt just dropped
A major bomb on me.
I'm going to be a man down,
And, you know,
I'm like, "I've got to get
This work done,"
And there's a lot of it
I can't really do without help.
But I told you about it.
You just don't listen
To nothing I say.
No, it ain't that.
I just got a lot going on.
I understand that, but I got
To leave in the morning.
You know what?
Am I frustrated?
Hell yeah, I'm frustrated.
Now that everything
Is coming together,
It all fell apart real fast.
Here, try this.
Need gloves on.
Alright, I'll get you
Some gloves. Here.
I'm definitely here
For the long haul
To help josh get this done
And make a bunch of runs
And moonshine,
But it's hard juggling
Everything
With going on the road
And going on tour
And being here,
And it's a lot
To deal with.
Ooh, that baby
Burning my arm.
I got to take
This disk off.
Josh:
I've lost so much time.
I mean, I'm overworked.
I'm broke all to hell.
If my help don't want to work,
What am I going to do now?
I know we got a lot to do,
But you should go with me, man,
Get away from this *bleep*
This *bleep* stressing you out.
You need a break, too.
I'll pay for you
To go.
Come on.
You really want me
To go to vegas?
Yeah, I want you to come have
A good time with me.
You get to meet my band.
We'll have a good time.
Just think about it.
I mean, we still got to do this,
But think about it.
Then we'll come back
And bust ass on all this.
I might be in for that.
Colt:
Me and josh have a lot to do
Here, but he needs a break.
I feel like taking him to vegas
And getting him out there
And relaxing will help a lot,
And then we can come back
And hit it hard, you know,
And hopefully we can get
Some shine running
And make some money.
Three days in vegas, man.
You can't beat that.
Tickle: I'm sitting here
In a suit store.
The guy I got helping me pick
It out wears bibs and no shirt.
Narrator: coming up,
For two moonshiners,
A search for formal wear
Is like the blind
Leading the blind-drunk.
You mind bending your arm
Like you're holding a drink.
Oh, yeah, I can do that.
Tim:
We got to get prepared.
I mean, how many more days
We got, huh?
You know, it's getting
Real close.
This is, like,
A big deal, man.
There's nowhere to park
In this place.
I know.
You might have to take you
Some back roads
Or something to hit that.
Narrator: in central virginia,
Tim and tickle
Put their backwoods
Moonshine operation on hold
To search for something
Rarely found
At a still site, a tuxedo.
-man, tickle, come on in.
-alright.
-yeah.
-I tell you what --
You've probably never been
To a store like this, have you?
-no, I have not.
-yeah.
Tickle:
Tim and I have been talking
About a date that's coming up,
A big day for me.
It's always been my experience
When tim gives me
A little bit of advice,
If I take it,
It's usually the best thing.
-good afternoon, gentlemen.
-how you doing, sir?
I'm roderick.
How can I help you?
Good to meet you, sir.
My friend, mr. Tickle here,
Has got a big day coming up.
He's getting ready
To get married.
-congratulations.
-thank you, sir.
And he doesn't have
Nothing to wear.
First time getting married, too,
So, you know...
Yeah, and first time
In a suit.
Tim: tickle came to me.
He expressed about
Getting married.
You know, it's a little shock
To me because
Tickle never wanted
To get married,
And not many people
Wants to marry tickle,
But his lady friend
Has been great, and so far,
I look at it
As a positive move.
What kind of lady
Is your fiancée?
Oh, well, you know,
She's a good one.
She's a bail bondsman,
And interestingly enough,
Never bailed me out,
Not once at all.
-really?
-yeah, I got a good one.
She hunted me down
A long time ago.
-really?
-yeah, for personal reasons.
[ laughs ]
You know, I thought I was pretty
Doggone ready to get married.
I said, "You know, I got a ring
On her finger.
Hell, that's all I need to do."
I was ready to just roll up
In there
In the aisle in my boots
And my shirt
And, you know,
Just go on.
Tim told me
That wasn't going to work,
Told me I had to
Get me a tuxedo.
I'm not even sure how to spell
'tuxedo," much less wear one.
Do you mind bending your arm
Like you're holding a drink?
Oh, yeah, I can do that, bud,
I think.
Tim: yeah, he does
A lot of drinking.
Would that be holding
A jug or a glass?
-[ chuckles ] anything you like.
-does that make a difference?
I mean,
When you at the wedding,
You're probably going
To have a little cocktail.
You know?
I ain't thought about that.
Well, you got some liquor
Built up, right?
You got a little stash?
You done made a run
Just for the wedding?
No, no, I've been busy making
Runs for everybody else.
You are not prepared to get,
What, married at all.
What you going to do when
A couple hundred people show up,
And they want a drink?
Uh, um...
Well, why don't you
Let me handle that, then?
I mean, it's good, right?
I ain't going to
Have nothing bad.
Alright.
You go right ahead.
Alright, so what do you think
She'll like?
Uh...
She's wearing white.
And you're
Going to wear black.
I reckon I go with black,
Yeah.
-alright.
-well, I have a couple options.
Alright. Alright.
So, the suit, you going to have
Pants to match the suit,
Shirt, and a bow tie.
Right?
I don't know
What I'm going to have, tim.
I was just planning on
Walking on up in there.
No, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no.
You going to get a divorce
Before you get married.
If this is so hard,
Why do people do it?
I have no idea.
You know, I've always trusted
Tim and every bit of his advice,
But I got to look
At it like this...
Classic black tuxedo.
-that's it.
-yeah.
Tickle: I'm sitting here
In a suit store.
The guy I got helping me pick it
Out wears bibs and no shirt.
So what do we do now,
Try this thing on?
-yeah, try it on.
-first things first --
-wait, wait, wait.
-what?
Just go in here.
Go in the dressing room in here.
-oh, alright.
Hell, I reckon his fashion sense
Must be better than mine.
Alright, tim.
What do you think?
-alright. Alright.
-what do you think?
-now we talking, yeah.
-yeah, looking good? Look good?
Tim: we got to do
Something here.
We got to get
Some black shoes on.
What's wrong with my boots?
Alright, well, look, look, look,
Let me ask you this.
-yes?
-there's this rack back there.
I seen it
When I went to change.
There's a jacket on it.
I like it.
What, you need a rack
For your...
Yeah, yeah, no, no, no,
It's right here.
It's like a rain jacket, man,
A slicker.
No, it's something
A little special.
What do you think?
What do you think of that?
Look, look, it's leather.
It's like a coat
On top of a coat.
-it's got tails on it.
-that is wild.
What do you think?
Everything.
See, look, check it out.
You spin anymore,
I'm going to get dizzy.
You think you're old lady
Will like it?
You think she'll be cool
With it?
I think she will.
I believe she will.
How could she not?
Look at this *bleep*
-alright.
We ready to go?
I'll wear this all day.
No, no, no, you got
To take that off.
-yeah.
-okay. Alright, alright.
And if you don't mind,
I'll ship it to you.
Alright, look,
You give him my information.
Alright.
Step on, we got the man a suit.
♪♪
♪♪
Yeah.
Narrator:
Just across the state line in
Graham county, north carolina...
...Mark and huck are mashing in
Bunch after bunch of ripe grapes
For a trial run of brandy.
Mm-hmm.
Mark: [ chuckles ]
Ha-ha!
Good job.
♪♪
Mike: you know, jerry,
When you're hauling 50 gallons
Of damn alcohol,
It seems like the distance
Is twice as long.
In sevier county, tennessee,
With sales to regular clients
Dried up, mike and jerry
Are moving 50 gallons
Across the state to a buyer
Willing to make a big purchase.
Man, I tell you what,
I really don't like
Having to bootleg
This crap
Across no mountain.
I know the feeling.
Mike: I mean, it's one thing,
You know,
To sell a load like this
Right here on your home turf.
Oh, yeah.
But, I mean, we have
No other damn choice
But to get out here
And bootleg it ourself, man.
Jerry:
Yeah, got to get it done.
Mike:
This is a lot of liquor.
We're talking about
50 damn gallons
We're trying to bootleg
Across the mountain.
This is definitely
Out of my damn comfort zone.
Yeah, I'd a lot rather be
In the damn woods making liquor.
Wouldn't you?
-no kidding.
Instead of out here...
Holy *bleep*
Slow down.
Cop.
*bleep*
I hope he keeps on going.
He just passing by,
Ain't he?
Yeah, I think
He was passing us.
This is one damn main reason
Why you always need a bootlegger
When you're making
This much liquor,
Is for situations like this,
The damn law.
I ain't looking for a damn
Brand-new set of bracelets.
Don't want to give no damn body
No reason to pull me over.
No kidding. Once you make your
Handshake, get that money,
And get back on the road,
I'll feel better.
Money, money, money.
That's all
I'm going to think about.
♪♪
Oh, hell, jerry,
We got company, brother.
That son of a bitch
Is blue-lighting us, man.
*bleep* damn.
-alright, just stay calm.
-what are we going to do, jerry?
-stay calm.
Mike: oh, hell, jerry,
We got company, brother.
That son of a bitch
Is blue-lighting us, man.
-are you serious?
-what are we going to do, jerry?
Jerry: just stay calm.
Just stay calm.
Just stay the speed limit.
That mother *bleep*
Coming around me.
Thank god.
Son of a bitch.
Carry your ass on.
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
We've got to get us
A bootlegger.
He never hit his brakes,
Never done a damn thing,
But, you know, I mean,
That's just how close
This stuff can be,
And the second he looks
In the back of my truck,
Game over, son.
Ring the damn bell,
You're going your ass to jail.
My young'uns ain't got nothing
To eat, and my season is over.
Boy, I don't want to
Do this no more.
I don't, either.
We got to come up with
Some other way of doing this.
Here we are.
Well, he said the bend
In the road.
This is a bend,
Ain't it?
This the bend in the road,
Ain't it?
Me and jerry,
We're manufacturers here.
We're not supposed to be
The ones out here
Bootlegging this stuff,
Man.
We need somebody
To take care of this stuff,
Get it sold for us,
And bring us back our money.
We belong in the damn woods.
That looks like him
Right there, buddy.
Let's get out here
And talk to him.
How you doing, bud?
We got your 50 gallons, brother.
There she is right there.
I think $7,000, man, is what
It's going to have to be.
Yes, sir, you're good.
-alright, bud.
Pop that trunk.
Yeah, buddy. I think
It'll all fit back there.
Don't spill your juice
On the way home, son.
[ speaks indistinctly ]
We're going to get the hell
Out of here.
We'll see you, man.
Appreciate your business.
Alright.
We can't sit there and help him
Arrange every damn thing.
Now we can relax
And maybe think about
Paying some bootleggers.
Riding the roads ain't for me.
-no.
♪♪
Oh, yeah. [ laughs ]
Phew!
It will.
Narrator:
In the hills of north carolina,
To boost sales as the end
Of their season nears,
Mark and huck are test-running
A brandy recipe
With local flavor
That they plan to bring to pop,
Their bootlegger.
[ chuckling ] yeah.
-yeah.
-uh-oh.
[ chuckles ]
[ speaks indistinctly ]
Yeah.
[ grunts ]
Oh, yeah.
[ chuckling ] yeah.
It's getting hot now,
Yeah.
Mark: yeah, yeah.
[ chuckles ]
[ chuckles ]
[ chuckles ]
Mm-hmm.
It wouldn't take much
Of that right there.
[ chuckles ]
Daggum it, I spilled.
[ laughs ]
Narrator:
With a successful 5-gallon run,
Mark and huck
Are ready to bring
Their new recipe
To their bootlegger, pop,
To see if there's a demand
For their high-proof brandy.
Hello, pop.
[ laughs ]
Coming up...
I'd be able to sell more than I
Could make if I come out here.
Narrator:
...With work at his site on
Hold, josh goes all-in
And rolls the dice
With a big bet in vegas.
We got a 5-week tour,
So we going to need a lot.
Well, you think
You can make us some?
Tickle:
What you think of that?
What do you think?
-I mean, what --
Look, it's even got tails.
Look, check it out.
Yeah, I see it.
I see it. I see it.
Yeah, what you think?
Well, if it makes you
Feel good...
-I like it.
-alright.
I not only feel good,
I look good.
Well, you look good.
You feel good.
Step one, then.
We got you a suit.
-step one?
-step one.
I mean,
This is all I need, right?
Oh, we got a whole lot
To do yet.
Narrator:
Mike and jerry are finally
Moving some of the 550 gallons
They've made this year,
Mark and huck's small-batch run
Gives them 316 gallons,
And with just 65, josh's season
Is threatening to go bust.
♪♪
♪♪
There are some super fly chicks
Running around.
I've seen more beautiful women
In the last 15 minutes
Than I've seen in
2 years at home.
Narrator:
2,000 miles away from home,
Moonshiner josh is taking in
The sights on the vegas strip.
Colt landed a gig out here
With the moonshine bandits.
There's no way that
I'm not going to come out here
And support my boy.
We're really close to getting
Done with the still site,
But there's still a lot
Of steps to be done,
And then colt asked me
To go somewhere
And do something with him.
It's hard for me to say no,
Because he's my buddy,
And, I mean, how do you say no
To going to vegas?
It's vegas, baby.
-moon!
-shine!
-moon!
-shine!
Bird:
Let's get loose with it!
Tex:
If you're feeling real good,
Let me get a hell yeah!
All: hell yeah!
We're the moonshine bandits.
♪ well, we jumped in our trucks
For a midnight ride ♪
♪ and we're heading to the bar
To drink some beer ♪
♪ drink, drink,
Drink, drink, drink ♪
♪ whiskey river set me free ♪
Josh: man, I cannot believe
How many people is out here.
This is the perfect market
For me to sell my shine.
I'd be able to sell more than
I could make if I come out here.
Tex:
We'll see you next time.
I'm going to go find colt.
Man: let's go drink
Some shine, brother.
Hell yeah.
Dude, that was badass,
Colt.
You're a damn rock star, bro.
-what's up, dude?
Hey, hey,
I want to introduce you.
-who's that?
-check this out.
-this is bird. Tex.
-what's up, y'all?
What's up, brother?
Heard a lot about you, man.
Yeah, man.
You didn't tell me
You was going to have thousands
Of people here, bro.
Well, I wanted
To surprise you, man,
Get you to see it
With your own two eyes.
You're a real damn
Rock star.
All of you are.
-thanks, man.
Another day at the office,
Bro.
Hey, we need
A celebratory shot.
There, let's do it.
What you got?
Thank god you got it after
The set, I'll tell you that.
If I did it before --
-hoo-hoo!
That's good. Good stuff.
What'd you think?
Hoo!
Taste good, though, dawg.
Tex: had a lot of shine
In my day, bro.
Colt: it's good stuff.
Man, you guys are rock stars,
And between fricking
What I've got going on
And what y'all got going on,
The possibilities
Are endless, man.
With everybody
Y'all know...
A lot of shine drinkers
Out there.
A lot of people in that
Crowd love that shine,
But they like
The real stuff.
We have a tour coming up.
We've got a five-week tour,
So we're going to need a lot.
Well, you think
You can make us some?
All you want.
If we could come up
With a percentage,
Y'all want to help me
Roll some,
I think we can make
A lot of money together.
Josh:
The possibilities are endless.
I could sell so much moonshine
With these guys.
I don't really know them all,
But I do know colt,
And I know I can trust colt.
Let's do it.
We got a game.
-done deal.
-done.
-we got *bleep*
-awesome.
We got business.
Josh: colt has got a little bit
Of time off.
We're going to hit
The ground running.
We're going to stockpile
The hell out of some moonshine,
And we're going to make sure
That we've got more moonshine
Than these dudes
Could possibly sell.
Nice meeting you,
Too, son.
-hell, yeah.
-take care now, josh.
♪♪
Jerry:
[ speaks indistinctly ]
No, not exactly, but,
You know, at this point,
We ain't got
No other choice.
Narrator:
In sevier county, tennessee,
With 75 gallons
Of illegal liquor
In the back of their truck,
Mike and jerry
Are prepared to make a deal
With a potential bootlegger
And put a season of unprofitable
Small sales behind them.
I just basically told him
I'm ready to deal.
I sure hope he ain't
Anticipating 50%, though.
Mike: me and jerry met up
With a big-time bootlegger,
But he wanted 50%
On the gallon.
That's his truck there.
We just can't do 50%,
But passing this lawman,
That right there was
A damn reminder
We need somebody
To take care of this stuff.
It's got to happen.
Alright, let's talk to him,
See where we stand.
-what's going on, gentlemen?
-alright, buddy.
How you been?
-I'm making it.
Well, I guess we might as well
Get down to damn business.
We need to make some kind
Of agreement here, man.
We got to have somebody
Haul this damn liquor for us.
So, I mean, I'm here to make
A deal with you,
But it's got to benefit
All of us,
And I know you take a risk,
But look at the work that we do
That we have to turn around
To keep you busy.
I understand.
I tell y'all boys what...
I'll settle at 40%.
40%.
40%. I'm not liking it
Worth a damn.
Jerry ain't, neither.
You're killing us, son.
Y'all want it rolling?
I'm going to put it
On the road.
I'm going to get it
In glasses.
I'm going to get it
Wherever I need to get it.
If that's where you want it,
You want it out of your truck
And in this truck right here,
We'll shake hands on 40%.
If I agree to 40%, man,
You going to have to
Turn this over,
I mean, on the way.
It's got to go quick.
I don't care if you break down
In your truck
And have to carry it
On a pack mule.
You be back here in seven days
Flat and no damn later.
That's a small,
Small window.
It's either take it
Or leave it.
We're done
Talking about it.
I'm going to do it.
Y'all want to put me
To the test?
-yeah, buddy.
-let's get them loaded up.
All I can say, man, we give
This dude 75 gallons of liquor,
And the next time
He shows up,
I better be seeing
$6,300 in my pocket
Instead of, say,
$4,000 or $5,000
And him
Still got liquor left over
And couldn't make
The deal happen.
Cover it up,
Get you on the road.
75 gallons right there, old
Buddy, and your time starts now.
-alright, now.
-we're counting on you.
Alright, now.
Narrator:
Next time on "Moonshiners"...
Damn, that steel pot is hot.
Whoa!
*bleep*
-damn it.
Narrator: in tennessee,
300 gallons of mash
Hang in the balance
As mark and digger race
To replace
A crucial piece of equipment.
Oh!
What is that coming
Out of that pot?
Josh: *bleep* that's just water.
It ain't liquor.
You know I got to leave
Tomorrow.
This ain't going to make
The quota.
In north carolina,
Josh dives in headfirst
To save the one deal
That could salvage his season.
That's ruined.
*bleep*
-you going to marry her?
-yeah.
Tim: that's high maintenance,
Tickle.
I hope you got
A big pocketbook.
Well, then,
We better start making
Some damn moonshine, then.
Narrator:
And the legendary virginia duo
Is back up and running
After nearly a decade.
Tim:
I mean, me and tickle out here,
Back in the woods.
You know, this is part
Of history here.
Of "Moonshiners"...
You've probably never been
To a store like this, have you?
No, I have not.
In virginia,
Heads are spinning.
What do you think?
You spin anymore,
I'm going to get dizzy.
But it's not just
The moonshine,
It's tickle's
Life-changing news.
I mean, you are not prepared
To get, what, married at all.
But, I mean, we have
No other damn choice
But to get out here
And bootleg it ourselves, man.
In tennessee, stuck with more
Moonshine than they can sell,
Mike and jerry
Risk a long-distance bootleg.
That son of a bitch
Is blue-lighting us, man.
What are you talking about,
You got to go to vegas tomorrow?
We got work to do.
My help don't want to work.
What am I going to do now?
Narrator:
And one unlucky carolina shiner
Goes all-in on a vegas gamble.
-moon!
-shine!
Let's get loose with it!
Man: this is how we make
The moonshine.
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
Well, tickle calls me,
And he says, you know,
He wants to meet for lunch.
He's got something seriously
He wants to talk to me about.
You never know with tickle,
Though.
I mean, it could be anything.
Narrator: in central virginia,
Tim is headed into town
To meet tickle
After his long-time friend
Asked to have a face-to-face
Conversation.
-how's it going, tim?
-what's going on?
Oh, not a whole lot, just wanted
To talk to you about something.
Yeah, you got to talk to me
About something?
That means
You need something.
Woman: can I get you
Something to drink?
Sweet tea.
It's got to be serious,
I know, when you call me.
Well, you know,
It kind of is.
Yeah, it is.
It's pretty serious.
You done got in trouble?
No, no, no,
Ain't in trouble.
You need some money?
-well...
-there you go. I knew it.
-kind of, but no,
-I knew it.
What are you going to buy,
Then?
You need money.
What you going to buy?
Well, I'm...
Well, I'm planning
On getting married,
Is what
I'm planning on doing.
-married?
-yeah.
How you going to
Get married?
You got to find somebody
You're going to marry.
I mean, you know, tickle has
Been in prison for a long time,
And then all of a sudden,
He's going to get married.
I mean, you know, I haven't seen
Nobody knocking down
Tickle's door
Wanting to marry him,
And then I'm like, "Wow."
Her name is carol.
How long
You been knowing her?
I been knowing her
About six years now on and off.
Why you
Got to get married?
Why?
Did you get her pregnant?
No, I figured it's about time,
You know?
I'm getting old, getting ugly.
You know what I'm saying.
Here, look,
Check it out.
I got a picture of her
Right here.
Let me show you this.
Yeah, it's getting interested.
Show me.
Alright.
That's her.
You going to go broke
Trying to pay for that.
-no.
-you'll never pay for that.
That's one reason
I've been running around
Like I've been
Running around this year.
I want to be able to be
Financially secure,
If I'm going to start
A life in this woman.
You know, tim,
He's a little skeptical
About carol and I
Getting married.
I guess I can understand it
To a point, you know?
I hadn't been long
Got out of jail,
And, bam, next thing you know,
I'm getting married.
You know, the man really just
Wants what's best for me.
Well, it sounds like
You're going to get married.
Yeah, yeah,
I'm going to get married.
But there's a lot of things
We got to think about, you know?
You asked me to help you,
It sounds like.
Yeah.
Well, I know I need
To get you dressed up.
What, you going to put me
In some sort of monkey suit
Or something?
I mean, I'm all-in,
You know?
Tickle is ready to get
Married and everything,
But he's not really ready.
We got to get to work here,
And we got a long ways to go
And a short time to get there.
And you can't wear the hat,
Then.
-come on now.
-you got to take your hat off.
No, I don't want to take
My hat off.
I never take my hat off.
She going to tell you
To take it off.
♪♪
♪♪
Damn, a little bit
Bumpy, ain't it?
But, hey, we're off
The beaten path.
Narrator: deep on the back roads
Of sevier county, tennessee,
Desperate times
Call for desperate measures.
Last season, mike was moving
Gallon after gallon
Of illegal liquor
At a premium price.
This season, local demand
Has dried up.
I mean, have you got your liquor
Some damn where else?
Narrator:
Now, to make a dent in their
Growing stockpile
Of unsold shine,
Mike and jerry are meeting
A big-time bootlegger
To strike a deal.
Buddy, I hate resorting
To get somebody
To damn move
This stuff for us,
But we ain't doing
No good getting it gone,
And I don't like running around
Trying to hustle it out.
Mike: we've got so much liquor
Stashed up in our stash house,
We're spinning
Our wheels around here
Trying to find a handful
Of customers to buy anything.
So we're going to meet
A bootlegger to see
If he wants to do a little bit
Of bootlegging for us
And get this liquor sold.
Well, here we are, jerry.
This our guy here?
That looks like him.
-how you doing?
-how was your trip?
-oh, it was a long one.
-what's going on, bud?
I'm jerry.
-this is jerry.
Well, you ready to do
Some bootlegging for us?
That depends on
What you've got.
We've got, what,
140 gallons?
140, 150 gallons,
Yeah?
I'm getting $140 a gallon.
How much at a time do you
Think you can get rid of?
I could probably get in between
40 and 50 gallons right now.
That's a pretty good chunk.
What you thinking
On the gallon there?
Well, that's what's going
To hurt your feelings
Because you
Selling at $140.
I'm going to want $70.
I'm going to want half.
There ain't no damn way.
This man right here
Gets half.
I mean,
I can't give you half.
Well, what business y'all
Got between each other
Ain't got nothing
To do with me.
Y'all want me
To move your liquor,
It's going to
Cost you half.
We can't do that.
He wants 50 damn percent
On every gallon
That we sell him.
There is no damn way
We can do that.
Me and this guy right here,
We can wear the damn horns
Off of a billy goat,
We can turn out so much liquor.
We could keep you running.
-we run a constant flow.
I told him
I can produce enough alcohol
To keep you on the road
Selling continuously.
The conversation kind of changed
Right then.
But it's got to benefit us, too.
You know what I mean?
We all got to make money.
Tell you what,
You just think on it.
We can keep you
Employed, son.
We can keep you busy.
Just take your time
And think on it, let us know.
Alright.
Shoot, damn,
$70 a gallon?
Ain't no way.
-ain't no way, unh-unh.
I've never been struck before
With 50% from nobody.
That's a pretty high number.
And we ain't barely making
That kind of money.
Supplies and everything.
-there's supplies, the labor,
But, now, when I said I can
Employ him for the duration,
He's thinking on it now.
♪♪
♪♪
I hope he's got
A good plan
Because I'm not working
In that smell today.
That stuff stinks,
Man.
Yeah, hell,
I got a headache from it.
Narrator: across the state line
In polk county, north carolina,
With the help of tickle,
Josh got his first run
Of the season under his belt
And some money in his pocket,
But to get back to work
With colt and cuz,
Josh must deal with
A toxic chemical
In the old telephone poles
They used to build their site.
What's your plan there,
Man?
I know you got something
Up your sleeve.
We didn't come this far
To just give up now.
These telephone poles
Have been coated in creosote.
It is a problem.
I had no idea that creosote
Was a carcinogen.
Colt brought it
To my attention.
We looked it up.
It is a problem, but I've got
A solution to fix that.
Check this out, boys.
You ain't going to
Believe this.
Alright,
So I got this stuff.
Yeah?
It's made specifically
For that.
Boy, you spent some money
On this here?
-so this is my setup here.
-look at this thing.
I bought y'all masks.
Okay?
So if you can put a mask
Together, you can put it --
-oh, yeah.
-I got me a mask.
These telephone poles smelling
The way they do, my guys,
I can't expose them to toxic,
Possibly cancer-causing stuff.
This stuff right here
Is two-part,
And what
We're going to do is
We're going to doggone
Mix this up.
We're going to go over there,
And we're going to spray
Every bit of that
With this stuff right here.
And you know
What it's going to do?
It's going to totally
Seal it up,
And we ain't going to
Smell it no more.
It's not going to be
Toxic to us.
Ooh.
Colt: josh did
A little research on it,
Figured out
What we needed to spray.
I think it's going to coat
The stuff well.
I think it's going to work.
[ generator turns on ]
I got my here mask
Put together, boy.
-these masks are good, man.
-yeah, they're good.
I feel a lot more safer
In here now.
I been brought here by the gods
To help me make you safer
Because you going to lose
Everything you got if you don't.
I really thought my still site
Might be doomed.
I really wasn't sure
What the answer was,
But I think
I found the answer.
Alright.
So it's right here.
It's very important we wear
These masks while we spray this
Because it's got a damn
Major health concern
With permanent brain
And nervous system damage.
I've never used this
Before,
So that's not where this
Brain damage is coming from.
It says don't get it
In your eye, though.
-no *bleep*
-or don't drink it.
I know how you are.
[ laughs ]
It's like milk.
You want some milk?
It is pretty thick.
Look at that.
Colt:
Oh, man, that looks good.
This is like a wood epoxy,
And you damn paint it
All over the logs.
Here we go.
It coats it.
It's a win-win for everybody.
That's it. You're out.
We got her coated up
Pretty good here.
She's going to
Seal up clear.
Man, I'm so glad we got
This thing sprayed down.
I just can't wait for it
To dry off
So I can damn get
My still site in here
And start making
Some liquor.
As long as it makes it where
We could tolerate to be in here
And it ain't going to mess
Our stuff up,
I'm happy.
-yeah.
Narrator: coming up,
On a country road in tennessee,
There's nowhere to run
And nowhere to hide.
Mike:
Oh, the son of a bitch.
What are we going to do,
Jerry?
Jerry: just stay calm.
Mike:
Another day in paradise.
Well, jerry, we'll get
One more run, brother.
-yep.
-damn, son.
She's getting later
In the season.
*bleep* keeps getting heavier,
Don't it?
Narrator:
In sevier county, tennessee,
After weeks of small sales,
Mike and jerry
Finally have a big order
For caramel apple moonshine.
The only catch, the buyer is
On the other side of the state.
Mike and jerry are still
Searching for a bootlegger.
You got her?
Alright.
Mike: I've got
An old mountain hillbilly
That wants to buy 50 gallons
From us.
The only problem is he's on
The other side of tennessee.
You know, I'm going to
Sell it to him,
But that means we just going to
Have to do this bootleg ourself.
Tastes like it's got a good
Apple-cider taste to it.
That's a hard apple cider
We're pumping in there
Right now.
Me and jerry,
We're going to run
Some of this apple mash
That we've got.
We're going to put some caramel
And sliced apples in
To infuse that flavor
On the end result.
-running good and clear.
-it's a good one, ain't it?
Good stream, yeah.
You know, we got all them
Dang backings left.
This would be
A perfect opportunity
To put these backings
In here with this.
That will up the damn proof
Of this stuff, buddy.
We've got some backings leftover
From our previous apple runs,
And that's going to up
Our proof even more.
Narrator: during distillation,
The first drinkable alcohol
To come out of the still
Is high-proof
And free of impurities.
As the run progresses,
The liquor coming from the still
Decreases in proof,
While the presence of impurities
Like terpenoids and fusel oils
Increases by the end of the run.
Only unpalatable, low-volume
Alcohol called tails,
Back ends, or backings
Is produced.
While undesirable
For drinking,
A veteran shiner will save
The low-proof product
Of these backings
To add to another batch of mash
And boost the proof
Of the next run.
Alright,
Let's put these backings in.
-[ speaks indistinctly ]
-don't spill it.
That's one way to split it,
Ain't it?
Yep,
Right down the middle.
Fire in the hole.
[ speaks indistinctly ]
Oh, yeah.
We're fixing them up
Some good stuff, baby.
Alright, we're going to slice up
The apples with a knife.
We're going to leave them
Quartered up.
They will last a lot longer
Inside the jars.
These are what we're going
To put in our jars.
As far as the caramel
Flavoring goes,
100% hard caramel candies
Is what it is.
We want
That caramel-apple taste
Like you're at the fair
Biting into a caramel apple
Without pulling
Your damn teeth out.
Hold your mouth right,
Son.
Oh *bleep* you made it.
See there?
See what you can do?
Everything is going to be
Swinging here after while.
We'll have it dancing around,
Baby, doing the jig.
Let's get her pasted in.
Me and jerry, we're going to do
A little bit of bootlegging.
Yeah, I'm a little nervous
About it
Because that's a pretty damn
Dangerous game.
Oh, I hate like hell
Having to do this, man.
Jerry:
Me and you both, man.
Me and jerry went
And met this buddy of mine.
He wants 50 damn percent.
We can't afford -- definitely
Can't afford to give him 50%.
You know, jerry, we may have
To bite the bullet a little bit,
But we can't chance
Taking that kind of risk.
I don't mind
Biting the bullet.
I just don't want to chew
On the whole damn gun.
Well, no,
I understand that,
But I think we need
To talk to him
And come to an agreement
So me and you can be right here
Where we belong
And not running this stuff
Up and down the highway.
We've got to come to some kind
Of happy medium here, you know?
All we can do is wait on it
To heat up.
♪ we're getting ready to do
That jiggy, baby ♪
Oh, yeah.
[ chuckles ] oh, boy.
Crap, man, we got it.
It's already coming out of here.
Show me some alky-hol.
We'll catch
The damn head.
That smells like acetone.
She's doing her thing now.
We need to get that first bit
Off, and we taste it.
Damn almighty, baby,
That's alcohol right there.
-yeah.
-let's put the pad on.
There you go.
By god, I bet you that'll burn.
Won't it?
-maybe it will.
Get this bucket under it.
170.
Hell yeah.
It's starting to
Mellow down now.
Another one down,
Let's rock 'n' roll.
Let's fill
Another one up.
Well, I tell you what.
It's some good-tasting stuff,
Man.
You can taste the apple
And the caramel in that.
I'm going to tell you,
Look, I think we nailed it
On this one, brother.
-hell yeah.
Narrator: with 25 gallons
Of caramel apple moonshine,
Mike and jerry are halfway
To filling
Their 50-gallon order,
Their biggest sale
Of the season by far.
Just run it off one more time
For damn sure.
♪♪
[ donkey braying ]
Narrator:
Two counties south, in the
Mountains of western carolina...
...Mark and huck
Have a ripe opportunity,
Vines loaded with grapes a local
Farmer has offered up for free.
[ spits ]
Huck: mm-hmm.
[ donkey braying ]
♪♪
♪♪
Hope nothing in there
Bursts into flames.
Right?
What if there's gas in it?
-we're all gonna *bleep*
-[ speaks indistinctly ]
I don't know.
Would it?
I don't think so.
Narrator: five counties east,
Josh and colt are rushing
To complete the furnace
For their still site,
One of the last pieces
To be added
To their elaborate
Moonshine setup.
Now we're cooking.
Josh:
We're working on the furnace,
Trying to get it done
So we can make some mash
And make some moonshine,
Finally get all this work done,
But I'm sick and tired of having
To keep on keeping on,
Building sites and rebuilding
Stuff, building new stills.
So you know I got to go
To vegas tomorrow, right?
What you talking about,
You got to go to vegas tomorrow?
We got work to do.
-I got a show.
What the hell
Are you talking about?
I told you about that.
I got to go to vegas.
I got to play a show.
That's supposed to be
In a couple weeks.
That's tomorrow.
-no way.
-swear.
Josh: colt just dropped
A major bomb on me.
I'm going to be a man down,
And, you know,
I'm like, "I've got to get
This work done,"
And there's a lot of it
I can't really do without help.
But I told you about it.
You just don't listen
To nothing I say.
No, it ain't that.
I just got a lot going on.
I understand that, but I got
To leave in the morning.
You know what?
Am I frustrated?
Hell yeah, I'm frustrated.
Now that everything
Is coming together,
It all fell apart real fast.
Here, try this.
Need gloves on.
Alright, I'll get you
Some gloves. Here.
I'm definitely here
For the long haul
To help josh get this done
And make a bunch of runs
And moonshine,
But it's hard juggling
Everything
With going on the road
And going on tour
And being here,
And it's a lot
To deal with.
Ooh, that baby
Burning my arm.
I got to take
This disk off.
Josh:
I've lost so much time.
I mean, I'm overworked.
I'm broke all to hell.
If my help don't want to work,
What am I going to do now?
I know we got a lot to do,
But you should go with me, man,
Get away from this *bleep*
This *bleep* stressing you out.
You need a break, too.
I'll pay for you
To go.
Come on.
You really want me
To go to vegas?
Yeah, I want you to come have
A good time with me.
You get to meet my band.
We'll have a good time.
Just think about it.
I mean, we still got to do this,
But think about it.
Then we'll come back
And bust ass on all this.
I might be in for that.
Colt:
Me and josh have a lot to do
Here, but he needs a break.
I feel like taking him to vegas
And getting him out there
And relaxing will help a lot,
And then we can come back
And hit it hard, you know,
And hopefully we can get
Some shine running
And make some money.
Three days in vegas, man.
You can't beat that.
Tickle: I'm sitting here
In a suit store.
The guy I got helping me pick
It out wears bibs and no shirt.
Narrator: coming up,
For two moonshiners,
A search for formal wear
Is like the blind
Leading the blind-drunk.
You mind bending your arm
Like you're holding a drink.
Oh, yeah, I can do that.
Tim:
We got to get prepared.
I mean, how many more days
We got, huh?
You know, it's getting
Real close.
This is, like,
A big deal, man.
There's nowhere to park
In this place.
I know.
You might have to take you
Some back roads
Or something to hit that.
Narrator: in central virginia,
Tim and tickle
Put their backwoods
Moonshine operation on hold
To search for something
Rarely found
At a still site, a tuxedo.
-man, tickle, come on in.
-alright.
-yeah.
-I tell you what --
You've probably never been
To a store like this, have you?
-no, I have not.
-yeah.
Tickle:
Tim and I have been talking
About a date that's coming up,
A big day for me.
It's always been my experience
When tim gives me
A little bit of advice,
If I take it,
It's usually the best thing.
-good afternoon, gentlemen.
-how you doing, sir?
I'm roderick.
How can I help you?
Good to meet you, sir.
My friend, mr. Tickle here,
Has got a big day coming up.
He's getting ready
To get married.
-congratulations.
-thank you, sir.
And he doesn't have
Nothing to wear.
First time getting married, too,
So, you know...
Yeah, and first time
In a suit.
Tim: tickle came to me.
He expressed about
Getting married.
You know, it's a little shock
To me because
Tickle never wanted
To get married,
And not many people
Wants to marry tickle,
But his lady friend
Has been great, and so far,
I look at it
As a positive move.
What kind of lady
Is your fiancée?
Oh, well, you know,
She's a good one.
She's a bail bondsman,
And interestingly enough,
Never bailed me out,
Not once at all.
-really?
-yeah, I got a good one.
She hunted me down
A long time ago.
-really?
-yeah, for personal reasons.
[ laughs ]
You know, I thought I was pretty
Doggone ready to get married.
I said, "You know, I got a ring
On her finger.
Hell, that's all I need to do."
I was ready to just roll up
In there
In the aisle in my boots
And my shirt
And, you know,
Just go on.
Tim told me
That wasn't going to work,
Told me I had to
Get me a tuxedo.
I'm not even sure how to spell
'tuxedo," much less wear one.
Do you mind bending your arm
Like you're holding a drink?
Oh, yeah, I can do that, bud,
I think.
Tim: yeah, he does
A lot of drinking.
Would that be holding
A jug or a glass?
-[ chuckles ] anything you like.
-does that make a difference?
I mean,
When you at the wedding,
You're probably going
To have a little cocktail.
You know?
I ain't thought about that.
Well, you got some liquor
Built up, right?
You got a little stash?
You done made a run
Just for the wedding?
No, no, I've been busy making
Runs for everybody else.
You are not prepared to get,
What, married at all.
What you going to do when
A couple hundred people show up,
And they want a drink?
Uh, um...
Well, why don't you
Let me handle that, then?
I mean, it's good, right?
I ain't going to
Have nothing bad.
Alright.
You go right ahead.
Alright, so what do you think
She'll like?
Uh...
She's wearing white.
And you're
Going to wear black.
I reckon I go with black,
Yeah.
-alright.
-well, I have a couple options.
Alright. Alright.
So, the suit, you going to have
Pants to match the suit,
Shirt, and a bow tie.
Right?
I don't know
What I'm going to have, tim.
I was just planning on
Walking on up in there.
No, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no.
You going to get a divorce
Before you get married.
If this is so hard,
Why do people do it?
I have no idea.
You know, I've always trusted
Tim and every bit of his advice,
But I got to look
At it like this...
Classic black tuxedo.
-that's it.
-yeah.
Tickle: I'm sitting here
In a suit store.
The guy I got helping me pick it
Out wears bibs and no shirt.
So what do we do now,
Try this thing on?
-yeah, try it on.
-first things first --
-wait, wait, wait.
-what?
Just go in here.
Go in the dressing room in here.
-oh, alright.
Hell, I reckon his fashion sense
Must be better than mine.
Alright, tim.
What do you think?
-alright. Alright.
-what do you think?
-now we talking, yeah.
-yeah, looking good? Look good?
Tim: we got to do
Something here.
We got to get
Some black shoes on.
What's wrong with my boots?
Alright, well, look, look, look,
Let me ask you this.
-yes?
-there's this rack back there.
I seen it
When I went to change.
There's a jacket on it.
I like it.
What, you need a rack
For your...
Yeah, yeah, no, no, no,
It's right here.
It's like a rain jacket, man,
A slicker.
No, it's something
A little special.
What do you think?
What do you think of that?
Look, look, it's leather.
It's like a coat
On top of a coat.
-it's got tails on it.
-that is wild.
What do you think?
Everything.
See, look, check it out.
You spin anymore,
I'm going to get dizzy.
You think you're old lady
Will like it?
You think she'll be cool
With it?
I think she will.
I believe she will.
How could she not?
Look at this *bleep*
-alright.
We ready to go?
I'll wear this all day.
No, no, no, you got
To take that off.
-yeah.
-okay. Alright, alright.
And if you don't mind,
I'll ship it to you.
Alright, look,
You give him my information.
Alright.
Step on, we got the man a suit.
♪♪
♪♪
Yeah.
Narrator:
Just across the state line in
Graham county, north carolina...
...Mark and huck are mashing in
Bunch after bunch of ripe grapes
For a trial run of brandy.
Mm-hmm.
Mark: [ chuckles ]
Ha-ha!
Good job.
♪♪
Mike: you know, jerry,
When you're hauling 50 gallons
Of damn alcohol,
It seems like the distance
Is twice as long.
In sevier county, tennessee,
With sales to regular clients
Dried up, mike and jerry
Are moving 50 gallons
Across the state to a buyer
Willing to make a big purchase.
Man, I tell you what,
I really don't like
Having to bootleg
This crap
Across no mountain.
I know the feeling.
Mike: I mean, it's one thing,
You know,
To sell a load like this
Right here on your home turf.
Oh, yeah.
But, I mean, we have
No other damn choice
But to get out here
And bootleg it ourself, man.
Jerry:
Yeah, got to get it done.
Mike:
This is a lot of liquor.
We're talking about
50 damn gallons
We're trying to bootleg
Across the mountain.
This is definitely
Out of my damn comfort zone.
Yeah, I'd a lot rather be
In the damn woods making liquor.
Wouldn't you?
-no kidding.
Instead of out here...
Holy *bleep*
Slow down.
Cop.
*bleep*
I hope he keeps on going.
He just passing by,
Ain't he?
Yeah, I think
He was passing us.
This is one damn main reason
Why you always need a bootlegger
When you're making
This much liquor,
Is for situations like this,
The damn law.
I ain't looking for a damn
Brand-new set of bracelets.
Don't want to give no damn body
No reason to pull me over.
No kidding. Once you make your
Handshake, get that money,
And get back on the road,
I'll feel better.
Money, money, money.
That's all
I'm going to think about.
♪♪
Oh, hell, jerry,
We got company, brother.
That son of a bitch
Is blue-lighting us, man.
*bleep* damn.
-alright, just stay calm.
-what are we going to do, jerry?
-stay calm.
Mike: oh, hell, jerry,
We got company, brother.
That son of a bitch
Is blue-lighting us, man.
-are you serious?
-what are we going to do, jerry?
Jerry: just stay calm.
Just stay calm.
Just stay the speed limit.
That mother *bleep*
Coming around me.
Thank god.
Son of a bitch.
Carry your ass on.
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
We've got to get us
A bootlegger.
He never hit his brakes,
Never done a damn thing,
But, you know, I mean,
That's just how close
This stuff can be,
And the second he looks
In the back of my truck,
Game over, son.
Ring the damn bell,
You're going your ass to jail.
My young'uns ain't got nothing
To eat, and my season is over.
Boy, I don't want to
Do this no more.
I don't, either.
We got to come up with
Some other way of doing this.
Here we are.
Well, he said the bend
In the road.
This is a bend,
Ain't it?
This the bend in the road,
Ain't it?
Me and jerry,
We're manufacturers here.
We're not supposed to be
The ones out here
Bootlegging this stuff,
Man.
We need somebody
To take care of this stuff,
Get it sold for us,
And bring us back our money.
We belong in the damn woods.
That looks like him
Right there, buddy.
Let's get out here
And talk to him.
How you doing, bud?
We got your 50 gallons, brother.
There she is right there.
I think $7,000, man, is what
It's going to have to be.
Yes, sir, you're good.
-alright, bud.
Pop that trunk.
Yeah, buddy. I think
It'll all fit back there.
Don't spill your juice
On the way home, son.
[ speaks indistinctly ]
We're going to get the hell
Out of here.
We'll see you, man.
Appreciate your business.
Alright.
We can't sit there and help him
Arrange every damn thing.
Now we can relax
And maybe think about
Paying some bootleggers.
Riding the roads ain't for me.
-no.
♪♪
Oh, yeah. [ laughs ]
Phew!
It will.
Narrator:
In the hills of north carolina,
To boost sales as the end
Of their season nears,
Mark and huck are test-running
A brandy recipe
With local flavor
That they plan to bring to pop,
Their bootlegger.
[ chuckling ] yeah.
-yeah.
-uh-oh.
[ chuckles ]
[ speaks indistinctly ]
Yeah.
[ grunts ]
Oh, yeah.
[ chuckling ] yeah.
It's getting hot now,
Yeah.
Mark: yeah, yeah.
[ chuckles ]
[ chuckles ]
[ chuckles ]
Mm-hmm.
It wouldn't take much
Of that right there.
[ chuckles ]
Daggum it, I spilled.
[ laughs ]
Narrator:
With a successful 5-gallon run,
Mark and huck
Are ready to bring
Their new recipe
To their bootlegger, pop,
To see if there's a demand
For their high-proof brandy.
Hello, pop.
[ laughs ]
Coming up...
I'd be able to sell more than I
Could make if I come out here.
Narrator:
...With work at his site on
Hold, josh goes all-in
And rolls the dice
With a big bet in vegas.
We got a 5-week tour,
So we going to need a lot.
Well, you think
You can make us some?
Tickle:
What you think of that?
What do you think?
-I mean, what --
Look, it's even got tails.
Look, check it out.
Yeah, I see it.
I see it. I see it.
Yeah, what you think?
Well, if it makes you
Feel good...
-I like it.
-alright.
I not only feel good,
I look good.
Well, you look good.
You feel good.
Step one, then.
We got you a suit.
-step one?
-step one.
I mean,
This is all I need, right?
Oh, we got a whole lot
To do yet.
Narrator:
Mike and jerry are finally
Moving some of the 550 gallons
They've made this year,
Mark and huck's small-batch run
Gives them 316 gallons,
And with just 65, josh's season
Is threatening to go bust.
♪♪
♪♪
There are some super fly chicks
Running around.
I've seen more beautiful women
In the last 15 minutes
Than I've seen in
2 years at home.
Narrator:
2,000 miles away from home,
Moonshiner josh is taking in
The sights on the vegas strip.
Colt landed a gig out here
With the moonshine bandits.
There's no way that
I'm not going to come out here
And support my boy.
We're really close to getting
Done with the still site,
But there's still a lot
Of steps to be done,
And then colt asked me
To go somewhere
And do something with him.
It's hard for me to say no,
Because he's my buddy,
And, I mean, how do you say no
To going to vegas?
It's vegas, baby.
-moon!
-shine!
-moon!
-shine!
Bird:
Let's get loose with it!
Tex:
If you're feeling real good,
Let me get a hell yeah!
All: hell yeah!
We're the moonshine bandits.
♪ well, we jumped in our trucks
For a midnight ride ♪
♪ and we're heading to the bar
To drink some beer ♪
♪ drink, drink,
Drink, drink, drink ♪
♪ whiskey river set me free ♪
Josh: man, I cannot believe
How many people is out here.
This is the perfect market
For me to sell my shine.
I'd be able to sell more than
I could make if I come out here.
Tex:
We'll see you next time.
I'm going to go find colt.
Man: let's go drink
Some shine, brother.
Hell yeah.
Dude, that was badass,
Colt.
You're a damn rock star, bro.
-what's up, dude?
Hey, hey,
I want to introduce you.
-who's that?
-check this out.
-this is bird. Tex.
-what's up, y'all?
What's up, brother?
Heard a lot about you, man.
Yeah, man.
You didn't tell me
You was going to have thousands
Of people here, bro.
Well, I wanted
To surprise you, man,
Get you to see it
With your own two eyes.
You're a real damn
Rock star.
All of you are.
-thanks, man.
Another day at the office,
Bro.
Hey, we need
A celebratory shot.
There, let's do it.
What you got?
Thank god you got it after
The set, I'll tell you that.
If I did it before --
-hoo-hoo!
That's good. Good stuff.
What'd you think?
Hoo!
Taste good, though, dawg.
Tex: had a lot of shine
In my day, bro.
Colt: it's good stuff.
Man, you guys are rock stars,
And between fricking
What I've got going on
And what y'all got going on,
The possibilities
Are endless, man.
With everybody
Y'all know...
A lot of shine drinkers
Out there.
A lot of people in that
Crowd love that shine,
But they like
The real stuff.
We have a tour coming up.
We've got a five-week tour,
So we're going to need a lot.
Well, you think
You can make us some?
All you want.
If we could come up
With a percentage,
Y'all want to help me
Roll some,
I think we can make
A lot of money together.
Josh:
The possibilities are endless.
I could sell so much moonshine
With these guys.
I don't really know them all,
But I do know colt,
And I know I can trust colt.
Let's do it.
We got a game.
-done deal.
-done.
-we got *bleep*
-awesome.
We got business.
Josh: colt has got a little bit
Of time off.
We're going to hit
The ground running.
We're going to stockpile
The hell out of some moonshine,
And we're going to make sure
That we've got more moonshine
Than these dudes
Could possibly sell.
Nice meeting you,
Too, son.
-hell, yeah.
-take care now, josh.
♪♪
Jerry:
[ speaks indistinctly ]
No, not exactly, but,
You know, at this point,
We ain't got
No other choice.
Narrator:
In sevier county, tennessee,
With 75 gallons
Of illegal liquor
In the back of their truck,
Mike and jerry
Are prepared to make a deal
With a potential bootlegger
And put a season of unprofitable
Small sales behind them.
I just basically told him
I'm ready to deal.
I sure hope he ain't
Anticipating 50%, though.
Mike: me and jerry met up
With a big-time bootlegger,
But he wanted 50%
On the gallon.
That's his truck there.
We just can't do 50%,
But passing this lawman,
That right there was
A damn reminder
We need somebody
To take care of this stuff.
It's got to happen.
Alright, let's talk to him,
See where we stand.
-what's going on, gentlemen?
-alright, buddy.
How you been?
-I'm making it.
Well, I guess we might as well
Get down to damn business.
We need to make some kind
Of agreement here, man.
We got to have somebody
Haul this damn liquor for us.
So, I mean, I'm here to make
A deal with you,
But it's got to benefit
All of us,
And I know you take a risk,
But look at the work that we do
That we have to turn around
To keep you busy.
I understand.
I tell y'all boys what...
I'll settle at 40%.
40%.
40%. I'm not liking it
Worth a damn.
Jerry ain't, neither.
You're killing us, son.
Y'all want it rolling?
I'm going to put it
On the road.
I'm going to get it
In glasses.
I'm going to get it
Wherever I need to get it.
If that's where you want it,
You want it out of your truck
And in this truck right here,
We'll shake hands on 40%.
If I agree to 40%, man,
You going to have to
Turn this over,
I mean, on the way.
It's got to go quick.
I don't care if you break down
In your truck
And have to carry it
On a pack mule.
You be back here in seven days
Flat and no damn later.
That's a small,
Small window.
It's either take it
Or leave it.
We're done
Talking about it.
I'm going to do it.
Y'all want to put me
To the test?
-yeah, buddy.
-let's get them loaded up.
All I can say, man, we give
This dude 75 gallons of liquor,
And the next time
He shows up,
I better be seeing
$6,300 in my pocket
Instead of, say,
$4,000 or $5,000
And him
Still got liquor left over
And couldn't make
The deal happen.
Cover it up,
Get you on the road.
75 gallons right there, old
Buddy, and your time starts now.
-alright, now.
-we're counting on you.
Alright, now.
Narrator:
Next time on "Moonshiners"...
Damn, that steel pot is hot.
Whoa!
*bleep*
-damn it.
Narrator: in tennessee,
300 gallons of mash
Hang in the balance
As mark and digger race
To replace
A crucial piece of equipment.
Oh!
What is that coming
Out of that pot?
Josh: *bleep* that's just water.
It ain't liquor.
You know I got to leave
Tomorrow.
This ain't going to make
The quota.
In north carolina,
Josh dives in headfirst
To save the one deal
That could salvage his season.
That's ruined.
*bleep*
-you going to marry her?
-yeah.
Tim: that's high maintenance,
Tickle.
I hope you got
A big pocketbook.
Well, then,
We better start making
Some damn moonshine, then.
Narrator:
And the legendary virginia duo
Is back up and running
After nearly a decade.
Tim:
I mean, me and tickle out here,
Back in the woods.
You know, this is part
Of history here.