Moonshiners (2011–…): Season 9, Episode 3 - Tickle's Big Run - full transcript

♪♪

On this episode
Of "Moonshiners,"

Tickle's back with a vengeance

And running his first illegal
Batch of shine

In six seasons.

Sounds like what?Sounds like money.

But returning
To the outlaw side

Opens up its own pandora's box
Of trouble.

Hell yeah.

Lookie here what I got.

-taters?
-taters.



In tennessee,
Appalachian outsider mike

Attempts to turn a sack
Of potatoes

Into top-dollar jet fuel.

That's 190-damn-2 proof.

One leak with
The high-proof alcohol,

It can blow a damn crater
In the ground.

We've got to hurry.

Get up there and rescue those
Last two barrels of mash.

And mark and digger
Race against the clock

To rescue a batch
Of heritage moonshine.

The corn, it lays
In the bottom of this.

It'll rot.

This is how
We make the moonshine!

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications



Get this ram pump
Together.

Ram pump.
Got everything we need.

We have sling check valves,
Bladder tank,

The pressure tank.

Yeah, this is all
Brand new to me.

Well, you ain't gonna get
Nowhere if you don't try.

In franklin county, virginia,

After returning
To the backwoods,

Tickle applies
His engineering know-how

To build an ultra-quiet
Water pump

To supply henry and kenny's
Still site

For the first production run
Of the season.

After all the years
That we've made liquor,

We've lost so many still sites
With using gasoline pumps.

You can hear it a quarter of
A mile away, half a mile away.

That gasoline pump, believe me,
It will give you away,

And we don't want to go to jail.

Now, I know the theory
Of how this thing works,

But about as far as my
Extent on these is gone

Is me and my buddy sitting
Around in the building

Drinking a few beers,
Watching videos on it.

If it don't work,
It's tickle's fault.

Henry, kenny and I

Started talking about
Getting the water

To the still site
And an idea hit me.

It's called a ram pump.

Now, this pump,
It won't run on gas,

It won't run on electricity.

It runs on mother nature.

Under the force of gravity,

Water flows from an elevated
Pool through a pipe

Into the ram pump.

Pressure inside the ram pump
Builds until a valve,

Called the delivery valve,
Opens, allowing the water

To flow into a second chamber.

As the volume of water
In the second chamber increases,

The airspace at the top
Of the chamber shrinks,

Raising the pressure.

Once the pressure
In that airspace

Reaches a critical point,

It forces the delivery valve
Shut

And pushes the water out
Through an exit pipe.

Got this one bucket up here
And I'll turn the valve on.

We'll test this thing.

Alright.

With no engine running,
Just a little clicking sound,

The chances
Of someone hearing it

Coming through the woods
Is very slim.

Come on, baby.

Not much water pressure.

Tickle, put your hand over it

And see if it'll open
That bifold.

Yeah.

Did you hear that?

Yes, I heard it.

Alright.

Now let off of it.

Lay off of it just see
If it'll close.

No.

Might not
Have enough pressure.

There's not enough weight here
To close that -- that valve.

So far, we do not have
This thing working.

You know what?

Pull his truck out away, you get
A little bit more head on it,

A little bit more weight
And let's try that.

It was really trying to work,
But it weren't quite getting it,

So we decided raise
The bucket up,

Get a little bit more water
Pressure against it

To see if we could
Get it running.

Here she comes.
Looking good, man.

She's ready to roll.

She's ready to roll.

She's working!

I knew
We can do it, boy.

Yes, sir.

That's how a moonshiner
Gets water.

Ingenuity.

You can carry this
To water anywhere.

Hook a hose to it
And you've got water.

This is, by far,
A moonshiner's best friend.

No gasoline engine.

It's a whole lot quieter
Than a gas motor.

We have no motor running.

We have no batteries to carry
For electric pumps.

It's a self-sufficient system.

That's right nice,
Isn't it?

Beautiful.

♪♪

I called an old buddy.
I think I may have us a spot.

Buckle up for safety.

Buckle up.

I just want to get
To making some ricker.

Ricker?
Ricker.

Seven counties
Southwest in tennessee

With no still site
And 100 gallons

Of triple-grain moonshine mash
Set to expire,

Mark and digger's plan to revive

Their mentor, popcorn sutton's,
Best recipe

Could end up in ruins.

The cows have knocked two
Of our mash barrels over.

We ain't got no choice.
We got to pull up stakes here.

Two are still upright, so,
You know, we have 50% of it,

But if we don't get
These other two run,

We're gonna lose it as well.

You let it go too far,
Turns vinegary.

It's too late.

Feel how much cooler it is
In here.

Oh, it is gorgeous
Back here.

Just on a whim, I called up
An old friend of mine.

I've asked about
Using his property.

You know, he -- he says
That we're welcome to it.

We're under a lot of pressure
Time-wise, so if it's suitable,

We're gonna get the still in,
Go salvage our mash.

Pure spring water
Right there.

Wow.

That's perfect
Right over there.

It's flat,

We got plenty enough room
To set that rascal up.

Yeah.

Well, we got a decision
To make, fuzz.

I think
It's a no-brainer.

Is this our still site?

Is a 50-pound baby fat?

It's according
To how tall he is.

We got an excellent,
Wonderful location.

If we get it
All set up today

And get our mash in here
Tonight,

We can run it tomorrow.

Yeah.
Let's make a move.

It's already pretty well level,

Not a lot of foliage
To have to clean out.

No trees to cut and it's right
Next to a good water source.

Good, sweet water.

Oh, yeah.

The gods are smiling
On us a little bit today.

They blessed us with this place.

Got to go get that mash.
It's gonna be dark.

Alright,
We're wasting daylight.

♪♪

♪♪

Damn, these rocks keep getting
Slicker and slicker.

Yeah, buddy, you'd better
Watch your damn step.

I'm telling you, these things
Will bust your rear end.

One county over,
Mike and daniel need a way

To get a steady supply of water
To their still.

Be careful climbing
Up through here.

Run into
A damn rattlesnake.

Our plan for today is to get
Our water source going.

There's tiers of waterfall
Way up above the site.

That's where I want to get
My waters from.

That way I can actually
Get our water

To gravity-feed down
To the spot.

We've got us a pool of water
Right here.

It's a good
Deep pool there.

I reckon we catch
It right there

In that little "V"
Of the rock right there.

Yeah, we can just bank it up
A little bit.

Let it flow
Through our pipe,

Keep it above the ground
And go into our barrels.

And then, by god,
It's downhill from there.

Downhill, for sure.

To build a pipe reduction
Pressure system,

Mike and jerry will set their
Dam and water reserve tanks

At an elevated position to
Harness the force of gravity.

Then they'll construct a series
Of pipes running from the pipe

At the base of the water barrels

To their still site
200 yards below.

By incrementally
Reducing the diameter

Of each pipe from 3 inches at
The head of the water system

Down to a half an inch
At the still site,

Mike and jerry will increase the
Head pressure of the water flow,

Enabling them to deliver water
Across the rugged terrain

To their mash barrels
And condenser.

Damn *bleep* people does
To make liquor.

Hard work don't bother me.

I grew up working hard, so I've
Done a little bit of everything,

Electrical, plumbing,
You know, welding.

Is it worth it, jerry?

Damn, I hope so.

We gonna start right there.

I'll pop all these pipes
Together first,

And we'll use my damn hillbilly
Flint rock

Since we ain't using
No damn glue.

Here's a caveman mallet
If you need it.

Okay, yeah, that's
A caveman mallet.

That'll work, won't it?

Yeah, yeah.

Let me pop these in.

Trying to get this pipe level
Where it'll flow into them drums

And run straight on down
To the still site.

-you're going up?
-yeah, let's go right here.

I thought
It was going in first.

You want to come
Wrap this up for me?

"X" marks the spot.

"X" marks the spot.

Lookie there,
Lookie there.

We might have to put us
A shower head

Right down there on
That second level down there.

Pull it.Take us a damn shower.

I need one already.

You know the old saying is
If you can smell yourself,

Some damn body else has been
Smellin' you for three days.

We'll keep it this pitch
All the way through.

It ain't going in the top
Of the damn barrel.

Me and jerry's up here.

We trying to pop in
Our 2-inch

To actually feed the two barrels
That were connecting together.

And the way my eyes
Are seeing it,

It looks like the pipes
Gonna fall

Towards the bottom
Of the barrel.

So, and he says, no.

What do you think?

Want to bet a steak dinner
On it?

I'll bet you a damn
Steak dinner on it.

Alright, let's do it.You got a damn bet.

It'll work.

We've got plenty
Of elevation here.

Yeah, you're holding it
Sky damn high now.

Make it so
It reaches down.

Give me a damn minute.

I want
A steak dinner, son.

We ain't cheating it now.

Even if it don't hit right,

I'll still let you buy me
A steak dinner.

Come on.
Let's tape this one in.

I buy the steak dinner,
You buy the beer.

I think you ought to buy
The steak dinner.

We got the next 5-foot
Piece of piping,

We can anchor it off
To the barrel itself.

Alright.Pretty sturdy right there.

Oh, yeah.

Anything with a third leg
Is pretty sturdy.

It's gonna fall.

Oh, look at that.Here it comes.

Well, jerry, looks like
We got her in here.

Sure did.

I'll be damned
If it didn't go right into

Where he said it goes,
So I owe him a steak dinner.

So guess what?

You get to buy the beer.

Alright, alright.

Let's get some pipe stuck
In here.

I hear you.

We got our 3-inch pipe
Tied into the two barrels.

Our next point is to go
On down the tiers

With 3-inch pipe,
And then start necking it

All the way down
To the still site.

This is our last piece.

It sure is.

When you neck down to two,
Down to one, three quarter,

And then half inch.

By the time we get
To the still site,

We should
Have good pressure.

Good.
Throw it to it.

Back in the early 1800s,

Back when people was mining
For gold and silver,

They'd start way up
On the top of a mountain,

Then neck it all the way down.

And that gives them
Enough pressure

That they could literally blow
The banks out of a mountain,

Wash all that gravel and rock
Out down to the creek bed,

So they could sieve
For their gold and silver,

Or what have you.

And we're doing pretty much
The same method.

I just hope we have enough
Pressure to get the job done.

Let's do it.

Jerry's gonna go up there
And turn the valve on

And make sure
We got plenty of pressure.

I'll take this puppy
For a test drive.

Alright, mike, you ready?

Turn it loose!

It's on its way.

Got a -- whoo, damn.

We got water already, buddy.

Alright.

Now we got this water,
We've got to get

Our still site cleaned out,
Get our mash barrels up.

Once we do that,
I'll be ready to mash in.

Got water, baby.

We could wash a car
If we wanted to.

But daniel's not able
To help me right now.

Jerry was just supposed to come
In and fill in for daniel

To help me around the site.

He's not yet committed

To actually doing
A run with me yet.

Hell yes,
We've got her done.

I'd say
Let's go cut it off now.

Get the hell out of here
And come back

And start working on this site,
What do you think?

Good plan to me.

How do you like
That *bleep* baby?

♪♪

♪♪

It sure is dark in here,
Ain't it?

Yeah, I can't see *bleep*

Back in cocke county,
After securing a new still site,

Mark and digger
Return to the one they abandoned

To retrieve what remains

Of their triple-grain mash
Before it turns bad.

We've got our plan laid.

We've got to hurry,
Get up there and rescue

Those last two barrels of mash.

We're gonna pump them
Out into barrels

In the back of the truck.

Oh, yeah.
We still got two barrels.

Must go to work.

You know, the fuse is
Burning on this bomb.

It was ready the day
Before yesterday.

And the corn that lays
In the bottom of this,

It'll rot.

We can't have that.

We've got to get it over there

And we've got to run it
Tomorrow.

God dang it.

Let's see if I can't set
The truck on fire

Right here
While we're at it.

Been a long,
Long day.

Every day of my life.

Here it comes.

Well, a good side,
Today we did find a perfect spot

For the still site.

Bad thing is, we've already
Lost two barrels of mash

Due to the cows.

Every time I cut into a damn
Big chunk of cow meat

Laying on my steak now,
I'm gonna say, "Lookie here.

Turn over some more
Of my other damn mash."

Chomp, gone.
Yeah.

Got her, boy?
I got her, boy.

Not bad though.

That's alright.

Okay.

You tell me
When you're ready.

Coming.

Here we go.

Well, you know, it has
Been a long, long day

And we're wore out.

Yeah, that's it.

Done and done.

If all goes well, if we can
Get it transported,

We will have a run
Of liquor tomorrow,

With the two remaining barrels
Of mash we have left.

If you see one of them damn cows
Standing out here, run it over.

Peaches.
Brandy season.

Tickle mashes in
A production run of shine

For the first time in six years.

It's almost
A religious experience

To get back out here
In the woods.

So the plan is now is to get
This dam up, right?

Yes, sir.

After engineering
An ultra-quiet ram pump

To supply water
To their still site,

Tickle, henry and kenny
Return to the woods

To put theory into practice,

In advance of their first
Full production run of shine.

We've built this ram pump,
We've tested it out

A little bit up the shop,
But we got to see

What it's really going
To do out here in the woods.

What we looked at before
Was right here, wasn't it?

Yeah.

In order for us to get
This ram pump

To pump the water
Up to our mash barrels,

We've got to have
A little bit more water

Than what this creek is flowing.

So what we got to do is dam
The creek up

And build us up a reservoir,

So we have enough water weight
To make this ram pump work.

Yes, sir, they are.

One more bag may do it.

This dam is definitely
Doing its job.

So the more water that we've got
Above this hose

That we've got in here,

The better that
This ram pump will work.

Hell, once get this thing
Working right,

This will pump water uphill.

Ahh.

That's a promising sound
Right there, isn't it?

We'll find out
Here shortly.

Come on, baby.

The pressure change
Or anything?

No.

What about now?
No.

Go check it, kenny,

Because there's just not
Much flow there at all.

I'm a little bit anxious,

Because if this thing
Don't work,

We have done nothing
But wasted time.

Oh, oh,
Right here it's kinked.

Oh, good.

Halfway pinched together, henry.

Alright.

That help it any?

Yes, sir.
She's coming on up now.

Ease it down right there.

Pressure jumped up.
Alright.

Our needle's starting
To move now.

I'm starting to see
This pressure gauge,

And it's steadily climbing.

Alright.

That right there is a good sign.

If all moonshiners would figure
Out how to do this,

I believe a whole lot less
Of them would get caught.

Alright, so I'm pretty
Confident this is gonna work.

Don't y'all?

-I think it'll work.
-yes, sir.

Let's rock 'n' roll.Let's get out of here.

I'm thinking a ram pump
Is gonna be a good thing.

♪♪

♪♪

Like that, don't you?

Oh, really?

I know you want to lay down
In there, go ahead.

There you go.

Don't that feel good?

There's old jerry.

One state
To the southwest, mike's goal

Of making 100 grand
This season now hinges

On finishing the site
And locking in a partner.

Whoa, damn.What are you doing?

I'm watering them
Damn hogs.

Got our fittings
We need.

Yeah.
Thank you, buddy.

Well, I've got something
To show you.

Should I be scared?I don't know, maybe.

Lookie here what I got.

Taters?
Taters.

We gonna cook out?

I'd like to,
But on the other hand,

There's this guy,
Wants a high-end vodka made.

He's got a new fiancé.

He's trying to impress her,

And she likes damn
High-end vodkas.

She wants something from out
Of the damn backwoods

That's better than
Any damn thing on the shelf.

I said,
"Yep, I'll do it."

And I give him 10 to 12 days,
I'd have it ready.

Good lord.

I know.
That's real close.

You know, I've not created
A vodka yet.

I'm nervous
About making it.

I'm nervous about
The timeframe I've given.

You do realize vodka's
Got to come off at 190 proof?

That's gonna be
Several distillations.

Yeah, a bunch.

But I've got
To make it happen.

This is a big project.

I'm not sure if we can
Pull it off,

But my plan is to make over
$100,000 this year.

And making that
High-quality alcohol

In the middle of the woods,

That's something I can fetch
A higher dollar for.

And in this point
In the season, man,

I've got to be
Making some money.

The big and damn final question
About all this *bleep* is,

I need to know if you're
Gonna be on board.

Whatever your decision is,
Is fine with me,

But I need to know.

There's kind of a bit
Of a hesitation

In the back of my mind.

I mean, there's always the law
Getting involved,

And I've got a family
To think about.

If you get caught, I mean,
You're going to jail.

There's just no questions asked.

Man...There's a lot
Of risk involved.

But hell, I'm this far
Into it with you,

Might as well
Carry it on out.

I'm committed.

I knew before
You ever said it, son.

Once a moonshiner
Always a moonshiner.

Kind of gets in your blood,
And you just can't shake it.

You know, there's always room
To make a little extra money.

Let's load these bastards up
And go get them mashed in.

We've got to get our still site
Cleaned out,

Get our mash barrels up,
Get these potatoes mashed in

And get ready
To make this liquor.

We got a short amount of time,

But working with jerry,
I'm confident

I'm gonna make
Some damn good vodka.

That sun beaming right here.

Got to keep it warm
On these cool days.

There's a ray of sun
Coming right through the trees.

It's like the gods
Were showing me

Exactly where to put
My mash barrels.

Get some water in this pot,
We'll go ahead

And get it fired up.

Let's make this vodka happen.

Alright.

-looking good.
-good.

First mash of the season,
Brother.

Man alive.

Whew.
Yahoo!

That's a sweet sound.

Kiss my butt.

Oh, hell!

The process for mashing
In potato vodka

Is just like anything else.

You want to cut up
All your potatoes,

You want to cook them down
Until they're soft,

Get all the starches
And stuff out of them.

We're gonna have to distill
This several times

To reach the proof
That we need...

-yeah.
...Of 190.

That's almost
Pure alcohol.

Yeah.
Never know, man.

I mean,
It may turn out so awful

We don't want
To never try it again.

It may turn out so good that
May be all we want to do.

You know?Yeah.

I like trying new things.Oh, I do too.

That's why I've been married
Five times.

We'll split it, the pot,
Between two barrels.

I'll just pour the rest
Over here.

Pour half of it in one,
Half of it in the other.

Then we'll add our sugar to it.

I believe it's gonna
Turn out alright.

We just got a lot of work
Ahead of us.

Yeah.

I'm gonna tell you,
It's gonna be a challenge.

But we're gonna get this
190 proof.

Come hell or damn high water,
We're gonna make vodka.

I'm gonna let you do
The damn honors.

Alright.

This is the first run
Of the year,

And you the helper
Right now.

Kind of a little bit of
An honor him letting me pitch

The first yeast of the season
And get that first run going.

Few days,
We'll be ready to roll.

Yes, sir.

Looks like
A choo-choo train

With two cannonball holes
Through the side of it.

Mark and digger's
First big run

Of popcorn's triple-grain shine

Threatens to jump the rails
And crash their season.

It's completely untested.

It could be a total disaster.

You never know until you try.

Whoa!

Fine morning for
Making liquor, ain't it?

See what we got.
Well, I know what we got.

We got the same thing
We had last night

When we put it in there.

Smelled good last night,
It's gonna smell good today.

Yeah.

Having reverse-engineered

Popcorn sutton's
Triple-grain moonshine,

Mark and digger set their sights

On producing the recipe
On a large scale

Before what's left
Of their mash spoils.

I don't know if
It's a damn mailbox

Or a choo-choo train.

Looks like
A choo-choo train

With two cannonball holes
Through the side of it.

I can guarantee you there
Ain't been one run like that

In these east
Tennessee hills.

Well, this is the day
That me and digger

Thought would never get here.

Now we've had so many obstacles
And hurdles this season.

I'm gonna get some paste
Squirshed up.

But today's the day,

We're running the popcorn
Legacy liquor,

The first upscale run.

It's a little bit crooked, but
Steam don't know it, does it?

No, it don't know
Where it's running.

Been a long time
Coming on this run.

We've been fought hard with this
Still, getting it together.

Getting mash built.

Then the cows fighting us.

It's been tormenting
To get to this point.

Here we go.

Whoa!
Dang!

Still being new, and we had some
Issues with it during its test.

We'll be making liquor
Any minute there, buddy.

We got a lot of time.

We got a lot of money
In building this still.

It's completely untested.

It could be a total disaster.

You never know until you try.

Previously
In these small runs

For the popcorn legacy liquor,
It's right on the money.

But when you upscale it,
Something can go wrong.

We've got more riding on it.

We don't have time to waste,
And we don't need no screwups.

I'll tell you
What makes me sad.

The last 10 minutes
Of lassie?

No, what makes me sad,
The fart I let a while ago,

That I actually ate something
That smelt like that.

Sure enough.
Yeah, that's mad.

It kind of
Makes me noxious.

Yeah, boy,
This is prime prime.

We've never run
A mailbox still.

We've never run this still.

If it is a fail, then we're out
Thousands of dollars

And weeks of work.

There's a lot more at stake now.

Amen.
We ain't got a leak.

We got good pressure
In that.

Tight as a banjo string,
Ain't it?

Yeah.
Hey, lookie here.

Liquor?
Liquor!

Hot damn!

Still works.

Still works.

We'll know here in a little bit
After we run

A little of them
Heads out.

Well, that's good
Right there.

We know the still's working,
But we haven't tasted it.

We're not
In safe territory yet.

Make some happy crawdads
Right now.

We're still deep in the woods.

Let's get us
A little tasty.

Yeah, scoop us a dab
On there into that jar.

You know, just because
We got liquor running out,

That doesn't mean
We've accomplished

Anything at this point.

We know that the mash bill
Is what we need it to be,

But if this liquor is no good
And it doesn't suit our taste,

Then we're back
To square one.

Hmm.

That ain't really
What I wanted to hear.

Wow,
The taste is there.

The taste is there,
Fuzz!

My god, that smells fine.

You can smell the corn,
You can smell barley,

And you can smell rye.

I couldn't be anymore excited.

The things that are hot right
Now are flavored aged whiskeys

And multi-grain whiskeys.

That's probably
115, 120 proof.

Somewhere around
In there.

This could fetch
$200 a gallon.

There ain't a thing wrong
With that.

Let's not sell
None of this.

This first run,

I think it's just
Strictly for advertising.

Yep.
It's to bait them in.

We need to create a big market

For this multi-grain
Popcorn sutton liquor,

So we're gonna give a sample
Of this liquor to friends

And customers for free,
Just for promotion.

That's where you want it.

That's fine-tasting liquor
Right there.

♪♪

♪♪

Peaches.
Brandy season!

Brandy season.

Mm-hmm.

Well, we need
To get it going,

Because the peaches
Are starting to get soft.

-let's roll.
-alright.

300 miles
To the northeast in virginia...

Alright, guys,
Let's get her done.

...Six years since
His last production

Run on the outlaw side,
Including a year in jail,

Tickle joins veteran outlaws
Henry and kenny

As they prepare this season's
First mash

Of their family's
Coveted peach brandy recipe.

Really, it makes me feel good

To get back out here
Into the woods.

You know, it's almost
A religious experience.

I mean, just talking about it
Sends every hair

On my body standing on end.

You can't buy brandy
Like this.

You go to abc stores,
They got nothing like this.

Flavored this,
Flavored that.

I'd much rather eat me a peach
Than a handful of corn.

Man, look at these bees.

-bees is all ready.
-already coming.

Let's get them beat in,
Get the sugar in them,

And get out of here.

When we look for our
Peaches, we contact the growers

When they're processing
The peaches.

If it's got a little bruise
Or something,

By the time they ship
It to where it goes,

It's then rotted out
And it's no good to them.

So we get it at a cheaper price.

Maybe $5 a bushel.

We pay $40 a box,
There's no money left.

This is how we do it.

And we're gonna do it
The old-fashioned way.

We're gonna take a 2x4,

We're gonna have to beat
These things up.

Sounds good.

Sounds like what?
Sounds like...

Sounds like money!

We always break ours
Up to a soup.

Then all this yeast can get
In there,

Work its sugars
Out of that peach,

Turn it into that alcohol.

Got that ram pump pumping?

Yeah.

Look, that's got a pretty
Decent pressure on it.

Alright, listen.
Hold up.

What do you hear?

-silence.
-I don't hear nothing.

Silence.

If there was a gas motor,
You'd be able to hear it

For a quarter
Of a mile away.

Alright, we got a couple
More barrels

To beat in and that's it.

Let's get on
With it, boys.

That'll draw that flavor
Out of them peaches.

Yes, sir, it will.

The thing about brandy
Is you go in,

You mash peaches in,
All that's legal.

You don't have your
Still equipment here yet.

Makes it very safe.

I love to see tickle with that
2x4 in his hand.

I believe
You've done it before.

Once or twice.

Seven to ten days
Is worked off.

You bring your stills in,
Set that up.

Now you're at the illegal point.

But you can do it all within
A 15-day period,

Pick up about $10,000 apiece.

It's quick money.

Uh-oh.

Thing got you,
Ain't it?

Yep.It's official, we working.

Yep.
Bleeding like a stuck hog.

Let me
Get the thermometer.

We'll check the temperature
On this.

It might be a little cool,
The temperature will pick up.

Alright, got 73 degrees.

That's perfect.

That's what we want.

We do a cold mash
In our peach brandy.

We'll get them in at about 75,
80 degrees.

Cover them up real good.

Summertime, 95, 100 degrees.

With this heat,
It'll be ready in seven days.

Man, it's just like I said, it's
A treasure trove of stuff here.

in virginia,
Henry uncovers his birthright

And opens a window

Into his family's
Rich moonshine heritage.

Oh, man, we've hit
The mother lode here.

I'm beginning to think
You're trying to kill me.

I'm beginning to think
I'm trying to kill both of us.

In sevier county, tennessee,

With months of work behind them
And not a dollar to show for it,

Mike and jerry set their sights
On sky-high proof

For a vodka recipe requiring
Multiple distillations.

Dang!
We made it!

Vodka is a stripped, clean,

Pure alcohol made
From grain or potatoes.

We're gonna temper it
Down to 80 proof for drinking,

But it's got to roll off
The worm at 190 proof,

And then that's when
It's considered vodka.

You know, I've made real
High-proof brandies,

Good corn whiskey, rye whiskey,
All types of different stuff.

But an actual, true vodka,
I have not.

Smells good.
Yeah, it does.

That's bitter.

Kind of like
An alcoholic french fry, huh?

Yeah, running moonshine,
I mean I hadn't done it

In a long time,
But it just feels so natural.

Sock it to it.
There we go.

My grandfather,
He was a still hand.

My other grandfather,
He was actually a runner,

So it's kind of like
It's heritage.

It's kind of in your blood.

We're just
About full, baby.

Fire this bad boy up.

Fire in the hole.

First fire
Of the season, baby.

Alright.
Yeah.

On the first run,
We're doing a stripping run.

We're gonna get six jars
In line,

Leaving them naked, that way
It can strip any impurities out.

All six of these jars
Serves as distillation.

In the distilleries,
They will distill

What they call
A vodka column still.

It's a big, tall column
With sight glasses.

It goes up in one, it condenses
And falls back down.

It builds up in another one
And falls back down

And it steadily up
In proof every time.

It's basically the same thing
As the jar rig,

But sometimes they'll have 12,
14 sight glasses.

So we may have to run it two
Or three different times

To try to reach our goal
Of 190 proof.

Here's a good example
Of our filtration.

See this jar here
That's cloudy out of the pot?

Then a little dingy
In the second set?

And then it's nice and clear
In the third set.

That's right.

What normally we'd do
With a gym-basket-type setup

Is we'd want to actually
Introduce flavors and stuff.

At this point, we want to use it
Backwards.

We're gonna take every bit
Of flavor we can out

And then as it tapers over
And goes into the next jar,

Then it becomes nice,
Clean, pure vodka.

She's running.

Shoot, we've got to get
That jar under there.

Where we at?

About 145.

Well, that's a start.

It ain't as high
I'd like it.

Goodbye, head.

Whoo. Tear-down liquor
Right there.

The only thing we can do,
Catch the liquor,

Pour it over and run it again.

We've got roughly 12
Or 13 gallons there

Ready to steal.

But you can't pour that back
In this big, old pot.

There's too much head space.

If I was to put 12 or 13 gallons
In the bottom of my big pot,

You can bet your sweet butt,
You're gonna blow a cap

Because it cannot work

With that kind of head
Pressure in it.

There's too much air volume
In the pot,

So we're gonna have to bring
In a separate rig

To get this created.

I hope in the next distillation,

We can get it on up there
To where we want it.

♪♪

Here's dan's house.

Place is empty.

Let's go check things out.

Seven counties
To the northeast

In franklin county, virginia,

Henry, kenny, and tickle
Are returning to the home

Of henry's
Recently deceased father,

Renowned moonshiner amos law.

If I had to do it,
I'd do it again.

Do it all over the same?
Yeah.

Amos law built one
Of the most extensive

Criminal moonshine
Syndicates in the u.S.

The notorious outlaw spent
Six combined years

In state jails
And federal penitentiaries

As he rose from still hand
To kingpin

Over his 6-decade career.

A multi-year federal
Investigation

Alleged that between
1992 and 1997,

Amos' moonshine rings produced

Nearly a half a million gallons
Of illegal shine,

Effectively depriving federal
Revenuers of $11.5 million.

A proud custodian of his
Backwoods heritage,

Amos law dutifully handed down

A lifetime's worth
Of moonshine knowledge

To his son henry before
Passing away at the age of 83.

He had told me just a few
Months back and said,

"Henry, check my house
If something happens to me."

He must've felt it coming on.

His health was getting
A little bad.

After he passed away, I got
Thinking about it more and more

And I'm almost bet you
We're gonna find something.

He kept a lot
Of stuff stashed.

Spot where he got some good
Brandy, I guarantee it.

One time they raided the house
And after they left,

Daddy was grinning.
He was laughing.

He said, "You know what?

If he would only open
This closet door."

And they found the old hand
Still, would they?

Yes, it will.

Dad had these hidden spots in
His closet there at the house.

When you go in, you reach up
Above the closet door

And there'd be
A half a gallon of liquor.

You can tell who made that.

Yeah.

You knew exactly
Who made that.

Dad, that's all he ever did
Was moonshine.

He loved it.

You know the number-one thing
About finding a jar

Of good liquor.

Sample it.

Yeah, you've got to make sure.

He never went to any ball games.

He never took us hunting,
Never took us fishing

And he was tough on us,

But he was too busy
Trying to make a dollar

To feed his three kids.

Oh, man.

Is that right?

Oh, lord.

I can
Already smell it.

Smooth as it can be.

I tell you what,
It's just something about me.

I just don't got it in me
To find a jar of brandy

And not take a sip of it.

Hold it.
Peach fuzz again.

At one point, we were producing

13,000 to 14,000 gallons
A month.

He was selling every bit of it.

So there's no telling
What we may find today.

It could be a stack of money,
Jewelry.

It could be anything.
He didn't believe in banks.

He didn't trust banks
And he made a pile of money,

So I don't know
What we might find.

"Will and testament for..."

That was mom's will.

"I do not leave
Henry anything at all."

He has so much paperwork,
Some wills,

Some educational stuff
While daddy was in prison.

It's just like it says,
A treasure of stuff here.

Yeah, I can see that.

Pictures...

But the main reason we
Came out to dad's house

Because I finally tracked down
A combination to that safe.

We've got a safe here.

We found it in the back,
Brought it in here,

But I don't know
What's in it.

-let's see.
-I hope we find something good.

I can't wait to find out
Exactly what's in it.

41, to the right 5

And to the left 44.

Locked up tight.

You got to jiggle it.

I'm trying to get
This thing open.

It's not quite working.

I just don't know if this
Is the combination or not.

There.

Never underestimate
A criminal.

Oh, man,
Here we go.

♪♪

I guess the old man
Is still here.

It don't look like
He's left the premises.

How are you,
You old fart?

We've got something
To tell you, old buddy.

We're asking for
Your blessing for us

To make some of your liquor
The way you made it.

And the way
You taught us.

That's what
We're here for.

We don't want no flack
From you.

We hope
You're on board with it,

But if you ain't, too bad.

We've already did it.

So we love you.
We'll be back to see you.

You don't reach out to us,
We'll come and see you.

Not too soon, we hope.

That probably fell
On dead ears.

Literally.

Long way to go and a short time
To get there.

In tennessee,

Mike and jerry are packing
In a smaller still

For the second distillation
Of their vodka,

Which technically needs to come
Off the warm at 190 proof

Before being tempered down
With mountain spring water

To a more
Drinkable strength.

We've got 12 to 13 gallons
Off of our first run

And we bring in old trusty.

It's a 10-gallon pot, so we can
Pour 10 gallons in this pot.

We've got a few gallons
Left over.

So we come up with the idea
To put a little bit of all that

In each jar to help up the proof
As it moves along the line.

I don't know if we'll get it
On this damn run or not.

Here we are on
The second distillation

And I'm hoping for that 190.

There we go, buddy.

Look at that
Little stream.

What you got?

Looks like about 169.
*bleep*

We're getting closer.

We ended up here on the second
Run at 169 proof.

Damn, that's a full one,
Ain't it?

We're hoping we'll have to run
It one more time

To reach our goal of 190 proof.

Pour the liquor over, fire it up

And see what proof
We can get this time.

Lit it to it.

It's probably hot enough.

That'll do it.

We got to have
All eyes on deck

Because one leak
With the high-proof alcohol,

It could blow a damn crater
In the ground

If this stuff was to ignite.

I love to watch
Them damn jars sweat.

I like it, too.

That creates pare-down
"Alkihol."

Old grandpa used to say
Alkirub.

Alkirub?
Alkirub.

I told you it's gonna be
A damn all day a fire,

Didn't I?
You wasn't lying.

Jerry's been here from pretty
Much to start with me.

You've been right here
Every damn step of the way,

And I appreciate the hell
Out of it, brother.

Literally,
Every step of the way.

Every step
Of the damn way.

That dude has put in more effort
Than I can expect that

To anybody to come in here
And help me.

Lookie here.
There she is.

There it goes.
Ooh, boy.

Don't waste a drop of this.

Hell no, you don't want
To waste a drop of it.

With the methanol
Removed during the first run,

There's no need to throw away
The heads on subsequent runs.

I am hoping and praying
I hit 190 proof.

I am tired.
I'm ready to go home.

We're gonna be close
To the damn mark, baby.

Let me see.
Holy *bleep*

That's every bit of 190.

That's 190-damn-2
Proof.

Are you kidding me?
Whoo.

Son of a bitch!

Three runs done it.

I can't believe myself.

We have actually made vodka
In the backwoods.

♪♪

That *bleep* get to be
Tampered way down, baby.

Whoo!

That'll burn the damn hair
Off your tongue.

Son of a bitch.

How much hair you got
On your tongue?

Just a few.

This is the highest damn proof
Of liquor

I've ever made in my life.

You get that
Tampered down, son,

That's gonna be like
Drinking water.

But so time-consuming
That I feel like

It's not even worth
The trouble to do it.

I've got to do everything
In my power to make my goal

And I can't see spinning
My wheels

Trying to create vodka
In three or four runs.

Mike and jerry

Will have eight gallons
Of backwoods vodka

That will net them $1,200.

But with the season goal
Of 100 grand,

They'll need a whole new
Strategy to ramp up volume.

That's what
We're looking for.

Exactly what
We're looking for.

♪♪

Oh, man, we've hit
The mother lode here.

Look at the wallet.

That's cool.

Oh, that's real cool.

Driver's license.

It worked.
We got it open.

I see some nice-looking stuff.

Yes, sir.

I see some paperwork, affidavit
Stuff where daddy was in prison.

What's this?Looks like a letter.

"Dear christine."
He's writing a letter.

In prison, he learned
To write a little bit.

This is really the only letter
I've ever seen him write

And he wrote it to mom.

"It looks like a storm
Is coming in.

I should be at the camp
In the next couple of weeks."

They had them
In behind the walls.

-mm-hmm.
-rough section.

"I hope
I get to see you soon.

I miss you a lot.
I'll talk to you later."

Man, that's cool.

"I love you, amos."

Whew. Oh, man.

It's almost a tear jerker.

That's stuff
That we'll hang on to forever.

That's 100% true letter
Right there.

Y'all have been locked up
Just like I have.

Those little things
Like that.

That's what means so much
When you're in there.

-a world of difference.
-yes, it does.

To get something
Like this is...

That's unreal.

Those letters,
While you're in jail,

They're your only contact
With the outside.

That's your one last little bit
Of freedom

That they can't take from you.

Oh, yeah.
Here we'll go, grandpa.

I remember seeing this bag.
That's grandpa's.

Oh, yeah, that's...

Boy, that is an old one
Right there.

My grandfather, he had this old
Gun and he gave it to my dad.

Smith and wesson,
Mid-1800s.

Hold on,
What's this?

That's all the connections,
His shine connections.

He's got them
Alphabetized, too.

Every one of them pages he's
Flipping right there is money.

New jersey,
Philadelphia, chicago,

His customer list --
A very important paper there.

I'm really lucky to have that.

I'm ready for another sip
Of brandy.

It was such a rush
Finding all this stuff.

It brings back a lot
Of good memories.

He did good.
-he did good.

You can learn a whole lot
About a person

By looking
At their old possessions.

Looking at amos' possessions,
Family meant a lot to him,

And moonshine meant
A lot to him.

We've already found

A pretty good stash
In dad's house,

But he kept stuff in different
Buildings around his property.

He got a whole lot of buildings
Round here.

He had to
For what we kept hid.

You never know what
You're gonna find,

So that's where
We're headed next.

♪♪

Let's see here.

He's mighty good
About hiding stuff.

You've got to watch 'cause
He's real bad about

Pulling boards back...

Over top of the door.

Going into these buildings,

I'm not sure
What we're looking for

Or where we even need
To be looking for it at.

But I do know this,
Henry's daddy told him

To look
Through these buildings.

And so therefore it's got
To be something in there.

I don't see nothing
Back here.

Just pictures and stuff.

Look at this trophy.
Lowell's construction.

Lowell's construction...Softball team.

And the funny part,

There was no such thing
As lowell's construction.

Financed with moonshine.

Financed
With moonshine.

My father, he was such a huge
Influence in this whole county.

Just was amazing, he couldn't
Hardly read and write his name,

But he ran one of
The biggest organizations

In the east coast
From making liquor.

He made a pile of money
And he didn't believe in banks.

There's no telling
What we may find today.

It could be a stack of money,

It could be a stack of liquor,
Jewelry, could be anything.

But I know he's definitely
Got something.

I'm sure he does.

I'd always heard that he had,
Like, a box of money stashed,

You know, cash.

Somebody said it was a lot.

I see a treasure chest,

That's a big chest
Sitting in there.

No.

I see some recipe books,
Different magazines.

I don't see nothing
In here though.

We went through
This next building

And really didn't look
Like nothing.

It was just basically some junk
Here and some junk there.

You got
A loose floorboard?

-wait a second, man.
-oh, yeah.

Oh, my goodness,
Look at the bead on that.

And voilà, man,
There it was.

There's a bunch
Of it in here.

That's liquid gold
Right there.

And I'll be dogged

If there ain't 4 1/2 gallons
Of liquor under it.

Damn
If that ain't smooth.

Puts fuzz on your tongue,
Won't it?

It's worth a small fortune
Right here.

Amos law, he was a legend
Around here,

So any liquor
That's got his name on it,

This is very valuable stuff
In these parts.

What do you reckon
This is worth?

With his name and all,
Since he passed away...

Good couple
Thousand dollars.

This right here could be
The jump-off

We need to get the stills
And everything going.

Maybe this is a little
Message from dad.

Yeah,
A little kick in the ass.

Get on with this, and here's
The money to do it with.

I'm getting
Those goose bumps.

Actually I got
A little emotional.

I hadn't gotten emotional
Since he passed away.

It's the first time
Since he passed away.

I was wondering when it was
Gonna come

Because I've been holding back.

Moonshiners, we don't cry.

You can't beat tears out of us.

But it hit me today and I really
Felt like he was trying to say,

"Okay, henry, it's brandy
Season, son, here it is.

Now what you gonna do with it?"

Maybe we'll have
Some more luck

Up in this one here.

I can already see
Some good stuff there.

We've got propane burners.

Look right here.

Oh, captain,
Here's a little sub.

I'll be damned.

We move into the next
Building and what do we find?

Old still parts.

This right here
Is the connection

To the past is what it is.

Really to a moonshiner,
You can't put a price on it.

Henry, look yonder,
Look what you're stepping on.

That's copper.

What's that two or three sheets
Down there?

There's the top
For our still.

He had you set up
For a whole nother run.

That'll save us
A couple hundred dollars.

Probably $250
To $300 a sheet.

It was unbelievable to think

That copper
Would be laying there.

Like I say, it's brandy season.

We've got to build a still.

We got mash working
And it's almost ready to run.

My dad, he's definitely
Sending me a message.

He's passed away months ago
And what do I find?

Everything that we need.

The old man is taking care
Of you, ain't he?

Yes, sir.

Unbelievable.

♪♪

♪♪

That's for sure.

Nine counties southwest,

Mountain men mark and huck

Are on the final leg
Of their quest

For double-proof
And double-profit whiskey.

For their first big run
Of the season,

Mark and huck produced
40 gallons of first-run,

100-proof corn liquor,

Which they'll now distill
A second and final time.

Oh, yeah,
It was real good.

What?

Come on, mark, that's a lot
Of money we're losing.

♪♪

♪♪

There we go.

It's a little heavy,
Isn't it?

It's gonna be fun
Walking up them stairs with it.

In sevier county, tennessee,

In the quest to edge
Out their competition,

Appalachian outsider mike
And his partner jerry

Are working on a multistage
Distillation process

Designed to make
Smoother liquor.

I've got a big idea,
I want to add on to this still.

If it works, we're gonna make
The purest,

Most high quality,
Cleanest alcohol

Anybody's ever made
In the woods.

Mike's been running
His shine on a 6-jar rig

To produce a smoother product.

Each successive jar acts
As a mini thump keg,

Progressively increasing proof
While washing away impurities.

My thoughts was, is
I want to add way more jars

Than I had last year.

How many jars
You got in your mind?

I'm thinking
At least 24 jars.

Holy cow.

The more you got,
The higher proof liquor

You're gonna have and
The cleaner it's gonna be.

The bigger I go
With the jar system,

The better tasting
Your liquor will be,

The cleaner it will be
In the end result.

Alright.
Let's start working.

Did I show you my new cutters
I got?

What in the hell is that?

Check this out.

I don't know if that's
Working smarter

Or just damn plumb lazy.

There's a lot of components
To get together with this thing.

I mean, there's jars,
There's lids,

There's rings, there's seals,

There's the tubing
Going up to the rack.

Well, I'll start
On the longest -- 21 inches.

That's just too damn easy.

I'm liking it, son.

We've got two different size
Pipes we've got to cut.

We got to cut a thump pipe
For our jar.

We've got to cut a vapor pipe
For our jar.

The thump pipe goes all the way
To the bottom,

Just like you would
In a regular thump keg.

And your vape pipe just goes
Just under the lid.

That way it can transfer,
Condense, steam again,

And travel through
And come to the next jar.

24, that's it.

We've got all
Of our pipes cut.

Jerry's over there, he's
Drilling all the holes for lids,

24 of them.

We're gonna take the lid
And we're gonna discard it.

We're gonna keep the band.

We're gonna replace that

Because we can't solder
To a tin lid.

So we're gonna replace that
With a piece of copper.

You can't get no better
Than that.

My grandfather always told me,
He said,

"Son, you don't know
How sweet

That apple is out there
On the end of the limb

Unless you try to reach
Out there and get it."

And that's what I'm doing here
In this operation,

Taking the chance
To step out on that limb,

To reach out there
And get that apple.

This is awesome, son.

This is gonna be unlike
Anything

Anybody's ever done
In the backwoods.

So you can just imagine, though,
That vapor coming out

Of the pot,
Through the arm, up the cull.

Each one of these jars,
Just in and out,

Distilling every time.

By the time we get this thing
Hung up, get a few little lights

Around it,
It's gonna be amazing.

Loving it *bleep* son.

This is just the beginning.

Now we've got to get it
To the woods.

We need to build
A structure.

I'm ready to get this
Damn thing hung up.

My intentions
Was bringing you back,

But I had to keep on
With my business.

A shiner's $100,000
Season teeters on the brink...

While I believe
It's a loyalty issue,

You know,
That's been breached.

...When a jilted partner
Comes looking for answers.

I'm not gonna fuss
About it no more.

I'm gonna finish
This season out.

Too bad, daniel.

That looks beautiful.

Nestled in the foothills

Of the blue ridge mountains,

While their peach
Brandy mash works off,

Tickle, henry, and kenny use
The materials left by amos law

To build their new still.

We'll use stainless steel
On the bottom.

And we're gonna do something
A little different,

We're gonna put
That copper on top.

It's gonna be
A beautiful still.

We just go with that submarine
Type stills, so much better.

The black pot
Submarine still has its origins

In the blue ridge
Mountains of virginia

And is designed to produce
Large quantities

Of moonshine
Quickly and efficiently.

Easily constructed out of
Wood panels and sheet metal,

It can hold up
To 800 gallons of mash

And costs only a fraction
Of the price

Of a smaller copper pot still.

This thing's
Gonna be pretty.

The submarine pot
That we're building,

It's kind of a special one.

Now the copper,
It helps lurch sulfides

And stuff out of your moonshine.

Copper is also a soft metal.

If we were to put it
On the bottom,

It would then be holding a lot
Of weight, which wouldn't work.

We put the stainless
On the bottom,

Which is a very hard,
Very durable metal,

And you can actually
Leave your solids,

Your grains and stuff inside
Of it and cook with it.

In my opinion, it makes
A better-quality liquor.

Here, tickle, I know
You've seen a million caps,

But this baby here,

It's been handed down
Several generations.

It's been cut so many times,
We think it brings us luck.

I can see that's made
A whole lot of liquor.

It's a beautiful cap
That I've got.

It's been cut up so many times
By atf, abc.

The law would cut them and
Chop them right into the ground.

It was almost nothing left.

It's almost like
Christening a boat.

There we go, baby.

This cap was saved,

Handed down from family
To family, until we got it.

And I just pray to god
I don't lose it.

-that is beautiful.
-ain't it beautiful?

Almost don't need to
Paste that thing up, do ya?

This pot we built right here,
I ain't gonna lie to you,

That thing might as well
Have a miniskirt on.

It's that pretty to me.

This thing look like she ready
To run some liquor.

Let's rock 'n' roll, man.

I'm telling you, I just can't
Keep my eyes off of it.

♪♪

Come on, mark.

That's a lot of money
We're losing right there.

Nine counties southwest

In the great smokies,

Mark and huck race
To fix a leaking still

That's draining away profits.

Looks good.

-we good?
-yeah.

No,
They won't pay it, no.

People that drink it all time
Will pay it, but...

We're running, mark.

It is?
Yeah, it's running.

Boy, that's something,
Ain't it?

It is.

That's high-proof liquor, too,
Right there now.

It's high proof, ain't it?

That's around 170 proof,
Probably.

Yep.

Yeah.

We're gonna proof it down.

It adds a little more time
To all of our process

And we'll have even more liquor
And even make it smoother.

♪♪

♪♪

We got a wrench up here?

The only wrench I got
Is behind my zipper

And you don't want
To use that one.

Just across state lines

In sevier county, tennessee,

Mike and jerry set out
To tame the wilderness

And build a shelter
For their new site.

We've got to get in here today
And start a shelter.

We've got 24 jars we got
To hook up to this rig,

So it's kind of gonna
Hang like a chandelier.

To safely support
Their massive jar rig

And protect it
From the elements,

Mike and jerry will hang it
From the timber roof structure

They're building
Over their still site.

And we're gonna use
This dead, fallen tree

Laying up here on the bank.

Get a chain file,
We'll get started.

I knew we was gonna have
Some trouble with these logs

And stuff, getting them
So high up the trees

And getting them lagged off,
So I brought a chain file in.

And it's just
A 1-ton chain file,

But that will pick up
A ton of weight.

It's slow going, but you're not
Working yourself slim to death.

A chain file is
A difficult process.

We're working with pipes,
We're working with heavy trees.

You're trying to balance
Yourself on the ladder,

Trying to hold all this.

You know, it's tough.

I mean, it's a tough job.

Man, this big enough
To live under.

Ain't it?
It damn sure is.

Now we've got to try
To find stuff to cut.

We've got a 25-foot span
Here we're talking about.

So we've got to have 25 foot
Of log to make our beams with.

Carrying a damn 25-foot long,

I don't care if it's 2 inches
In diameter

Or 6 inches in diameter,
It's no easy task.

This rig that jerry and myself
Built is so massive.

Most people wouldn't
Even attempt to do what me

And jerry is trying
To do here this season,

But we've got to get
This stuff done.

We've got to get
The structure built.

We've got to get
To making some liquor.

I made a goal,
I intend to fulfill it.

I wonder if we can go
5 foot apart on these posts.

Yeah, start with this one
Against the tree.

Tape measure?

We don't need it,
We can eyeball 5 foot.

Cut us a stick
Or something

About your height.

About my damn height?

Yeah.

About chin heighth
Or something.

You feeling cute today,
Ain't you?

I feel cute every day.

I might put my foot
Up your ass.

I really like working
With jerry.

He don't whine and cry
About a lot of stuff.

You know, he comes up here
And he works hard

And there's no quit in him.

Now we got all these rafters up,

There's light at the end
Of the damn tunnel.

And it's gonna be so worth
It to have a site like this

Where I won't never
Want to leave it.

It's a dream come true
To me and jerry.

It's looking good,
Buddy!

What do you think,
Jerry?

I think my battery
Is about dry.

We gotta get
This still set up.

That's right.
It's money time.

You know, this is my first big
Run since I've been locked up.

It's a scary feeling
Because I know

I can get myself
In real trouble.

Fire in the hole.

In north carolina,
Looking to cash in

On their
Double distilled liquor,

Mark and huck
Turn to a season bootlegger.

Just give him
A few minutes.

Here he comes.

That's him.

-howdy, howdy.
-how you doing?

Well, we do too.
Try it and see what you think.

Yup.

There's a lot of work
In this right here now.

♪♪

Yup. About as smooth
As you can get.

Yeah, you ain't gonna get

No better than that
Right there.

It's about 140 proof.

It don't taste like 140,
Though, does it?

We're gonna have
To have $200 a gallon.

Yeah. Yep.

If pop can't sell our liquor
For us,

All I know is we just
Wasted a lot of time.

I don't know where we go
To sell it.

But you might look around
And talk to people

And you might
Round us up a buyer.

Well, put the word out,
Best liquor around.

We'll see what
We can do with it.

Let him have that jar,
Huck.

Just to...
-here you go.

Just to soak on.

Okay, we appreciate it.

Okay, thank you.

I don't know.

Well. Well.

May have cut
Our own throat.

♪♪

♪♪

Looking good.
Looking good.

Straight on
Back that way.

Yup.
Alright.

One state to the north
In franklin county, virginia,

After six long years
Of waiting on the sidelines,

Tickle puts flame to pot

On his first big batch
Of outlaw moonshine.

Oh, yeah!

It has done thinned on out.

-it's strong.
-mm-hmm.

It's ready to go.
You know what that means.

We gotta get
This still set up.

This is my first run
Since I've been locked up.

It's a scary feeling
Because I know

I can get myself
In real trouble.

But out here in the woods
Getting this still site ready,

There ain't no place
On this earth I'd rather be.

All we gotta do now
Is get that branch wormed in.

See what we got.

This case here we are right
On the creek.

And so we are gonna try
Something different.

We are gonna put
In a branch worm to cool

And condense our brandy.

Let the worm stick through just
Enough so we can get a bucket

On the other side
Over here to catch it.

A branch worm is basically
Your condenser

Is in the creek
Running up and down it

And you're using the flow
Of the creek to cool your liquor

Instead of having to pump water
Up into your worm box.

It requires no motor,
No pump, no anything.

It's got a slope on it.

Think it might be up
Too high.

Right here.Go down with this one.

Got to go down with that one.

You know, this branch worm,
It's a pretty tricky deal.

It's gotta be angled at just
The right angle

So your liquor doesn't run out
Of it too fast.

That way you know
It cools properly.

That looks good.

The length, the fog,
And the amount of water

That's on top
Of this branch worm,

There's a lot of factors
That go into it

To getting this exactly right.

I'm just gonna put
A little test just see

If it's running that way
Or running back uphill.

We'll find out.

There she come.

There she come.

She's coming out perfect.

It's not coming out
Too fast.

It's balanced just perfect

For the brandy
To come out of the tube.

So now we got to put it together
And tighten it all up.

It looks good, real good.

The liquor comes right down
Through here

And we'll catch it
Right here.

Hopefully, that's going
To do the job for us.

There you go, henry.

Oh, man,
This is it, guys.

First one
With working with us.

First one since dad passed away.

Kind of a milestone
Right here, ain't it?

It is a milestone.

It's time to get
Some smoke rolling.

Henry and kenny let me
Do the honors

Of lighting this still
For the first time.

It's the very first fire
Ever put under it.

It really feels like they're
Bringing me into their family

And let me know, "Alright,
Look, you belong right here."

Alright.
Fire in the hole.

I'll tell you what,

It feels good to be back
In the woods again.

We're glad to have you
With us, man.

That's right.

♪♪

♪♪

-good?
-good.

Woo-hoo!

Damn, I like to fell
Down that damn...

-you alright?
-yeah.

Across state lines

In the smoky mountains
Of tennessee,

Once the roof is on and
The distillation rig is hung,

The endless weeks
Of backbreaking labor

Will finally be complete.

First piece going down.

Me and jerry have been
Through hell and high water

Getting all this material
Up this mountain.

You know, with the staircase
And getting the water piped in.

At this point, we got our
Structure pretty much built.

We just gotta finish
Laying our tin,

Getting our still set up and
Start making some good liquor.

My plan is to make
Over $100,000 this year.

I'm planning to make a hell of a
Lot more liquor than I ever did.

So I've got to get this done.

This is looking doggone
Pretty good.

Hell yeah.
I'm done with it.

Me and mike's just got the last
Piece of tin up

And, man, it's looking fabulous.

We got plenty of coverage
To get in there.

We are not gonna have
To worry about rain

Blowing in there on us.

We got plenty of room to move
Around, store stuff,

And it's gonna be fantastic.

Now, our biggest thing is
To get this all hooked up.

We got to suspend this jar
Rig from the roof.

We're gonna call it
Our liquor linings.

It's a 24-jar rig.

We're gonna run
The best brandies

And create
Some damn good vodka.

There's last year's rig.

That's a long way
From last year, ain't it?

Huge.

We were tickled to death
With that one.

You know what?
It makes such good brandy.

So why not
Go bigger than that?

That's what
I'm reaching for.

The best of all
Appalachian alcohol

Is gonna be made right here
Under this shelter.

Now let's pick it up.

Let me try
Something real quick.

Whoo.

You won't be able to do
That again in a thousand years.

I bet I can't do it.
I throw a lot of rope, too.

You use to rodeo,
Didn't you?

Yeah.

I made it. Damn it.

We gotta lift
This thing up now.

Alright.
Extremely careful.

Ready?Ready.

Easy.
One more time.

Go.

Hold.
That looks good.

Let down
On your end, son.

Ease up on your end.

I got to be where I can
Get to this jars.

I'll build you a stool.

Ain't gonna happen.

We got to walk
Under them though.

We don't have to worry
About bumping

Into these things
All the time.

Jerry, a partner, you
Know, and a good partner,

But I'm the boss man
Out here.

Jerry is here to help me.

What if one starts to leak
And you gonna try to get

On a damn ladder
To undo our jars?

Yeah.Let's meet in the middle.

How about that?

Meet in the middle?
Okay.

Alright.

Hold.

What me and jerry's got here
Basically looks like

A side slab
In the middle of the woods.

But this is all about
Making money and now

That we got this structure
Built, we can run our liquor

Day in and day out come rain,
Hail, snow, sleet or shine.

We got a little a bit
More work to do,

But we're so close
And I'm really excited.

I'm feeling really
Good about this today.

Looks good.

We're getting ready
To make some good gin.

Good to see it working.

-hoo!
-mike, listen.

There's somebody,
Like, hooting

Like a big old owl
Or something.

Are you hearing...

No.

-hoot!
-I hear it now.

Hey, you stay here.
You stay right here.

I'm gonna ease down
The creek.

That's the last damn thing
We need.

Somebody come
Peeking on us.

That ain't good.

Whoo!

Whoo!

♪♪

♪♪

Hoo!

Mike, listen.

There's somebody,
Like, hooting,

Like a big old owl
Or something.

-hoo!
-I hear it. I hear it now.

In the foot hills
Of the smokies,

As mike and jerry
Near completion

On their still site,

An unfamiliar sound
Brings work to a halt.

Hey, you stay here.
You stay right here.

I'm gonna go ease down
The creek.

That's the last damn thing
We need.

Somebody come
Peeking on us.

That ain't good.

Whoo!

Whoo!

Hey, mike, you up here?

Hey!

Danny?

Last time I recall,

You was hanging upside down
Like a bat.

Yeah.

I see you made a lot
Of progress.

How's your head
Hanging, son?

Alright.
It's alright.

Jerry helped you build this
Out here?

Yeah.
We got a lot done.

So what's on your mind?

What I'm here about
Is to know

Why that I ain't working
For one thing.

And then I'm being told that
You're telling people

That I wasn't
Really even hurt.

I mean, I hadn't really
Went around

Telling everybody nothing.

I've been told that by three
Or four different people.

I did hear that you was doing
Some kind of manual labor

When you could've been
In here with me.

And I'm putting out money
To get us

To where we was going,
Me and you.

As far as you coming back
To work with me or whatever,

I had to bring somebody in here
To help me finish this.

I mean, I've got money
To make, too.

It would've been
Real damn nice, though,

If we could have held off
Until I was able to work

Because hell,
I got hurt right here.

I'm stuck between a damn
Rock and a hard place here.

I'm sorry that daniel got hurt,

But I cannot stop production
To reach my season goal.

Come hell or high water,
You know,

I've gotta keep
That strategy going.

All it boils down to,

It could've very well been me
That got hurt.

I'd say, "Son, go on,

Make your money
The best way you can.

I just can't -- I'm not
Able to do it right now."

About two and half weeks

Of going to the chiropractor
Every day,

He finally got my back set
Back in

Where it popped out
On me.

Glad
You're doing better.

I mean, I still got a little bit
Of pinch back there

Once in a while,
But I believe I'll make it.

I can live with this, but when
We were moving these logs,

In the head,
I couldn't...

I couldn't live with it.

I understand that
Completely, daniel.

I do, buddy,
I really do.

And I don't want no hard
Feelings between me and you

By no means
Or anything like that.

I just...
You know...

I had to keep pressing
On, period.

We had a miscommunication,

Where we ain't talk
To each other,

But, you know, jerry,
He's been in here helping me.

Doing all this and I mean,
At this point,

I just can't knock him
Out of the saddle, too.

Yeah.
You know.

Or anything like that.

I've got a big goal
Set for this year

And I am sure, you know,
You do, too.

You can't help getting hurt
And I understand that, buddy.

But, you know,
You will always be

A brother of mine, buddy.

Well, I believe it's
A loyalty issue, you know.

It's been breached.

When all the *bleep* went on
With mark and digger,

I could've said,
"Piss on it, man.

I don't want nothing
To do with it."

But I didn't, man.
I stuck with you through it all.

And I sacrificed
A *bleep* load of my money

To pay them back.

It seems to me like

You just dump me off
And take somebody else.

I was loyal to him
When he was down and out.

Now I'm down and out.

And the shoe is on
The other foot.

My intentions was
Bringing you back.

But time
Kept rolling on, man.

I had to keep on keeping on
With my business.

If it would've been me,
I wouldn't have called nobody,

Wouldn't made no calls.

I would've waited on my partner.

I'm not gonna fuss
About it no more.

I'm gonna finish
This season out.

We just got to do it
That way and we'll see.

You know what, mike?

This still site,
It wasn't just your business.

So what are you doing?

You threatening me now
With the still site?

♪♪

♪♪

It's getting hot on us
And it shouldn't be

Too much longer
That we're running.

In franklin county,
Virginia, the pot is hot

And with the first
Drops of liquor from the worm,

Tickle's return to the world
Of illegal moonshine

Will be complete.

Pasting up all these joints
On there.

If we don't paste
These joints up,

We'll start losing liquor
In every one of them.

You know, being here with
Henry and kenny, I'm loving it.

It feels like it's getting me
A lot closer to who I am.

It's a good feeling
To making a moonshine

Back in the woods again.

This is what I was born
And bred to do.

Our baby is coming.

We got liquor coming.

I'll be damned if it ain't.

It's coming.It sure is.

Ain't that pretty?

Looks like money to me.

Get rid of this head.

Yeah, get that on
Out of here.

Get down
To the good stuff.

Hold on.

We got a problem.

What's the matter?It's too damn warm.

That's warmer than I like
To have it.

This liquor coming out
Of this branch worm

Right now, it's not right.

It's coming off of it too hot.

You can't run it hot.

-damn.
-how's the branch worm?

Actually
It's getting hot.

It's starting to actually boil
A little bit of this water

Where it's close
To the surface.

It's too warm.
It's just not gonna work.

Because the more it runs,
The hotter it's gonna get.

Can't believe it.

What do you reckon we gonna
Have to do?

I don't know.

♪♪

Lookie here.

Outdoor glider, rocker,
Chair and table,

$99 for all 4 pieces.

Twin-size
Hollywood bed -- $59.

This is brand new.

5-piece decorator
Dinette -- $98.

Men's dress shirt --
$1.99.

-what year is it?
-let's see what we got here.

June 17, 1979.

I was in
The federal penitentiary

Doing a 5-year bit.

You know what I was doing?

I was crapping myself,
I was about 3.

Double proof for double profit

Could be mark and huck's
Equation for success.

All hard work and no play
Have made mike and jerry

Two dull boys with 8 gallons.

And a few bad drops are
All tickle and the laws

Have laid down on the long
Journey to 1,500 gallons.

Don't fall.

Damn.

In the backwoods
Of north carolina,

Mark and huck
Wait on their bootlegger pop

For feedback on whether
Their double-proof shine

Is worth the hefty $200
Per gallon asking price.

Dang.

Dang!

♪♪

♪♪

We got 10 gallons
Is what we got.

It's the same stuff
You tried.

Yeah.
We got 10 gallons there.

That's the double twisted stuff.

-see it right there.
-try it out.

-yes.
-stick your finger in there.

Same stuff now,
Ain't it?

It's about 140.

You got $2,000,
It's yours.

He had the money under his hat.

Little strange acting to me,
You know,

But as long as he got
The money, it's fine with me.

Gonna get it?
-yeah, I'll get it.

We appreciate the business.

-appreciate it.
-yeah.

$2,000, that's pretty good,
Ain't it?

Hey, boy.

Yeah.

♪♪

Hold on,
We got a problem.

It's too damn warm.

That's warmer than I like
To have it.

How's the branch worm?

Actually it's getting hot.

It's starting to actually boil
A little bit of this water

Where it's close
To the surface.

11 counties northeast
In franklin county, virginia,

An unconventional condenser
Design threatens

Tickle's first big illegal
Run in years.

This liquor coming out
Of this branch worm

Right now, it's not right.

It's coming off of it too hot.

I'm starting to see water boil
Off of this worm right here.

This branch worm is not doing
What it's supposed to do.

What its job is to do
Is to cool this liquor,

To turn this alcohol
That it is in steam form

Back into a liquid form.

It's getting hotter, man.

Damn.

Warm shine indicates
That the vaporized liquor

Traveling through the still
Is not fully condensing,

Resulting in lost liquor
And profits.

What do you reckon
We gonna have to do?

If we turn it off now,

And maybe extend
The worm itself

Another 5 feet,
Dam it up

A little more right here,
Give more cold water,

A little bit higher
Over the branch worm,

It won't take long,
And it won't affect it.

This right here,
There's a lot riding on this.

It does get scary.

Nobody's in a position to be
Able to lose mash, lose a run.

Alright.
Let's get her done.

We decided to extend it,
That way it takes

A little bit longer
To run through this branch worm

And that's gonna give us
Extra cooling time.

The more footage that you got,

The cooler your liquor
Is gonna be.

That cold water
From that spring is gonna

Cool it more and more and more,
Every foot that it goes.

Alright, you want
To lock her in?

Yep.

We in business, boys.

Now we need
To get the sandbags.

We're also going to put a few
More sandbags in,

Raise our water level up,

Get a little more cool water
On top of this worm.

Get the water up
A little bit more.

Alright.

Look like it's good.

We'll find out as soon as
We have that liquor coming over.

There's something about
When you get a couple

Of good, experienced moonshiners
Together

That really know
What they're doing,

You almost can't stop them.

It's almost an unstoppable team.

-come on, baby.
-it won't be long.

-here she comes.
-hey, look here.

This is water there.

It's flushing it out.

I bet that's liquor right
Behind it pushing it out.

That's what we want.

Now we're getting
Into the liquor.

Yeah.
Yeah.

Oh, my goodness,
It is ice cold.

Yes.

Ice cold. We did it.

Tell you what, I'm feeling
Pretty good right now.

We had one or two hiccups,
But you know what?

We didn't let that stop us.

Looks perfect to me.

What's she taste like?

Oh, my god.

Like's
Mama's peach cobbler.

Ahh.

You know it's good
When you swish it around

In your mouth a little bit.

Get about 15 gallons out?

Yeah, we should run about 18,
But trouble with the worm.

Right.That cost you some.

We got our
First still for a run now.

I was looking for 18.

But 15 gallons,
I'm still happy with that.

We'll pick it up on the next
Few stillfuls.

First time we running
Since dad passed away.

It's a family tradition
And I'm glad

I'm right here
Keeping it on with y'all.

Coming up on "Moonshiners"...

I've got a hell
Of a lot of customers.

I ain't got no liquor.

In the volunteer state,

Former rivals join forces
Against a common enemy.

We'll tell you what we got
To have for our liquor.

Whatever you make over that,
Lay it to it.

Well, I got this idea.What is it?

We could set up a still
In the woods.

-I kind of like this spot.
-yeah.

Two old partners
Reunite to run their first batch

Of backwoods shine
In eight seasons.

You know, when tim went legal,

I thought there is
No way on earth

Me and him would be out here
Making moonshine again.

-that's it.
-we got us a shelter now.

This thing be ready to run.

Josh, you hear that?

And josh returns
To the backwoods

With a high-tech
Intruder forces him

To stand his ground...
The old-fashioned way.

Get it, boy, get it.