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00:00We'll know here in a couple hours, we've made them liquor or buttermilk.
00:04This time on Moonshiners.
00:06The market is totally flooded with cheap liquor.
00:09There's no way we can sell ours.
00:11It ain't horrible.
00:12If we can't figure out a way to compete with this guy, we're dead in the water.
00:15You're full of . That's terrible.
00:18You need some liquor, are you? Yeah.
00:20This first-time buyer, you know, really don't know him that well.
00:23I'd hate to show up 100 gallons and have me set up or something, you know.
00:27I'd hate to hide it good in case somebody didn't come through here.
00:30What's going on? Y'all broke down?
00:32There's a vehicle, like, stopping in the road, and it's, like, blinking the lights at me.
00:36Y'all just ride up and down the road all the time, stopping people?
00:39No, just you.
00:41There's something right here.
00:42Is that our stash house?
00:44What?
00:45God almighty.
00:46God dang!
00:47Tim!
00:48The cops will be here in a minute.
00:50God the .
00:52This is how we make the moonshine.
00:58How many more runs do you reckon we're going to have to make?
01:13Not many more.
01:14Not many more, I'll tell you.
01:15We got a house full now.
01:17In Culpeper County, Virginia, after returning to his outlaw roots to chase bigger profits
01:24from tax-free liquor.
01:25How much time you got to get that 1,000 gallon?
01:27Well, well, I got about four weeks.
01:29Tim Smith ran into resistance from a local preacher.
01:33That stuff is from the devil, man.
01:35Hell-bent on driving moonshine out of the region.
01:37In fact, somebody has shot it.
01:38Somebody wrote something on it.
01:39That's a bible verse.
01:40Now, dodging the preacher and the law, Tim and his best friend Tickles stock their stash
01:47house in advance of their first ever tariff-free deal with a Canadian buyer.
01:52Well, I mean, you know, 1,000 gallons is a whole lot of liquor.
01:56I know, but I mean, normally, you know, I don't really want to stage all this much together.
02:00You know, you just kind of want to settle it as you make it.
02:03You know, right now, all we're going to do is get the moonshine to the stash house.
02:06I think we're on probably about the ninth or tenth load.
02:09We may need one more load to fill it up.
02:11You know, it's been a long journey just to get to this point.
02:15You know, I'll just be glad when we get done.
02:18Well, yeah.
02:19Tickles, I keep seeing a car back there, man, a truck or something.
02:24Maybe, maybe they just happen to be going the same direction.
02:27Yeah.
02:28I mean, maybe.
02:29Been doing that for a while now.
02:31Well, I mean, he's only, the road only goes one direction.
02:34I mean, you know.
02:35I know, but he ought to be done got home by now.
02:37What's done happen where you done got this paranoid about moving all this?
02:40Well, we got a hundred gallons of moonshine back here.
02:42Well, I mean, I understand that, but the important thing right now is to stay calm,
02:47because we do got a hundred gallons of moonshine.
02:49You know it, but that joker's following this, Tickle.
02:52Now, I'll get in this bottom.
02:55I'm going to take this turn at this creek and see if he comes across the creek.
03:03Let's see what he does.
03:09He turned behind us.
03:11Watch it, watch it, watch it.
03:12Got deer coming across the road up here.
03:14There's a buck.
03:15Mm-hmm.
03:16Okay.
03:17We're going to have to find some kind of way to lose this cat.
03:20Maybe around a curve or something where he can't see us.
03:23We've got enough distance on him.
03:25All right, Tickle.
03:27I'm looking.
03:28I'm looking.
03:29I'm looking.
03:30Let's row right over here to the left, Tim.
03:31Right there.
03:32Take that.
03:33Shut her off.
03:34I'm looking.
03:35Let's get out of here, man.
03:43You ain't kidding, man.
03:44We lost him.
03:45Now, don't you believe me, man?
03:46There's something going on, Tickle.
03:48Something going on.
03:49I see that.
03:50I see that.
03:51Something's definitely going on.
03:52You ain't kidding, man.
03:54Well, we lost him.
03:55Now, don't you believe me, man?
03:57There's something going on, Tickle.
03:59I don't know. I mean, I see that.
04:01I see that. Something's definitely going on.
04:03In the legal world, you know, you're having a stockpile of moonshine.
04:06I mean, it's just like money in the bank.
04:08But then when you go illegal and his stuff is just piling up on you,
04:12the risk is piling up.
04:13Dog's his belt full.
04:15I don't know how much more we're going to get in here.
04:17I mean, we're just throwing that corner right there
04:19and just keep coming this way.
04:20Yeah, well, that's the only thing we can do.
04:21I mean, I still got to figure out
04:23how am I going to transport this stuff
04:24and get it in the counter.
04:26Right now, I just want to get rid of this looking.
04:30This is going to be it, buddy.
04:32Let's get the hell out of here.
04:34We got everything covered?
04:35Yeah.
04:36All right, let's roll.
04:37Let's rock and roll.
04:38Let's rock and roll.
04:45Buck, it's about time to get started by it.
04:48Well, everything's getting green to budding out, ain't it?
04:50Sure sign, ain't it?
04:53In the heart of the Smoky Mountains,
04:55traditional moonshiners Mark and Huck head to a secret location
04:59to meet a nervous first-time customer with money to burn.
05:03Closing a single high-volume deal
05:06could keep their stills churning out tax-free income most of the summer.
05:10How you doing, bud?
05:19Good to see you.
05:19Good to see you.
05:21So you're needing some liquor, are you?
05:23Yeah.
05:24If you can do it,
05:24I'd like to have at least 100 gallons of plain corn liquor.
05:28But I can't be meeting y'all like this.
05:30It's just too risky.
05:32I understand that.
05:33He's wanting a 100-gallon liquor.
05:35That sure help us get started out good if we can sell him that much.
05:39You think you boys might pull that off?
05:42Yeah, we can do it.
05:44How much you want a gallon, Huck?
05:46Well, I mean, he's taking 100 gallons.
05:48We can cut him some slack on that.
05:50Pay 80?
05:51Give 80.
05:51I think 80's fair enough.
05:53That's a good price.
05:54You want to shake on 80?
05:55Yeah, we'll shake on 80.
05:56But the only thing,
06:00it's too risky to meet like this all the time.
06:03And 100 gallons, that's a lot to be, you know, moving around.
06:08Well, I'll tell you how we can do it.
06:10We can do a dead drop.
06:12All right.
06:13But what we want to do
06:14is figure out some words to leave it.
06:16Usually a dead drop,
06:17there ain't much way of getting caught.
06:20I like it better myself.
06:21We'll leave the liquor,
06:22and he can leave the money,
06:23and we'll never see him again properly.
06:27Boys, you know where
06:28you come around that big, deep curve
06:30past that apple orchard
06:31up there at Turkey Pen Gap,
06:33that big, wide oak stump up there?
06:34Yeah, that's out of the way.
06:36It's kind of, you know, head, you know?
06:37Yeah, it's kind of off-blow-the-road there.
06:39Yeah.
06:40That'd be a good place to leave the money?
06:42Yeah.
06:43It's off-blow-the-road.
06:43Ain't nobody see nothing.
06:45Hey, call and let me know, guys.
06:47We'll do it.
06:48We appreciate it.
06:48Yeah, thank you.
06:50It's starting the season.
06:51We ain't been to the steel site since last fall.
06:54Got to get mashed in and everything,
06:55but it's going to take us a pretty good while
06:57to get this oil to run.
06:59100 gallon, that's a lot of liquor, ain't it?
07:01Yeah.
07:01We could do that two or three times this season.
07:03Wouldn't be sad, wouldn't we?
07:04Yeah.
07:13Puss, we can't figure something out on these three runs
07:17about how to make cheap liquor.
07:18I don't know what we do.
07:20In Cock County, Tennessee,
07:23after a close encounter with the law
07:25returned them to their backwoods roots,
07:28Mark and Digger face a new threat.
07:30You can't blame a feller for picking it up at that price.
07:33$15 a gallon.
07:34And unknown competitors selling shine
07:37for nearly half their price.
07:39To win back their customers,
07:41the Tennessee duo conduct an experiment
07:43to crack the low-cost recipe,
07:46hoping to produce their own higher quality corn liquor
07:49at a competitive price.
07:53This thing looks like chocolate gravy.
07:56Did you make any alcohol?
07:57I got it's bitter as lie.
08:00The market is totally flooded with cheap liquor.
08:03I mean, it's so cheap that there's no way we can sell ours.
08:07You know, Digger and I never cut corners
08:09on the quality of the products we use in our liquor.
08:12But here we've cut every possible corner we can
08:15to try to see if it's possible
08:17to make a profitable $15 jar.
08:21Now, Alice, cap her off, get ready for the first.
08:24This.
08:25Light her up.
08:26Lay it to it.
08:31All right, corn syrup and cornmeal.
08:34We'll know here in a little bit.
08:35Yes, we will.
08:37We got three test mashes made
08:39with the cheapest ingredients that we could find.
08:42Cornmeal with corn syrup.
08:44Cracked corn, which is scratch feed,
08:46and liquid cane sugar.
08:48And we have a sweet feed
08:50with imitation pancake syrup.
08:52So we're going to run the groundmeal
08:54and the corn syrup mash first.
08:57We got steam coming.
08:59Whoo!
08:59There'd be liquor blowing out of there in no time.
09:01If we can get that corn syrup,
09:03it's a little less than half what grain sugar is.
09:07If it wasn't more economical,
09:09all these big industries making soft drinks and candy
09:13wouldn't use it.
09:14Well, we got liquor, Hattie.
09:16We'll see if it's a good liquor
09:17or a bad liquor here shortly.
09:19What are we looking for out of these runs?
09:21Out of all three of them,
09:22we want to see which one's the biggest yield
09:24and which one's got the best flavor.
09:26If we can't figure out a way to compete with this guy,
09:29we're dead in the water.
09:30I'm telling you, that one's about to peter out.
09:32Yeah, we're breaking it to worm right now.
09:35All right, the corn syrup and the cornmeal is done.
09:39Yep.
09:39Let's move on to cracked corn and liquid sugar.
09:43So as we pull jars,
09:45we're going to put them on their respective barrels,
09:47let them wait there and rest until the rest of it's run.
09:50After that, we're going to pick us a sweet jar
09:52out of the middle there in the hearts,
09:53taste it, and see if we've got good liquor.
09:57Well, you know that scratch feed, puss,
09:59that's about as cheap a corn as you can get.
10:03We're up to snuff here,
10:04but there goes all of our heads.
10:06Yeah, we've got plenty out there for that.
10:07Yeah, we won't have to pitch no heads off of this.
10:10Yeah, it's running immediately.
10:13Jimmy cracked corn.
10:15I don't care.
10:16Jimmy makes liquor out of cracked corn,
10:18I start to care.
10:19So now it's just one more.
10:21Two down, one to go, baby man.
10:23We're going to run the sweet feed mash next.
10:25You know, if we end up with three runs of dog pits here,
10:28you know, I'll be at a complete loss
10:32of how this guy's making it so cheap.
10:34Ah, look at that.
10:36Kind of like me pissing in the morning,
10:38running three different directions.
10:39We'll know here if we've made them any liquor or buttermilk.
10:43I'll let that dribble out.
10:45We've got all our liquor run.
10:47We're going to get in here and get to tasting.
10:48The first one we're going to taste
10:50is the sweet feed and pancake syrup liquor.
10:53Well, here we go.
10:55Here we go.
10:58That ain't horrible.
11:07You're full of ****.
11:08That's terrible.
11:10Well, if I'd have acted like that,
11:12you wouldn't have tried it at all.
11:14The sweet feed and the fake pancake syrup.
11:16Honestly and truly,
11:18I mean, I'm going to shoot 100% straight with you.
11:20It's pretty nasty.
11:22Scratch feed and liquid sugar.
11:24I mean, it ought to be decent liquor.
11:27It's got a hell of a lot better nose on it
11:29than that cut little fella right yonder does.
11:31I don't know.
11:46You know, this scratch feed liquor,
11:47it's a tolerable drink,
11:49but it's not something that we want to endorse.
11:52All right, the corn syrup and the cornmeal.
11:55See if it tastes like it's supposed to taste like.
12:04It ain't up to snuff with our white corn liquor,
12:07but it's okay.
12:10This corn syrup liquor with the cornmeal,
12:13it's okay,
12:14but it's still got a little off note in there somewhere.
12:16You know, we're used to making quality liquor for people,
12:18and they're used to paying the premium price for it.
12:20It's still not up to our standards.
12:22This $15 jar that Killer B's sourced for us,
12:26there's no way that they can sell it for $15 a jar.
12:30Ain't nobody run this liquor around here.
12:32This liquor's been run someplace else.
12:34I'm going to say we're not looking at an old backwoods liquor man.
12:37We're looking at a damn thief.
12:40We've got somebody that's either stealing somebody else's liquor
12:42that they're making in the woods,
12:44or they're stealing some legal facility's liquor out of their facility.
12:48I think you're absolutely right.
12:49But if we're going to be competitive, we need to figure it out.
12:53Yep, I believe you're right.
12:55Let's go make a field trip.
12:57Oh.
13:04You'll hear her, Huck.
13:06Yeah, there's a tree, Phil.
13:08Cover everything down here.
13:10We'll have to try to get back.
13:11We can't even make in unless we get our water fishing back.
13:14Yeah, we've got to get the side up, get everything working good.
13:16We've got a big order, 100 gallons.
13:18But if I don't have to move my still side,
13:21it saves me a week or two to get set back up.
13:25Oh, yeah.
13:26Looking great now, boy.
13:30Let's get our water running,
13:31and we'll get our barrels full and mashed in.
13:34We'll be good to go.
13:36All right, let's get our corn, get her in there,
13:38and we'll be in good shape.
13:42We're going to set this just a straight corn liquor run up,
13:46just put her corn and her sugar.
13:48This is what puts the power to her right here.
13:50We're going to set up two barrels, 100 gallons of mash.
13:54We should be able to get 10 gallons out of these two barrels.
13:57It takes a little run to get us 100 gallons.
13:59We'll let that fill up, and we'll lay the malt to her,
14:01and she'll be ready to work.
14:06You seen her old stirring stick anywhere?
14:08It's there's what's left of it.
14:10Oh, good gosh.
14:11How'd that break?
14:13Don't know.
14:14We can start it with it, can't we?
14:16Yeah.
14:18This is malt.
14:19We sprouted this corn and ground it.
14:21This is a natural yeast right here, this malt is.
14:24Our liquor tastes so good.
14:25Yeah.
14:27Gives better corn taste, don't it?
14:28Yeah, boy.
14:29Don't give you as much of a headache.
14:32I don't like them headaches anymore.
14:36I get a few every now and then.
14:38But I still like to have fun.
14:40Yeah.
14:42I don't have fun.
14:44I want to fix her up right there now.
14:48Well, that's perfect, ain't it?
14:50I think we got our sight in good shape.
14:56Our mash right now done.
14:57All we got to do is run our liquor.
15:01Hot huckle, let's load our tools up.
15:03We got a meeting to get to.
15:04Let's get to it.
15:08We're getting close.
15:09I hope we're getting close.
15:10My gosh, this road just keeps getting narrower.
15:13Welcome to North Carolina.
15:15One mile west, forced to go solo after Mark and Digger's arrest last season, Kelly and Amanda pay a formal visit to Mark Rogers turf, following the unwritten code to seek a fellow moonshiners' blessing before setting up a new operation in their area.
15:33Mark and Huck have literally taken me under the wing.
15:35I got nothing but respect for them.
15:37So if we're coming into North Carolina, we got to get their blessing.
15:39I agree 100%.
15:41So we are no longer under the enterprises of Mark and Digger this year, and we got to find our own still site somewhere far away from eastern Tennessee.
15:50Well, there they come, my buddy.
15:51Well, I guess we're about to find out why she's along.
15:54If I'm going into North Carolina, the first thing I need to do is get Mark and Huck's blessing.
15:58Mark and Huck have taught me a lot of things about the ways of the backwoods.
16:01They were really my first introduction into this whole world.
16:04What's that?
16:05Well, we're in a little bit of a sticky situation.
16:08Kind of need a favor from you guys.
16:10Mark and Digger's whole operation has been completely shut down.
16:14We need to get real far from them.
16:15Even across state lines will probably honestly be the safest thing for us.
16:19We're just looking for somewhere that we can set up our operation.
16:22If I'm going to come into North Carolina, I want your permission first.
16:27I guess, bottom line is, are you willing to help us?
16:30Does a lot of them have been watching them any or following them or anything?
16:38We don't, I mean, we don't think so.
16:41We haven't done anything for months.
16:43We don't want them coming on all of us, do we?
16:46That's why we took a break for so long.
16:48And that's literally the main reason we come this far over.
16:50Yeah, yeah, we'll help you.
16:54Best we can.
16:57Yeah, we've got a lot of spots.
16:59I think I'm going to have the river.
17:01That'd be perfect for them right there.
17:03That's as far back as you can get.
17:04Yeah, it is.
17:05It means a lot to one of your partners, you know, if you've got enough respect to come and ask for me.
17:10It'll be a good location, plenty of good water.
17:13Tell you how to get there, but it's probably better if I draw you a map.
17:16Because they come and ask me, I'll do everything I can to help.
17:21I got a bunch of them in case they'll mess up.
17:23Well, now, wouldn't it be just as easy for you to drop a pen for us?
17:27A pen? It's the only pen I got.
17:29Most of us know how to drop a little pen on a map and send us to a GPS coordinates.
17:34Now go to the bottom of this road right here.
17:36Unfortunately, that's not how Mark Rogers rolls.
17:38Go down the main road, take a ride.
17:41Now keep in mind, there's no address, right, to a still site in the woods.
17:44It's just going to be general directions on how to get there.
17:46And it's about seven miles.
17:48They set a train tracks on one side, river on the other.
17:52He's got a seven-mile-long road, about an inch long.
17:55And then he's got a river that's as wide as the road is long.
17:58Across the railroad track, come over into a big field.
18:01There'll probably be a cow or two in it.
18:02Sounds easy enough.
18:03Yeah.
18:04Hopefully, we can find where he's talking about.
18:06I knew I could count on you guys.
18:07Just be careful and make a lot of liquors, all I can say.
18:11You know, the thing about it is, with Mark Rogers, you can trust his judgment when it comes to woods.
18:15Thank you guys.
18:16Very appreciate that.
18:17See ya.
18:18You know, the only thing that worries me right now is, if we can find this place with this napkin map, I mean, it can't be rocket science.
18:25Told you we could count on them.
18:26Right now, I'm picking up a load of cornmeal.
18:42You know, I got certain little spots that I got people dropping stuff off.
18:45There ain't no snakes at all.
18:47You know, even though it's not illegal to buy sugar, not illegal to buy cornmeal, but if I'm seen buying cornmeal and sugar, that's kind of like a red flag.
18:55Well, I got a few bags of cornmeal.
18:59I had a guy drop off for me, so that way, you know, they don't see me at the farmer's supply picking up the cornmeal.
19:08I mean, you got to take all the precautions you can, you know.
19:12Think about it.
19:12Back in the day, people didn't really know who I was.
19:15Now, they know who I am.
19:17So, if they see me, and they see me buying mason jewels or cornmeal, hey, I don't have hogs and pigs and chickens.
19:24We're just taking all the precautions we can.
19:27Just like the old days, you know.
19:29For, you know, the next month, I've got to continue to do this all the time.
19:33You can drive it down to the site tomorrow and mash in.
19:36You know, I've got to pick up all the raw goods.
19:38The old saying about moonshining is making alcohol when the moon shines.
19:42Anything you're doing and making moonshine, whether you're hauling moonshine, staging somewhere, making it, producing it, whatever, tonight, that's actually on your side.
19:52Nobody on the road tonight.
19:56How about that?
19:58I spoke too soon.
20:04I ain't taking it.
20:06What's wrong with these people?
20:09What?
20:10What?
20:10What?
20:12They're getting ahead of the truck.
20:18Maybe they broke down, you know?
20:25What's going on?
20:26Y'all broke down?
20:28No, we ain't broke down.
20:29What are y'all doing?
20:30Watching the neighborhood.
20:39Maybe they broke down, you know?
20:40There's a vehicle, like, stopping in the road, and it's, like, blinking the lights at me.
20:45So I'm thinking, you know, is he stopping, you know, because he's breaking down?
20:50What's going on?
20:50Y'all broke down?
20:52No, we ain't broke down.
20:54What are y'all doing?
20:56Watching the neighborhood is where we're going.
20:59What do you mean, you're watching the neighborhood?
21:00This ain't a private road.
21:03No, no.
21:05Y'all, y'all just ride up and down the road all the time, stop people?
21:08No, just you.
21:10Oh.
21:10Because you're pushing that pause on, man.
21:12You know?
21:12Man, we don't want you pushing that around you, man.
21:15Everybody running up through you drunk.
21:17Man, we don't want it.
21:18All right.
21:19Well, I hope your truck ain't in the way, because I'm going that way.
21:24Yeah, I hope it ain't doing.
21:25Yeah.
21:27Get on out of here.
21:34God, what's going on here?
21:41I don't know what's going on here.
21:44It sounds like they don't like moonshine is what it sounds like.
21:47I mean, they're not the police.
21:50You know, that's one thing.
21:51They're not cops.
21:52I don't know, is this the same vehicle following me?
21:54Just the other night, because these guys knew what road I was on.
21:59I ain't never dealt with nothing like this in my life.
22:02It wasn't like this back in the day.
22:04This is a little bit different than we're working with.
22:06Is this like a group, organization, or something?
22:09I really don't know what kind of people we're dealing with.
22:12Well, I mean, you know, if it was law enforcement,
22:15at least you know who you're talking to.
22:18And they got rules.
22:19These guys don't have no rules.
22:21Oh, man.
22:32Kelly, this is scary.
22:33We're sliding your way.
22:35Long as we're not flying off that cliff.
22:37Oh, God.
22:38I don't like this.
22:38Kelly and I found the perfect still site,
22:40with the help of Mark Rogers and Huck,
22:41way over into North Carolina.
22:44The only problem is, it's pretty hard to get to.
22:47Leave it to Mark Rogers to send us to the hardest place in the world to make liquor.
22:51Oh, just don't promise you won't go off the cliff, okay?
22:53You know, I don't think you could get much farther off the beaten track
22:56in North Carolina than where we're at right now.
22:58The good part about it is security.
23:00The bad part about it is, it's hard to get to for you or anybody else.
23:04Here's going to be the problem.
23:09We're spinning our time.
23:11But I don't know that I can get the trailer up here.
23:16I'm going to let some air out of the tires.
23:22Letting a little air out of the tires.
23:23It's so muddy here that I drop them down to about 16 pounds of air.
23:27And hopefully, we can cruise up through there.
23:31Hell yeah, I sure hope we can make it up there and don't go off the side.
23:34Let's fire it up and see what happens up through there.
23:37Once we can get everything up there and set up, it'll be worth it.
23:46Oh, the rest of it is dry.
23:48Now.
23:49It's right on the edge.
23:52Our goal here is basically to drive in as close to the steel side as possible
23:56because we don't want to carry this stuff any farther than we have to.
24:00And the corn is still good after that hill.
24:02We made it.
24:05Well done, Kelly.
24:06The really cool thing about this year is this is our own steel site.
24:09It's just me and Kelly making the liquor ourselves the way we want to do it,
24:13selling it the way we want to sell it.
24:15So it's exciting, but it's also a little scary.
24:18I think we're good right there.
24:19This steel site is beautiful.
24:20We're kind of in a ravine with big slopes on both sides that give us a lot of cover,
24:25and we have a really good source of spring water that runs right down the middle.
24:28It's literally like this place was just meant for us to put a steel in.
24:32Oh, yeah, look at that.
24:34I just want to make sure to try not to suck up any mud.
24:36But it feels good to be back here grabbing some spring water and making a corn mash.
24:47Today, to keep it simple, we're just going to make some good old-fashioned corn liquor.
24:51Corn liquor is the staple around here in these parts.
24:54Everybody drinks corn liquor.
24:55You don't need a thermometer.
24:57If you've got the water going to a boil, then at least you know it's hot enough to cook the corn.
25:02It's quick, it works off fast, and it'll give us a good volume back.
25:08Uh-oh.
25:12Oh, this just can't be good.
25:15Hello?
25:20All right.
25:21We'll see you.
25:23Digger, we've got to go meet them.
25:24They've got something going on.
25:26Well, that's not good.
25:28He said, I need to talk to you right now, as quick as possible.
25:31We just got a call from Mark and Digger on the emergency burner phone.
25:35It's supposed to be only for emergencies, so I'm pretty curious as to what they're calling for.
25:39He said, destroy this phone, so.
25:48Well, Digger, we've got to get Amanda Kelly's opinion.
25:52I mean, we've done determined there's no way that they can make that corn liquor that cheap with traditional mash and ingredients.
26:02You know, Amanda's palate's awful damn sophisticated.
26:05We need some help with this.
26:07Digger and I have not been able to sell any of our liquor because of this corn liquor that's been flooding our market everywhere.
26:13Price has got so low that it's ridiculous.
26:16Kelly and Amanda are probably our closest allies in the moonshine world.
26:20And, you know, I would like Amanda to taste this as well.
26:24I'd like hers and Kelly's opinion on what they think it is.
26:28I mean, you know, we said we wouldn't be in touch unless it was an emergency.
26:32Hell, if we're all going to the porthouse, I think that constitutes an emergency.
26:36Oh, I hear them a-coming.
26:38We feel it on the fire.
26:40We need to tell Kelly and Amanda the corn market is dead.
26:46Well, this is never good news when we have an emergency call, guys.
26:51Well, it's a bigger emergency, and you might be a-thinking.
26:53We said we wouldn't call, but man, Digger thinks this is an emergency.
26:57Going broke ain't nothing but an emergency.
27:02We ain't been able to sell no liquor, and right here's the reason.
27:05Our area's flooded with that.
27:08$15 a jar for that liquor right there.
27:11This is not what chins made?
27:12This is-
27:12That is not.
27:14And it's everywhere now?
27:14It's everywhere.
27:15We just don't understand how anybody can make it and sell it for $15.
27:20The way the ingredients and jars and fuel is right now,
27:23there ain't no way it comes up with them figures.
27:26We want y'all to taste, especially your tongue, Amanda.
27:28I want you to get it in there and tell me if there's anything dynamic.
27:35It's a little fiery.
27:43It's not terrible.
27:46Hmm.
27:52You know how, like, in a clear liquor, you can taste the pot still or, like, the copper?
27:57That's not traditional corn liquor.
28:00You know what that tastes like to me?
28:02That's not traditional corn liquor.
28:12I know it's not.
28:13No.
28:13It would have so much more flavor.
28:14It really would.
28:15You know what that tastes like to me?
28:18GNS.
28:18GNS, or grain-neutral spirit, is a mass-produced alcohol made with a base of grains,
28:27but it's been distilled to such a high proof that it's essentially odorless and flavorless.
28:33GNS is a commercial commodity used by some mass-market liquor brands
28:38to produce inexpensive versions of traditional spirits, like Bach and gin.
28:44But by law, purchasing GNS for commercial use requires a federal permit,
28:49and the federal government closely tracks inventories of GNS nationwide.
28:55If it's GNS at 190 proof and they're proofing it down,
28:58and they could put two drops of corn flavoring in it, or they could do,
29:02I mean, there's so many different ways you could get there.
29:04Yeah. How else could they sell it for that cheap?
29:07Nobody can sell it that cheap, Amanda. You know that.
29:10We've got our steel site set up, and we just mashed in corn liquor.
29:13So run it, don't run it.
29:15You have to run it because your money's done spent.
29:18But I wouldn't build no more mass back.
29:21I wouldn't sweeten them fermenters back in.
29:23I'd wait till we figure out where this is coming from.
29:26We're going to have to do something different.
29:28You can't keep up with that price point.
29:30We're going to compete in this market right now.
29:31We have to go above and beyond and make something that people are willing to pay extra money for.
29:37I'm just going to have to get creative and make something that they've never seen before.
29:40I think that we need to be on our way, and we appreciate it.
29:43I hate to be the buyer of this bad news, but take it and use it for what it's worth.
29:48Yeah.
29:48We got to try our damnedest to figure out who's representing this as Backwoods Moonshine and how they're doing it.
29:55Well, we didn't give them no good news, did we?
29:59Oh, yeah.
30:01Kelp's dropped.
30:02Ready.
30:03It's ready.
30:04A week ago, we mashed in two barrels of good corn liquor.
30:08We've got a hundred-gallon order.
30:11We're going to get her run off today.
30:12The reason I use wood instead of propane, it's the way I learned how to run liquor.
30:22I like the old way of doing things.
30:24It works for me, and I guess I'll stick with it until I die.
30:31Start over again.
30:32It takes a while to run a hundred-gallon of liquor.
30:38We just have to do it at ten gallons at a time until we get the order filled.
30:42Here it comes, Huck.
30:45Yep.
30:46What we've been waiting on.
30:48I've made thousands of gallons of liquor over my lifetime, and every time I run, it's just about as exciting as I was the first time I ever run one.
30:56Huck, I think it's about time to take a little taste, don't you?
31:00Sample it.
31:01Yeah.
31:02Ha, ha, ha.
31:05Claire's a bell, ain't it?
31:06That's pretty, boy.
31:08She's going to be strong.
31:14Ah, yeah.
31:15It's high, but good.
31:17This liquor tastes exactly like I thought it would.
31:20It is good.
31:22If you took two real good drinks, that right there...
31:24Oh, you wouldn't know nothing for days.
31:28It's a lot funner if you drink when you're making your liquor.
31:31There's been a lot of moonshiners priced out at the still site.
31:34Yeah.
31:35The bad thing about it, I used to do that all the time.
31:38Well, I've done it the time we've done.
31:39I'd get in it.
31:40Can't even remember running the rest of it.
31:42Mm-hmm.
31:43Probably spelt more than we run.
31:44Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
31:46But it's a lot safer and better if you don't.
31:50Oh, boy, it's getting better, Huck.
31:56Is it?
31:56Yeah.
31:57We got our 10-gallon run out of these two barrels.
32:00That's exactly what we wanted on the first run.
32:03Go ahead and deliver it and then pump it back in there and mash in a second time.
32:07I want to call him up and tell him it's ours and let him pick it up.
32:11We'll see how it goes from there.
32:12We got something.
32:22We got some light now.
32:23Where's the steel side?
32:24There we go, right there.
32:25See, I knew we were right here.
32:27Ooh, a little step there.
32:28Even though we've had all kinds of problems with this 1,000-gallon order, I'm attracting
32:32different kinds of people.
32:33The wrong kind of people.
32:35There's two guys stops me on the road, questioning me about what I'm doing.
32:39They don't like it.
32:40So I'm thinking the old saying about moonshining is making alcohol when the moon shines.
32:45That's the best cover I got.
32:47But, I mean, we're almost there.
32:49The mash is coming ready and we are running.
32:51And I just can't wait to finish this run.
32:54Let me check this beer.
32:55We can see what we're doing.
32:56Tim.
32:57Yeah?
32:58It's just ready, isn't it?
32:59Oh, you good.
33:00Damn right there.
33:01Oh, yeah.
33:01Good to me, don't you?
33:03I think it's good.
33:04There's nothing wrong with that.
33:05Throw the fire to it.
33:06Yeah.
33:06All right.
33:07Ready?
33:07Let it roll.
33:08Yeah.
33:10These right here, they're running so good, they're going to put out a whole lot this time.
33:15I mean, every time we're running, we're getting a little bit more.
33:17A little bit more.
33:18A little bit more.
33:18A little bit more.
33:19We've had an uphill battle right here, but we're finally starting to see the light at the
33:24end of the tunnel.
33:25And I'm going to say maybe one more run and we're good.
33:28We've got this order filled.
33:29The fire's on, Howard.
33:32You got to stir it.
33:33I'm stirring, boys.
33:35Do not drop that hoe in there, Nita.
33:39Hey, do y'all want to do this?
33:41Oh, look at the little man get up there.
33:42That's why he was about to steal him around.
33:44Oh, he's dying to get up over here.
33:46Look at it.
33:46He gets on top of it.
33:47Then you get this side.
33:49Every square inch.
33:51Hold on.
33:54Something ain't right here.
33:56Look.
33:57Look, Henry.
33:58Look.
34:01Is that on the stash house?
34:03This is on the camera I got in there.
34:05This is live.
34:06Yeah, me and Tim put them up.
34:07This is right now.
34:09That's two guys, man.
34:11Might be long.
34:12Wait, listen.
34:13What you seeing?
34:15Pull it out.
34:17Pull it out.
34:21We need to get our asses over here.
34:28Oh, Howard, it might be the law.
34:31That's not the law.
34:32How do you know that?
34:33If there were the law,
34:34they wouldn't rip down the camera.
34:35You right about that?
34:36You 100% right about that.
34:37They just took the camera.
34:38Laws don't rip down cameras.
34:39They need those cameras.
34:40They're not documenting anything.
34:42They're not looking for any evidence.
34:44Police would have took a video of this stuff
34:46so they could prosecute us.
34:48So wait a minute.
34:49That's about 15 minutes to get over there.
34:51Let's cut the fire,
34:52cut these lanterns,
34:54get in the truck.
34:55Please.
34:55Let's go together.
34:56These guys are not law enforcement.
34:58They know it's moonshine.
34:59Tim, you got your gun?
35:00I got it.
35:02More than likely,
35:02they're going to try to steal it.
35:04So it's important that we get over there right now
35:06and stop them.
35:07This ain't good.
35:08Tell you that.
35:09I don't know what I'm telling now, man.
35:11These people still up here?
35:13Oh, it's going to be out of here.
35:13We need to stand out.
35:14What the f...
35:25Holy shit.
35:27What?
35:28Damn it, man.
35:31Henny!
35:32Henny!
35:32Help!
35:33God dang!
35:34Tim!
35:35God damn!
35:35That thing is blazing, man.
35:42The cops will be here in a minute.
35:43Holy go.
35:45All of our hard work right here, Tim?
35:49Holy
35:49It's gone, is all I can tell you.
35:52It's nothing left.
35:54I don't know about y'all,
35:54but I'm out of here.
35:55The fire department's going to be coming.
35:56This is what's going to be coming.
35:57The fire department's definitely going to be here in a minute.
36:00Oh, damn almighty!
36:02Come on!
36:03Come on!
36:04We got to go, man.
36:05We got to get out of here.
36:06Get out of here.
36:08Everything's gone.
36:09Get in the truck.
36:22Sweet feed.
36:23You sure you don't second helping?
36:25Old timers told us it wasn't worth
36:26You got a gun you can put to my head,
36:29so I'll drink it.
36:29It smells so bad.
36:31Here we go.
36:31Pull the trigger.
36:37My taste buds just called an emergency meeting.
36:39Give me that.
36:40It ain't that bad.
36:41They just filed for divorce.
36:45Lord, have mercy.
36:46Hell, far.
36:53Mother of pearl.
36:54I got to run back to the house
36:56and dig up one of Stella's dog turds
36:58and see if I can get that taste out of my mouth.
37:00That's awful.
37:01They told us the truth, baby, man.
37:03Sweet feed liquor ain't worth a fiddler's damn.
37:07That ought to be outlawed right there.
37:09Boy, he wanted to get away back in here, did he?
37:23Yeah, he did.
37:24Yeah, there'll be several trips in here, but...
37:27Oh, yeah.
37:28Just be safe, you know.
37:30Just hope that old boy comes across to see us in.
37:34I guess we're fixing to find out.
37:35Yeah.
37:36Yeah, finally, we got our first 10-gallon run,
37:39and we're going to bring it and set it off
37:41for at the dead drop.
37:42First-time buyer, you know,
37:43really don't know him that well.
37:45I'd hate to show up under a gallon
37:47and have me set up or something, you know,
37:50so it'll be a little safer.
37:51Next run will be a lot bigger.
37:53Yeah.
37:54We just need to hide it good
37:56where, you know, somebody did come around it
37:58and wouldn't notice it.
37:59Yeah.
38:00Yeah.
38:00You're about to get there.
38:03Yeah, I'll put it there.
38:07What's the matter, Huck?
38:08Right here.
38:12Where's that stump at, Huck?
38:14Right here.
38:16We need to find us a good place to hide the licker.
38:20Back in that laurel right there.
38:21Yeah, just put it right straight across.
38:22Right across from the stump.
38:23Yeah.
38:29Yeah.
38:30We need to hide it good
38:34in case somebody didn't come through here.
38:41All right, Huck, can you see anything?
38:42That looks camouflaged to me.
38:44That'd be good right there, Mark.
38:46We pull up and found the stump
38:47where he can put the money.
38:49Right straight across from the stump,
38:50it's a good patch of laurel right there.
38:52We can stash our liquor right there
38:53and camouflage it real good.
38:55We're ready to get out of here, aren't we?
38:57Once we get out of here
38:58and get the phone with service,
38:59I'm going to call him at the liquor's there
39:00and we'll go from there.
39:03I think that'll do it, Huck.
39:05It'll be a job getting out of here.
39:12This stupid, Tickle.
39:14And I'm going to sound stupid
39:15when I call him
39:16to say I need another three, four weeks
39:19and I don't know what to do about it.
39:21This is a serious situation here.
39:24I mean, we did so much work
39:26and now it's all gone.
39:28Who in the world even is this?
39:30I mean, it was somebody following us.
39:31We're dealing with some crazy,
39:34some group,
39:35I don't know what to call them,
39:37Colt?
39:37Maybe it's the same two guys
39:39that was following us,
39:41the ones that stopped you.
39:43Maybe it's the same two guys.
39:44Right now, we got two stills
39:46that's full, ready to run.
39:48We was going to run them.
39:49At least we can finish that run,
39:51get a little bit of something going on here,
39:53and hopefully I can talk to this guy
39:55and buy some more time.
39:56Well, all we can do, Tim,
39:59is keep on rolling with what we got.
40:05What the hell is that?
40:09Over there.
40:10What, did the burner go on?
40:12I don't know.
40:13We shouldn't have.
40:15We cut the burner off, Tim.
40:17Yeah, we cut the burner off.
40:20What the hell?
40:24Huh?
40:24Look at this.
40:26We cut everything off, didn't we?
40:32Yeah.
40:34This is unbelievable.
40:35What in the burner?
40:36Nothing but charred wood.
40:38We got charred wood left.
40:39Man, look at that roof.
40:43I think that we need to get the hell out.
40:45You need to get the hell out of Virginia.
40:46Who's two cells behind?
40:47They played us.
40:49Look, look, guys.
40:50Got to have a plan,
40:51and I'm not going to give up on this.
40:53It just don't roll that way.
40:56Slow down, son.
40:58I'm underwater.
41:00I got to go.
41:01I got to go, Henry.
41:02Now, this steel site's a little different
41:04than most steel sites.
41:05We've actually got to drive up a river.
41:08I didn't take them.
41:10Got it.
41:12Uh-oh.
41:12I'll tell you what I need
41:15is some age whiskey.
41:16You give us a couple of weeks,
41:18we can have it done.
41:19I'd like to know
41:20where you come up with this idea.
41:22We're going to sell some age liquor.
41:23Well, we've always pulled through
41:25somehow or another.
41:27Y'all need to just go on down
41:29your damn bank.
41:30It's getting ready to get damn ugly
41:31if y'all don't get the hell out of here.
41:32They stole our liquor.
41:34I'm going to put them out of here for good,
41:35and I don't want them back in this country.
41:36I don't want them back in this country.
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