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00:00This time on Master Distiller.
00:03Get with it, let's get to drinking.
00:05The most popular whiskeys in the world share a backwoods secret,
00:09hidden in plain sight.
00:12Build us your signature, sour mash.
00:15It's a process called sour mash.
00:18You can't have any sour mash unless you run some sweet mash and save your back set.
00:23Invented by moonshiners over 200 years ago.
00:26Oh my God.
00:28Careful.
00:29It sets American whiskeys apart to this day.
00:33A super dry finish.
00:34It's sweet all the way through.
00:36Just a good quintessential Tennessee sour mash.
00:40But with no two sour mash techniques the same.
00:43It looks like we've got three different plans.
00:46Southern whiskey, we like our sweeter.
00:47Yeah.
00:48Up north, they seem to like it a little more bitter.
00:50Only the resulting whiskey can reveal the true master distiller.
00:55I mean, if you're looking for a sour mash, this is the one.
01:09Welcome to Master Distiller, guys.
01:11We're going to make some whiskey today.
01:12Not just any whiskey.
01:14We're going to make sour mash whiskey.
01:17Sour mash whiskey is not a type of whiskey.
01:19It's a process.
01:21It's been really important in our world in the illegal side.
01:24Y'all got your work cut out for you.
01:28I want you to meet a good friend, Tim Jones.
01:30He's got a palate like none other.
01:32Very discerning.
01:34We're going to judge you all accordingly.
01:36Tim.
01:36Hey, guys, I'm Tim Jones, international spirits judge, and I've helped build some of the biggest brands in the bourbon
01:43world.
01:43And sour mash is a pillar amongst basically all of them.
01:48One of the first records of sour mash whiskey can be traced to the Kentucky frontier in 1818, when Catherine
01:56Carpenter, a widowed mother of nine children, documented her whiskey recipe.
02:01Similar to making sourdough bread, Catherine mashed in fresh grains with the spent mash from the previous batch of whiskey.
02:11The acid in the spent mash lowered the pH in the fresh or sweet mash, giving it a trademark sour
02:19taste, and prevented the growth of harmful bacteria, creating an optimal environment for the yeast to produce the most desirable
02:27flavor compounds during fermentation.
02:31This yielded a full-bodied, more consistent-tasting whiskey from batch to batch, and quickly became the gold standard among
02:39American distillers.
02:41Today, every major whiskey maker in the U.S. uses sour mash.
02:47But how much spent mash or backset they use, and how they use it, is a proprietary process that distinguishes
02:55each brand.
02:56Yet, despite the near-universal adoption of this 200-year-old technique, only a select few labels specifically mention sour
03:05mash on the bottle, making it an unspoken secret of the best American whiskeys.
03:13The winner of this competition will get your own limited run of your signature sour mash whiskey here at Two
03:19Trees Distilling Company.
03:22You will.
03:24Just about anybody who knows anything about distillation knows that you can't have any sour mash unless you run some
03:30sweet mash and save your backset.
03:32So, what you see right there in those blue barrels, that's 30 gallons of my signature mash.
03:38It's already fermented, ready to run.
03:40I made that mash personally.
03:42I know what goes in it.
03:43And what's going to separate you all is your skills.
03:46Just a reminder, bring the full jar to the table.
03:51Whoever brings us the best jar, they'll get first pick of the grains to make us their signature sour mash.
03:57You're going to have four hours.
03:59Your four hours starts now.
04:01Good luck and get with it.
04:04For the first challenge, competitors must distill enough of Digger's mash to deliver a high-proof jar of liquor to
04:12the judges.
04:13Then, they'll save the spent mash, known as the backset, to blend into their own sour mash recipe in the
04:21next round.
04:23Reggie over here, he's the fastest one out the gate.
04:26He's on a mission already.
04:27Oh, he's loading his still up.
04:29I mean, I'm surprised he ain't got it on.
04:31I'm usually a lot cleaner than this at home, as long as my wife is not yelling at me.
04:35My name is Reginald.
04:36Everybody calls me Reggie.
04:39I'm from Shelbyville, Tennessee, and I'm 49 years old.
04:43I'm a fermentation expert for a global yogurt brand.
04:47Fermentation is pretty much the same for yogurt and distilling.
04:51The difference is yeast is a bad thing when it comes to yogurt, but when it comes to distilling, we
04:56love it.
04:56My wheelhouse is whiskeys.
04:58As a fermentation expert, sour mash creates the best consistency for the whiskey.
05:05It's a staple of where I'm from, so recreating that sour mash whiskey, I feel like I'm right at home.
05:11Heading into the competition, I'm feeling excited.
05:13You practice at home, and now this is the Super Bowl.
05:16It's game time.
05:17I'm making a mess.
05:19Yeah, me too.
05:20That's why I said we don't have to worry about our wives yelling at us.
05:22Yeah, no kidding, right?
05:24I'm John.
05:24I'm 48 years old.
05:25I'm from Sphere County, Tennessee.
05:27I'm a firefighter, former Air Force.
05:30I own a general store there in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and I'm a moonshiner.
05:34This right here would be where the magic happens.
05:38For me, moonshining was in my family history all the way back to the 1800s.
05:42Eat a good shine.
05:43It's good water.
05:45Nothing beats Bluff Mountain water.
05:47This is something I want to keep going in my family, so I've learned it.
05:50I want to teach my son how to do it, and then I want to make sure that moonshining, especially
05:54in the Great Smoky Mountains and the Appalachians, continues.
05:58Yeah, there's a lot of grains in the top of mine.
06:00It would mean a lot to be the next master distiller.
06:03It would be a validation of all the work and time that I've put into this, but it's a passion.
06:09Anyone over here taste of the mess yet?
06:11Can we get a profile on it?
06:12It should be nutty and not pretentious.
06:16Fruity, but not overwhelming.
06:17All right.
06:18I go by Rabbi Ben.
06:20I grew up in Lakewood, New Jersey, and I've been distilling for 16 years.
06:25I don't know any other rabbis moonshining or actively.
06:28Wait one second.
06:29One second.
06:30I take that back.
06:31I trained my rabbi into how to run a moonshine still, so I know one.
06:36I'm a sixth generation distiller.
06:38My grandfather in Detroit got me into distilling.
06:42His father and his grandfather were bootleggers.
06:46I have the distillery for seven years.
06:49I'm back in New York.
06:50My whiskey is very heavily focused on New York.
06:53I try to bring out New York.
06:54I use New York corn and New York rye.
06:57I'm going to win because I'm bringing something totally unique and different to the table.
07:01I love competing and giving the opportunity to create something.
07:05I'm all in.
07:07I feel like I'm in my backyard.
07:09When I moonshined, I didn't take out any grains.
07:11It all went in.
07:12Ben, you are not in your backyard.
07:14Yeah.
07:15You sure are lucky.
07:17Is there any sugar or anything in it?
07:18Corn and barley.
07:20And there's 50 pounds of corn in each one of those 30-gallon barrels.
07:24It's thick.
07:29What's taking you guys so long?
07:30Yeah, you know.
07:31I'm trying to get through the lot more liquid than grains.
07:34The filter slows it down.
07:36Yeah, it's probably halfway done at this point.
07:38Woo!
07:41How's it going, Ben?
07:42I'm going to run a jar over here.
07:43Just keep talking to them, Reggie.
07:44Just slow them down over there while you're working.
07:47Oh, I haven't heard one of these in a while.
07:50Gentlemen, you're halfway there.
07:51You burned two hours.
07:52You got two hours remaining.
07:56Starting to drip.
08:00I'm running.
08:01Oh, yeah.
08:01I got a hockey hole.
08:02You are running.
08:06Smells like award-winning mash.
08:08It's almost like a NASCAR race, you know?
08:11Same car, same track, right?
08:12Different driver.
08:13That's it.
08:15Oh, we got it!
08:17Happy times.
08:19How's yours coming along over here?
08:20It's moving along slowly, but it's consistent, little by little.
08:25The way I see it is get fewer jars, cleaner, to give a fuller taste.
08:30I mean, that's what my goal is.
08:31This run is kind of do-all or die, because I need to pick the first grains in the grain
08:37house.
08:37If I don't get the right grains, it's going to be a tough challenge.
08:41I'm going to have to improvise with things I'm not so familiar with.
08:45Well, you're collecting good.
08:46I think you're going to have a lot to choose from.
08:49Hopefully.
08:50Everything's tasting good.
08:51The difference will be getting the proper proofing and, most importantly, straining everything
08:56out to make sure that there's no floaties or anything in your distillate.
09:0030 minutes left, gentlemen.
09:03Oh, the smell on it's good, too.
09:05I'm not so much a shaker guy to determine proof.
09:08It's all about smelling it, tasting it, looking at it.
09:12I'm really happy with the jar that I picked.
09:14All done.
09:15Enjoy.
09:16Good luck.
09:16And here comes Reggie.
09:18Yes, sir.
09:19Good luck, my friend.
09:20Thanks, sir.
09:23I'm feeling confident, which might be a false confidence, but I'm fairly certain it's a great
09:28jar.
09:29It's clear.
09:30It's beautiful.
09:30And I think it tastes delicious.
09:33Well, Ben, we'll come back and let y'all know when we determine a winner.
09:37Good luck.
09:37Yeah, this is a fun part of the job.
09:42We're definitely going to have our job cut out for us.
09:45In fact, Ben, I built them.
09:46They're sweet mash, and we've just got to find out which one is just a tiny bit better.
09:52So I'm going to say, Timmy, get with it.
09:54Let's get to drinking.
09:56Reggie jumped out the gate quick.
09:58Uh-oh, I see a floaty in there.
10:00He should have filtered a little better.
10:03Look at that.
10:04I give him 98 plus.
10:06I'm going to give him 110 plus.
10:08You're going to give him 110?
10:09Yeah.
10:09All right.
10:10When I was filling up my boiler, I felt like I was getting some grains through my strainer.
10:16I don't know.
10:16It's just a toss-up.
10:19Good smell.
10:20It smells from here.
10:22Should be a French toasty type aroma.
10:24Yeah, it is.
10:25It's almost like a dessert.
10:26It does smell really good.
10:28It's almost like sourdough bread.
10:30It's super clean.
10:32When he gets those spent grains in his sour mash, that's really going to come to life then.
10:36It's got a lot to work with.
10:38I like that.
10:40Yeah, that's got a really good barley finish on it.
10:43Well, let's see what John's working with here.
10:46Don't see any little floaties in there.
10:50All right.
10:50Here we go, guys.
10:51Let's see what we're working with.
10:53Yeah, I think he's in the neighborhood of 120.
10:57I got good alcohol out of it, so it was there.
11:03It's going to be tough.
11:04It does smell a little different.
11:05It's almost more buttery.
11:07But it's got that taste.
11:09I think that has a better finish.
11:11He's a little lighter on the nose.
11:13He's got a little bit more alcohol.
11:14Yeah.
11:15He's up there.
11:15Yeah, he's a little bit high.
11:16You can tell that he's got a little bit bite to it.
11:18All right.
11:19Here we go.
11:19I'm in, Ben.
11:22He's clearing out the sale.
11:27Could he be higher proof than John?
11:30He's somewhere in the 120 neighborhood as well.
11:34I'm confident there's alcohol.
11:36I'm confident there's something good.
11:38I just didn't know if that's what's needed.
11:46It's got some proof to it.
11:48That right there is all right.
11:50Yeah, it smells great.
11:51That right there don't need nothing but drinking.
11:54I'm going to have to go in here.
11:56One more.
11:57You're going to have to wait your turn.
11:58Come on, now.
12:00I know your mommy taught you how to share.
12:02She's too sweet, Doctor.
12:03There you go.
12:03Mm-mm.
12:04That one's nice.
12:06Yeah.
12:06Yeah, and it's a good aftertaste.
12:08And high proof.
12:09We've got three guys that know what they're doing.
12:12I'm just glad you're here to help us make a decision.
12:14Let's go in and pull this Band-Aid off.
12:16Let's do it.
12:17All right.
12:31Well, man, I wanted everybody to run fine liquor
12:35because that's my mash.
12:36And you did just that.
12:38That being said, I'll go through the line here.
12:41Reggie, you had no off flavors in there anywhere.
12:45The only negative is you had picked up one little speck of grain
12:49and it was floating around in your liquor.
12:52But a fine job all the way across the board, my friend.
12:55Reggie, yours was one of those where the jar opened.
12:59I was like, wow, have I not smelled a fresh jar in a while?
13:02Because it just changed the whole room.
13:05John, you had a little higher proof than Reggie did.
13:09Good liquor.
13:10Nose was perfect.
13:12Wasn't quite the nose that Reggie's had.
13:14We have a beautiful aroma that comes out of that jar.
13:17So when you get to the sower mash, you can really enhance that.
13:21Outstanding job.
13:22Now, Ben, you've got aroma and flavor.
13:25Got it all put in one package and it was epic.
13:28And yours got the alcohol.
13:30It's got power.
13:31It's got flavor.
13:32All three of those are really good jars.
13:35I would buy them all day long.
13:36I'd drink them all night long.
13:37But we do have to pick one.
13:41This is for the pecking order in which I'm going to take you all into the grain house.
13:46From last to first is Reggie.
13:50You're number three going in.
13:52John, you're number two.
13:53And you're number one, Ben.
13:56And so that being said, if you'll drop your jars off the table, y'all can follow me out
14:01at the grain house and we're going to pick some ingredients.
14:04Don't you be drinking on that too much, Tim.
14:07Jones.
14:17Gentlemen, welcome to our little stock room.
14:20There's a ton of grain in here.
14:21We've got plenty of corn.
14:23We've got plenty of varieties of barley and rye.
14:25But what bags you see over there, there's one each of each one of them.
14:29When it's gone, number two don't get the same pick that number one had.
14:33Number three certainly don't get the picks that number two had.
14:36All right, Ben, you're the first one in the fire.
14:38You've got three minutes.
14:40Your three minutes starts now.
14:43Good luck and get with it, my friend.
14:47I want grains that I'm familiar with to create my sour mash.
14:55More like home.
14:56Now I'm going to get the hickory king corn.
14:58It's going to give me my sugars that I want.
15:0030 seconds burned up.
15:03Munich rye.
15:04I want to get Munich rye for the flavoring, the black pepper, the spice.
15:08We'll move on to the next contestant.
15:10And that's going to be you, John.
15:12And your three minutes starts now.
15:15Good luck and get with you, buddy.
15:16I thought the Carolina rye would be really good.
15:19And then I don't want to run the same kind of grains that everybody else usually runs.
15:23You got a plan or are you just jumping in there and seeing what's left?
15:27I want to make this stand out a little bit.
15:30So I was looking for bloody butcher corn.
15:32You good?
15:33I'm good, sir.
15:34Reggie, you got less to pick from.
15:37So your time starts now.
15:40Good luck and get with you.
15:41I'm hoping that corn and barley is available.
15:44Digger's original mash was corn and barley as well.
15:48Got some corn.
15:50That's a good start.
15:51And we're going to sing a song together.
15:53I'm good.
15:54You good?
15:55I'm good.
15:55All right, grab your bag.
15:56We'll come back and get the other.
16:03I know you got some big bags of corn there.
16:06They do, in fact.
16:07All right, guys.
16:08You know, you got your back set left over from your first run.
16:11The mash that Digger made for you, that was your sweet mash.
16:13You got a new burrow.
16:15Now, how you combine these new grains and spent mash is really going to determine the flavor of your sour
16:21mash whiskey.
16:22You got two hours.
16:23Build us your signature sour mash.
16:25Your two-hour starts now.
16:28Good luck and get with you, guys.
16:42I want to taste that bloody butcher.
16:58Go ahead.
16:59That is my new favorite game to mess with.
17:02It's different.
17:03Yep.
17:04Every part of this competition from now on is going to be based on this mash.
17:08So I want to make this sour mash stand out on its own and bring a little buttery notes, a
17:13little bit of that fruity flavor, and that earthy smell.
17:17That smells just like straight-up corn.
17:20Straight corn, baby.
17:21You know, the thing about it is, the corns they use, when they ferment, it could complement or it could
17:26take away from the spirit they had to start with.
17:29That's why I think Reggie's approach is interesting, because he's trying to duplicate the first one.
17:35So would you have picked something different?
18:05No.
18:07You know, the flavor to it, some of them say it's because that's our personality.
18:11Southern whiskey.
18:11We like ours sweeter.
18:12Yeah.
18:13Up north, they seem to like it a little more bitter.
18:1515 minutes, guys.
18:16That time's running out fast.
18:18Yep.
18:18One, two, three.
18:22I'm jumping on that award-winning mash now.
18:24Okay.
18:25Jesus, this thing is heavy.
18:27Oh, my God.
18:29Careful.
18:29Watch his hands.
18:32I just threw all those grains in the garbage.
18:36All right, let's do mine.
18:38Two, three.
18:43Gentlemen, hope you're where you want to be, because you've got two minutes left to get there.
18:50Oh, yeah, it's good and dark.
18:52Right now, they put that back set from your first run.
18:55I'm using seven gallons of back set.
18:59Back set going in.
19:00So I know I've got that sour flavors that I need.
19:04Time to dump my back set.
19:05I really want to honor what traditional Tennessee sour mash is, so I'm using seven gallons of that back set.
19:12Ticking down, boys.
19:1430 seconds, guys.
19:16I'm very proud of the sour mash they made.
19:18I plan on using five gallons of back set.
19:20I'm hoping that the rye shines through.
19:24Five, four, three, two, one.
19:28Step away from your barrels, gentlemen.
19:30You are done.
19:32Damn fine job on all of you's behalf.
19:34Thanks.
19:35Good luck, men.
19:36And we'll see you in five days.
19:38It smells good, huh?
19:39If it finishes as good as it smells, we're going to have a tough job on our hands.
19:49Welcome back, guys.
19:51You know, it's been five days since we've seen you.
19:52The sour mash has been fermenting.
19:55Hopefully it's finished off.
19:58Three things that we definitely look for.
20:00First and foremost, the flavor.
20:02We like seeing the clarity of a good jar.
20:04We want to taste some proof.
20:06We want to know that that's going to be marketable.
20:08People can build a cocktail with it or drink it straight out of the jar.
20:12We're looking for overall complexity and depth.
20:15You're going to have four hours, gentlemen.
20:18And sadly enough, one of y'all is going home after this run.
20:24And your four hour starts now.
20:26Good luck and get with you, guys.
20:28For the elimination round, distillers can use any combination of their sour mash,
20:34remaining back set, and distilled spirit from the first run
20:38to deliver a high-proof jar that best represents the smooth,
20:42balanced flavor profile of a sour mash whiskey.
20:46The mash turned out great.
20:48Great profile.
20:49It's sour, bitter, ready to go.
20:53The game plan is efficiency.
20:55Reg, it's been heating up a little bit at a time.
20:58I'm placing maybe a gallon or two at a time,
21:01just trying to heat it up a little faster.
21:03And then I'm charging my thumper with mash from the boiler.
21:08It's worked off good.
21:09I couldn't have been more excited when I opened up the mash barrel.
21:13Oh, it smells like beer.
21:14It had that bitter taste.
21:15It had that beer smell.
21:17From the first challenge, I didn't quite have the nose on my jar.
21:21This time, I want to marry what we started with from the beginning
21:24with my mash and then putting some of the tails from Digger's Run
21:28to add some extra flavor and nose to it.
21:33John's taking advantage of that first run.
21:35He's putting mash in it, and he also put a jar of his clear in it.
21:39That first jar he gets at, it's going to be pretty high in octane.
21:43Hey, Ben, how'd your mash turn out?
21:45It's clear.
21:46It's going to be lighter.
21:47We'll see.
21:48I'm very pleased with my sour mash.
21:51The flavor, the taste is very pleasant on the tongue.
21:55Ben, he put a little bit of sour mash in his thumper, too.
21:59I'm going to add Digger's sweet mash.
22:02If they built their mash correctly,
22:05all these little different nuances and these different mashes
22:08are going to complement one another if they do the right thing.
22:10Yeah, it could go either way, though.
22:14All right, Ben, you've got one hour burned.
22:16You've got three left.
22:17You're running.
22:19Big money, John.
22:21Beat me running.
22:22Good old wiki.
22:23I'm dripping, too.
22:24That's right.
22:26Whoo, hot.
22:29That boy's leaking.
22:31I'm losing a lot of alcohol.
22:33I have to do some pasting.
22:35Are you leaking?
22:36Over here and over here, yeah.
22:38He may have put too much mash in his thumper.
22:42Having a lot of liquid in the thumper
22:43will create a lot of back pressure in the arm and leak.
22:47And I've got to close that valve with the oatmeal paste.
22:51Let's say you're losing alcohol and you don't have a lot to lose.
22:53I don't know what to begin with, but I don't know.
22:55I'm nervous.
22:56I'm stressed out.
22:57Hey, Ben.
22:59How's the patchwork doing now?
23:01It's really not shaping up well.
23:03Well, you was trying to put your oatmeal on it.
23:06You know, all it's doing is pushing it right back out.
23:08You've got to have some reinforcement.
23:10You've got to have something to hold it and maybe make you a cast.
23:12I've got to do what I did for my kids.
23:14When someone breaks their hand, you've got to just take the towel, tie it up tight,
23:18make the oatmeal paste, and just pray with it.
23:21I've just got to hope that I get one jar before the time hits four hours.
23:25I was hoping to now end the star game at first, so let's see what happens.
23:28You burned three hours.
23:30You've got one left.
23:32Oh, there we go.
23:34I'm feeling really good.
23:36I've got just enough buttery notes, a little bit of that fruity flavor, and that earthy smell.
23:40I think I just got a jar.
23:42Woo-hoo!
23:43We got it.
23:45Oh!
23:46Stay in the running.
23:48We still have a jar.
23:49Gentlemen, you've got 30 minutes left and you run.
23:52Hope you found that sweet jar.
23:58You getting anywhere near where you want to be?
24:00I've got a lot of jars to pick from.
24:02That one right there will be.
24:03Very happy with the flavor.
24:04All the notes came through.
24:07I'm still in the heart, so I'm taking some taste.
24:10Sales from the previous run to kind of give me the good sweet and sour notes.
24:16I'm actively double filtering, triple filtering, just to make sure there are no floaties.
24:21There's nothing that can come back to bite me this time.
24:24Ben, how you doing?
24:26I'm liking it.
24:27You liking it?
24:28That's what I want.
24:29Are you going to get a full jar?
24:30I'm going to get a full jar, and the jar that I like as well.
24:33Huh.
24:36Guys don't mean to cause any panic, but you've got one minute to get us a jar on the table.
24:43Yeah.
24:44I'm really happy with the jar.
24:45It was really smooth and a real good corn whiskey taste.
24:49What Sour Mash not only is to me, but to a lot of us here in the South and Tennessee.
24:54Here comes jar number one.
24:56Mm-hmm.
24:57Here it is.
24:59That's the jar.
25:00Good luck.
25:08I'm very happy with what I produce.
25:10It's pleasant.
25:11The rye shines through.
25:13I like it.
25:14Is this the one?
25:15I believe it is.
25:17Yes, sir.
25:18Good luck.
25:18I can really taste the sour notes.
25:21You taste the light in traditional Sour Mash.
25:23That jar right there says Tennessee.
25:25It says me.
25:27Good luck.
25:28All right.
25:28Thank you, Reggie.
25:29I say we go get to tasting.
25:31Tim Jones isn't thirsty anymore.
25:39Sour Mash whiskey.
25:41Sour Mash.
25:42Yeah.
25:42Number one backwoods from the backwoods.
25:45Now, this is how we figured out how to turn a good whiskey into a great whiskey.
25:50Mm-hmm.
25:50Yeah.
25:50They ran the own mash.
25:52They ran it along with some of the back set from the mash I built them.
25:56And now we're fixing to see what kind of little symphony they put together here for us.
26:01All right.
26:01I think this is supposed to be Ben.
26:03Beautiful clear jar.
26:04Mm-hmm.
26:05All right.
26:06Go away pretty fast.
26:08He might be around 80.
26:10There was so many problems.
26:12Might be a question mark on how that will affect everything.
26:16Almost like a butter, rum, vanilla.
26:20And you taste that rye.
26:22It's spicy.
26:22It's got a really good nose on it, but it's got that rye bite.
26:27I think the spice is coming from the rye, but there's some alcohol in there.
26:30There's some alcohol, no doubt.
26:31It is a sweet rye.
26:33It might have a little off note on it.
26:35Remember, he put a lot in his thumper.
26:38It finishes dry, but it plays out too fast, I think.
26:41Yeah, but overall, still a good jar.
26:44All right, let's move on to John.
26:46I do like what Bloody Butcher brings to the party.
26:50I'm going to say he's north of 110.
26:53Yeah.
26:54I'd give him more than that.
26:55That's pretty high proof.
26:56I'd give him 118.
26:58It's got a real buttery, smooth flavor that deepens it up and then sweetens towards the
27:03end of the run.
27:04All right, his nose is a little bit different.
27:06It's going to be a sweet nose out of that Bloody Butcher.
27:09It's got a nice, nice, buttery, smooth taste.
27:14But it doesn't have the rich flavor of sour mash.
27:16Well, it's really grain-forward.
27:18Smells great.
27:22It's definitely more of a corn-based sour mash whiskey, but the proof is high.
27:30It's a little bit high on alcohol.
27:31It was about 10 proof less.
27:33I can tell the Bloody Butcher's in there, but the complexity's just not there.
27:37We have one more jar, so let's see.
27:40I think it's pretty clear.
27:42I don't see anything floating in it.
27:45We'll see what he did with it.
27:47Maybe give him 90.
27:49Reggie, how many jars did you get?
27:51That last one when we walked in was 10.
27:55Well, it's got a good mouthfeel to it.
27:58It's a pretty good drink.
27:59Smells great.
28:00It's got that similar smell from the beginning.
28:03So you've got to remember, Reggie's trying to match that mash and the flavor profile.
28:07What he's trying to do is be consistent.
28:09It's got that corn whiskey burn right there just a few seconds in.
28:14It's a sweet corn whiskey.
28:16Like we started in the beginning, all three of them are really good.
28:21There's two jars here I think can move forward.
28:24Which one are you going to send home?
28:26I'll let them know.
28:38We didn't think it was going to take us as long, but we wanted to sip a little bit.
28:42It was pleasant, to say the least.
28:44I'll just go ahead and say it right now.
28:46There's not a losing jar over there.
28:48But unfortunately, only two of you is going to move on to the final round, which is rapid ageing.
28:55So that being said, Ben, corn and rye, they don't really complement one another and they don't meld well, but
29:04it plays out well.
29:05It finished dried and then I just got a little sweet finish on it at the very end.
29:10There was a few things on the nose that I'm not a huge fan of, but overall, you put a
29:14really nice jar in front of us.
29:17And John, the Bloody Butcher, it's a staple in bourbons and sour mash if you want something that's a little
29:22different.
29:22The notes came through, but it was just one single level.
29:26There was nothing really in there that was really complex enough, but it was a fine drink.
29:34Reggie, exceptional jar.
29:36I'm not saying that because you said you were mimicking my mash, but I think you put your own twist
29:41on it.
29:42I think he was trying to ride Digger's Coattail all the way from the beginning.
29:45You just added to it.
29:47And that's what Sower Mash is all about, bringing out the best in those greens.
29:51Good proof, good clean jars, proud of all three of them.
29:56There's no losing jars in there, but at the end of the day, somebody does have to go home.
30:11And unfortunately, John, that jar bought you a ticket home, my friend.
30:15And you don't have a thing to be ashamed of because what separated you, you couldn't see with the naked
30:22eye.
30:22I'll promise you.
30:25Using the Bloody Butcher was definitely a risk.
30:27I didn't come here to stick with what I know.
30:29I wanted to make sure that I put everything I had into it.
30:32You did a fantastic job.
30:34Every one of us was bringing our A game, and I know I did Tennessee proud.
30:40And then there were two.
30:42Final challenge.
30:44You know, anyone knows that good Sower Mash whiskey needs to be aged.
30:48Aging with chips.
30:50Nothing takes the place of a barrel in my mind.
30:52But when you work in the illegal world like we do, you don't have the luxury of having a bunch
30:58of barrels hanging around that will send you to the penitentiary.
31:01So we had to age it, get it out the door as quickly as possible.
31:05That's what we're putting before you right now is that exact same task.
31:10Just like Sower Mash, rapid aging is a technique developed by moonshiners to age whiskey in a fraction of the
31:18time it takes in a barrel.
31:20By putting charred oak chips directly into the spirit, they can use multiple types of wood with varying degrees of
31:28char to create a trademark color and flavor that complements the full-bodied grain notes of unaged Sower Mash whiskey.
31:36In recent years, cutting-edge distilleries have begun applying backwoods innovation at an industrial scale.
31:44Combining modern high-pressure technology with expertly selected hardwood chips, they can replicate the taste and color of a five
31:53-year-old whiskey in just 24 hours.
31:58I'd like to introduce you to my good friend here, Chad Slagle, a wood specialist.
32:04Hi, guys. My name is Chad Slagle, and I'm founder and head of innovation here at Two Trees Distilling Company.
32:09I've found some really unique woods, some that work the best across all distillates.
32:16The wood is 100% of the color, and it can be more than half the flavor.
32:20It's a staple in Sower Mash whiskey, so it's really important to figure out and understand what you have in
32:26your jar and what you're going to pair it with.
32:28Choose wisely.
32:30You're going to have 30 minutes to get what chips you want.
32:34Make as many jars with as many different woods as you'd like and blend them as you see fit.
32:39Y'all ready?
32:40That time starts now.
32:42Good luck and get with you.
32:46This is going to come down to New York rye or Tennessee whiskey.
32:49And American white oak is the go-to standard for Tennessee whiskey, but I want to put my own spin
32:55in it.
32:56I'm using American white oak and a local cherry.
33:00We're going with the staples, you know, French oak, American oak.
33:03I want to add American oak flavors to the whiskey because I have a harsh rye, and hopefully they'll really
33:09help to bind all the different notes in the spurs together.
33:13He's going to have a bigger jaw.
33:15It's a charcuterie board for wood.
33:19Yeah, they're going from master skiller to master blender right now.
33:23That's a bleep right there.
33:24If you've never done it before, that is a different world.
33:27I don't want to over oak it, so I'm taking some American white oak in and a local cherry, a
33:33little bit at a time.
33:35I want to create a cherry coat with a little sour twist.
33:39The judges are from Tennessee, so just really sticking to the staple, sticking to what I know, and just hoping
33:45that carries over for the judges to taste.
33:52That was bad.
33:54Rapid aging overnight is a huge concern.
33:56It's not something I'm used to.
33:58But I'm confident to know what I know, and just focusing and going forward.
34:04And all of us at this table know what you can do with wood.
34:06You can ruin it real fast.
34:07Real fast.
34:11Gentlemen, you got five minutes left.
34:13You all look like you're kind of settled in and happy with where you're at.
34:16Ben, you okay with where you're at?
34:18I'm pretty confident in it, yes.
34:21You can cut on out of here.
34:22We're going to lock this room down where your spirit will be safe, and it won't be touched until you
34:27all show up again tomorrow.
34:28We look forward to tasting it, gentlemen.
34:30Good luck.
34:32And this is probably in the top three of the runs that I'm excited to taste.
34:37I really don't want to taste 150 proof.
34:40Usually when we taste, do you proof it way down.
34:43Yeah.
34:44And a lot of times a flaw or a tasting note will pop out at lower proof, and then taste
34:49it again at where you're going to actually enjoy it.
34:52You know, some of these guys will get into that jar, and next thing you know, they really don't know
34:57what they're tasting.
34:57Rule number one that I was talking, if you start drinking this stuff hard, you'll never make a damn nickel.
35:03Yeah.
35:04I tell people that a lot.
35:13All right, welcome back, guys.
35:15I think those jaws right there on the table look a little bit different than yesterday.
35:19Keep in mind, this is for all the marbles right here.
35:23This is going to determine the next master distiller.
35:26You've got 30 minutes to blend, filter, temper, whatever else you want to do, and get it on the table
35:31before that 30 minutes passes.
35:33Your time starts now.
35:35Good luck and get with you, guys.
35:40After aging overnight, everything's looking good.
35:43Great color, and the flavor and smell is spot on.
35:46Sweet and sour notes that stay true to the Tennessee sour mass whiskey.
35:52I don't know.
35:52It looks a little dingy over here on Reggie's table.
35:56You know, normally when you see that degree of color, it's kind of immature.
36:01I'm afraid he'll overthink it and overblend, take it too far.
36:07I'm just being careful.
36:08I made the mistake with floaties the last time.
36:11It's not going to happen again.
36:13Gentlemen, you got 15 minutes.
36:17How'd your whiskey turn out, Ben?
36:18I know the wood chips are really good.
36:20They gave off a good flavor.
36:21I haven't tasted the whiskey yet.
36:23I'd taste the whiskey.
36:24I mean, damn.
36:25First thing blenders do is taste what they're working with.
36:29I feel like I'm on a fishing trip.
36:31Seems like you're being real careful with those chips.
36:33Any particular reason?
36:35Trying not to cloud it.
36:36Ben, if he's taking them out of a chip every five minutes, he's going to run out of time.
36:39It's taken me an awful long time because I want to deliver a clear spurt.
36:44I got time, and I want to maximize it.
36:47I think I'm ready.
36:48Break it on up, boss.
36:50I know I've got that good sweet and sour notes that Tennessee whiskey is known for.
36:55I think this is the jar to win it all.
36:58This is Tennessee whiskey.
37:00Ben, you've got, oh, a little over five minutes left.
37:04Use every minute wisely.
37:06I have my final jar.
37:07I put my cards on New York.
37:10I put my cards on me, and I represent who I am.
37:14It's a nice color, Ben.
37:15That is a beautiful color.
37:17Well, gentlemen, I think it's time for us to go do our job.
37:23Let's do it.
37:23Got to get to work, boys.
37:24Let's do it.
37:25Good luck, man.
37:27The aging process, that's what makes a sour mash whiskey what it is.
37:32We're going to see what they brought to the table with their chips of choice.
37:36Let's look at Reggie.
37:39Yeah, I still smell that first jar.
37:43It's still there.
37:43That good, sweet corn.
37:44That good, sweet, and flavor aroma is still there.
37:48Yeah, the quintessential American whiskey notes are usually caramel, vanilla.
37:52Sometimes you get, like, that old leather note, things like that.
37:56Yeah, old leather, mousy leather.
37:57Well, I think I just tasted all of those notes.
37:59Yeah.
38:00Smells great.
38:05It doesn't have, like, a super dry finish.
38:09It's sweet all the way through.
38:10Just a good, quintessential Tennessee sour mash.
38:14Perfect.
38:14That's what we're looking for.
38:16That better get me a little taste.
38:19Oh, yeah, that's really nice.
38:21He didn't over-oak it.
38:22No, he did not.
38:23So it is a quintessential flavor profile, but does that mean it has a place on the shelf
38:29somewhere?
38:32All right, let's move on to Ben.
38:34A guy from New York here.
38:36Oh, I got a lot of aroma.
38:38Oh, yeah, I smell it now.
38:39A lot of aroma coming out of there.
38:40Yeah.
38:41She's pretty spicy on the front.
38:43I'm tasting alcohol, and I'm also tasting the rye.
38:46It's a little bit more on the spicy side.
38:48He got rid of some of the sweets that he had with the clear mash.
38:51There's a little hint of an off note on the nose for me.
38:56There's got to be something with that rye.
38:58It's all up front.
38:59It is a tiny bit over-oak.
39:02Yeah, and it tastes like it.
39:03But overall, the flavor profile on this is really good.
39:07I mean, if you're looking for a sour mash, high rye whiskey, this is the one.
39:11I know that would play really well in a cocktail.
39:14And I think Ben, he put his personality into that jar.
39:17Both of these jars have a place on a shelf, but only one of them can be crowned master distiller.
39:22Why don't you just go tell them?
39:23Let's go.
39:23Time to do it.
39:35Well, guys, here we are.
39:37This is the end of y'all's journey, and probably the beginning.
39:41I'm going to hand it off to Timmy, and we'll go right down the line.
39:44Reggie, for me, when I tasted the jar from the beginning, you still had that flavor profile all the way
39:51through.
39:51And it seemed like it just kept getting better and better and better.
39:55And that's part of what made sour mash the standard of American whiskey.
40:00Looking at your taste profile, you've built on it consistently throughout the whole contest.
40:06And that taste profile is really a quintessential American sour mash.
40:11Reggie, yours was flavorful, had plenty of proof, and didn't finish off subtly.
40:18It stayed strong to the very end.
40:20It's what we look for a sour mash.
40:23Ben, excellent jaw.
40:24You proofed it perfectly, and you actually put some of your personality in the jaw, too.
40:30Ben, the first thing I thought of was this would make a damn good Manhattan.
40:34Oh, perfect.
40:35Yeah.
40:36There's still a little bit, an off note that I picked up early that's still on that jar.
40:42Across the board, it's really good.
40:44Just something I wish would have got cleaned up a little bit better.
40:48Both of you are outstanding distillers, and that would take both of them jars to market.
40:52We really had to grasp at straws on this one, but we can only have one master distiller out of
40:59the flight.
41:05Reggie, you're the next master distiller, my friend.
41:08Congratulations.
41:09Good job.
41:10Congratulations.
41:10Thank you, man.
41:11I'm glad I went with my gut.
41:12I mean, Tennessee boys had to do the Tennessee thing, you know?
41:16Sour Mash, whiskey that's a staple in my hometown, and I'm your next master distiller.
41:21You guys head on out of here and find you a spot to park there and share your drinks with
41:26one another.
41:27Thank you, guys.
41:28Thank you for the opportunity.
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