- 7 weeks ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01There's more wine produced every year than the world's population can drink.
00:06It's for drinking yesterday, it's for distilling today.
00:09And for Backwoods Moonshiners, that spells opportunity.
00:15Now we're making wine in the shine.
00:18Now, three skilled distillers.
00:21Chose the Merlot. I want to get a little sweetness out of that.
00:24Take on a centuries-old challenge.
00:26These darker red wines, they're notorious for their leathery taste.
00:30How to turn unconsumed bottles of wine into shine.
00:37That thing is exceptionally clear.
00:40You saw that blood red wine that he started out with.
00:43That will stand the test of time.
00:45You can taste the different layers of flavor.
00:48That's what people are looking for.
00:59Welcome to Master Distiller.
01:00Today, we're turning wine into shine.
01:04Humans have been drinking wine for thousands of years.
01:07But anybody that's ever popped a quart and left it sitting on the counter for a day or so,
01:13you know that it doesn't last very long.
01:15But, if you distill that wine into brandy, it'll last forever.
01:21We're looking at some of the best legal and outlaw distillers there are around.
01:26So, for round one, we're throwing you a curve ball.
01:30First, you're going to distill wine made from apples, not grapes.
01:35It's also known as hard cider.
01:39Wine made with fermented grape juice has been a part of European, African, and Asian culture since before the Roman
01:47Empire.
01:47But the best wines were often monopolized by the ruling classes,
01:52leaving everyday drinkers to innovate with other fruit-based wines like hard apple cider.
01:58Since apples contain less fermentable sugars than wine grapes, most hard apple ciders top out at 5% to 10
02:06% alcohol,
02:08whereas grapes can yield 14% alcohol or more.
02:12Both hard apple cider and grape-based wine can be distilled into brandy.
02:17But it takes an experienced distiller to recognize the differences
02:21and adapt their techniques to deliver a balanced, high-proof spirit.
02:26All right, guys, for your first challenge, there are five ciders.
02:31Tim?
02:31A little bit of what I got on that tray here.
02:34It's a combination of stuff.
02:37Well, even left to right, all of them's got apple in it.
02:39Apple only.
02:41Watermelon, tangerine, blueberry, black currant, an apple and pear.
02:49The cider here is less complex than the fancy bottles of wine you'll be working with later on,
02:56but it will show us your palate and how you bring out flavors in the still.
03:01The one of you that makes the best tasting spirit will get first pick for wines for your elimination run.
03:10The final two will get to rerun their wine spirit along with additional ingredients to create your own signature wineshine.
03:20Not only that the winner of this competition is going to get the bragging rights,
03:24but you're also going to get your limited run of your wine spirit.
03:30You know what you were working with here?
03:33What we're looking for is a clear, full-bodied liquor with plenty of flavor and aroma,
03:39with a bare minimum of 80 proof.
03:42Your four hour starts now.
03:44Good luck getting with you guys.
03:53I think this is going to be a tough challenge.
03:58You've got a lot of different fruits in here that don't always play nice together,
04:02and cider's a lot lower proof than wine used to make brandy.
04:07I have distilled cider in the spirits.
04:09There's different flavors that come from them than what you can get with wine,
04:14and I'm an artist when it comes to blending and tasting.
04:20There we go.
04:21Just don't set your hat on fire.
04:23My name is Gino, I'm 30, and I'm from Colorado.
04:28My dad's a police officer, my two older brothers are police officers,
04:32and I'm a moonshiner.
04:36So by myself, I have been distilling for 12 years.
04:39The first thing that I distilled was wine.
04:41I have a wine bottle tattooed on my arm, and my knuckles say make wine.
04:45I have been making wine and spirits from a young age.
04:48It is definitely a passion of mine.
04:50When I was really young, my wrestling coach actually made wine,
04:54and I went to work with him.
04:56I went out in the vines, I fell in love with it,
04:59and it just became part of me.
05:02Ooh, that's a good one.
05:04To be the next master distiller means so much to me
05:06because I will be a professional in one form of alcohol
05:10and a master in another.
05:14Dano.
05:15Yes, sir?
05:16What's your strategy?
05:17My final product, I just think of it as winemaking,
05:20and I'm trying to just come up with the best blend.
05:22I'm going to use watermelon
05:25because it has the highest ABV of any of the ciders,
05:28and I use the pear and the blueberry
05:32because I want to be able to play off of their flavors.
05:36Did you blend them all together or only in your thumper?
05:39I've got about 40% blue, 40% pear in my main pot,
05:46and then in my thump, I wanted to charge it
05:48with that sweetness from that blueberry again
05:50and the ABV from that watermelon.
05:52I want the pear to be the primary flavor,
05:56and I want it to be that finish,
05:58but I want the middle to be a big hit of blueberry.
06:03I think Claire picked that whole drum up.
06:05She's stout.
06:06I'm strong.
06:07I am Claire Robbins.
06:09I'm 30 years old.
06:11I am a true Southern girl.
06:13I grew up in Alabama, moved to Kentucky,
06:16and now down in Sarasota, Florida.
06:19I'm a master distiller of Good Liquid Distilling Company.
06:22All right, this is where all the magic happens.
06:24So her name's Ginger for obvious reasons.
06:26My specialty spirit is definitely gin.
06:28I specialize in gin.
06:29I love gin.
06:30I am an award winner in gin.
06:32My award-winning gin is a tropical gin.
06:35So it won double gold at New York International Spirits Competition,
06:38and it was one of five.
06:40So it was one of the top five gins in the world that year.
06:43I am so competitive, and so it felt so nice to be able to, like, thrive in that moment.
06:51I do distill wine into spirits.
06:53I work with a winery that they didn't love their wine,
06:58so I'm refining their wine, and they distribute for me.
07:02I already have that title of master distiller in my own field.
07:05I would love to take that on in something different that challenges me,
07:09like this small-scale distilling.
07:11I am so competitive.
07:12It will kill me if I don't win.
07:15Oh, there you go.
07:18Don't ever fear the poof.
07:19It's never as bad as you think.
07:21I loaded up watermelon knowing that it had a lot of flavor
07:25and also had that ABV, and then a little bit of pear,
07:29and then added apple because it's a great baseline.
07:32Did you blend any of your cider?
07:36So I added more of the watermelon.
07:37Since that watermelon was so high in proof, I really wanted that proof.
07:40For my thumper, I charged it with some of the pear.
07:44I think that those three ciders will pair together well
07:47because it's like a fruit cocktail.
07:49Now, Chuck, what did you go with?
07:52Blackcurrant, apple, and blueberry.
07:55Those flavor compounds seem like they would go really well together.
07:59My name is Charles Warren from Washington, D.C.,
08:01but everybody calls me Chuck.
08:04I work for the Library of Congress,
08:06doing shipping and receiving and logistics.
08:11Yeah, my real passion is distilling.
08:13And my first recipe was honey infused with Thai basil that I grew.
08:20And it came out awesome.
08:21This is wine liquor.
08:23You know, this was made from honey.
08:25Uh-huh.
08:25My fiance was right there just cheering me on.
08:30First shine.
08:31Come on now, down the hatchet.
08:34Baby, you did it.
08:35You did it.
08:36You made your first shine.
08:39If I win the master distiller, then I'm the champion.
08:43And then I'll be able to go forward in opening up my own distillery.
08:50Chuck, tell us about what you did with all your cider you got.
08:54Well, I mixed all three of them in here.
08:56I put all three into the pot.
08:58All three in the pot.
08:59And I only put an apple and the current one in the thumper.
09:03How much did you put in the thumper? About halfway?
09:05Mm-hmm.
09:06I never distilled cider before,
09:08but this is just a simple process of watching the heat
09:10and keeping the fire low.
09:12Guys, you got two hours left. You're halfway there.
09:18I'm surprised anybody wanted a watermelon tangerine.
09:21Anytime you stay with berry, berry, berry fruit, that's okay.
09:24But when you jump to watermelon...
09:26Citrus.
09:26That's a different ballgame.
09:29Woo-woo!
09:31Let's go.
09:32So as the spirit comes off the still, I finally get a taste of it.
09:37And I am very pleased immediately.
09:39The flavor profile was exactly where I wanted it to be.
09:42Oh, you're going.
09:43Once it started running, just that first hit of blueberry came out.
09:49Smells like candy.
09:50Yeah.
09:51And the pear almost transitioned more into a peachy sweetness
09:55that really stood out to me.
10:00Damn.
10:01This is just pulling out like a foster dog.
10:04As I'm tasting my jar, I'm happy with the flavor.
10:09I definitely taste that current.
10:10But I don't like the smell that's giving off.
10:13Whew.
10:15Almost like a chemical smell.
10:17Whoo!
10:19If I run it through the charcoal, will it take away that chemical smell?
10:2330 minutes left in your run, guys.
10:26I believe Chuck's trying to decide.
10:28I believe he's got a jar ready.
10:29Yeah, I think I got my jar.
10:31My competition, um, it's kind of tight.
10:34I have a master distiller and a wine expert.
10:37I need to go into the wine cellar to pick first.
10:40I got a jar for you guys.
10:41That it?
10:42That should be the one.
10:43That's your pick of the litter.
10:44Yes.
10:46I'm trying to play towards the judge's desire for it to be 80 proof.
10:52That's like, like warm.
10:55It is warm.
10:55Like cold taffy.
10:58Like a watermelon taffy.
10:59Yeah.
11:00I didn't want to use too much watermelon with this.
11:03I still ended up using quite a bit,
11:06because it has the highest ABV of any of the ciders.
11:09That's the one.
11:10That's the one.
11:10Good luck, Gino.
11:15It's hot, but I feel like that's the point.
11:19As I've added water, the flavor really did not hold up.
11:23It's better to play it safe and go higher on the proof
11:25than have a less than ideal flavor profile.
11:29In a beautiful clear jar of spirit.
11:32Absolutely.
11:32Clara, you just step on back to your station, cool off.
11:36As soon as we get back, we're going to give you all our verdict.
11:46Hard cider, gentlemen.
11:47This is the product we are looking at.
11:49Whoever brings a big, balanced flavor here on these fruits,
11:53that's going to give them the advantage of going in to pick their wines for the elimination run.
11:57The highest criteria was, minimum of 80 proof.
12:01Had to be a clear jar.
12:02Well, let's look at Chuck.
12:06Looks like a jar of water.
12:07Nice and clear.
12:08All right.
12:10Yeah.
12:11Today's some beef.
12:12Youngin's got him some skills.
12:14I was surprised with the currants.
12:15I didn't even know that a currant was a fruit until today.
12:19Yeah.
12:19So...
12:22Little bit of bite up front.
12:24I'm getting fruity flavor, apple, blueberry.
12:27It's got a real dry finish.
12:29But I mean, it ain't an unpleasant taste at all.
12:32Little spike up front.
12:34I mean, the proof is there, but it really goes away quick.
12:38It's kind of got a hint like a cherry brandy out there in the middle.
12:42There ain't a thing wrong with that.
12:43I can't wait to see how he handles distilled wine.
12:46It's got a lot more layers and a lot more proof.
12:49We're good to go on to clear?
12:51I think so.
12:53Right there?
12:54Looky there.
12:55My hat jar is clear.
12:57All right, here we go.
13:00There's where the money's at.
13:02Yeah.
13:03We got some clear bubbles popping up there.
13:05I went a little earlier on my cut,
13:07but hoping it didn't get too much of, you know,
13:11like the head's component.
13:12Right.
13:15You know, usually as a rule,
13:17watermelon don't bring a lot of flavor, does it?
13:19I'm tasting watermelon.
13:21Are you really?
13:22Damn.
13:23Little bite up front, goes away.
13:26Mm-hmm.
13:27That don't hit me on the back end as hard as Chuck's did.
13:30Yeah.
13:30It's like watermelon finish.
13:32But this ain't hot.
13:33Even though it's a higher proof than that one, it's not as fiery.
13:37Yeah, you take that jar to a cookout, you have a fight.
13:40Everybody's gonna want it.
13:41That's really nice.
13:42That's a pretty good jar of liquor, ain't it?
13:44Yeah.
13:45You're just kidding.
13:45That's a good jar of liquor.
13:47Let's see what old Geno got for the table.
13:49All right, Geno.
13:49Let's see what he's got.
13:50Rather clear.
13:51Mm-hmm.
13:55Nice jar, too.
13:57Yeah.
13:57Yeah.
13:58Feel good with mine.
13:59Yeah.
13:59Yeah.
14:00I feel the heat was right, so just blending it just a little bit.
14:04I used most of that jar.
14:05Keep in mind that he is a professional blender at a winery, so he's got a pretty educated palate.
14:13Hot on the back end and fruity.
14:16It's the smoothest one out of the bunch.
14:19He gets an A for blending skills.
14:21Oh, yeah.
14:23That's right.
14:23It's almost like you got all of the flavors in there.
14:26I switched it around my mouth forever and still ain't on fire.
14:30It's a smooth jar.
14:32This came down to blending and running the steels.
14:37Running the steels.
14:37Absolutely.
14:38I think we go lay the word out.
14:40All right.
14:50Well, we made it back, guys.
14:53Fine job across the board, I'm telling you.
14:56All right, with that being said, Chuck brought us a good clear jar.
15:00It was a little spicy up front.
15:02It's a real dry finish.
15:04I was really expecting a brandy taste, but it's almost like a wine taste, so good job.
15:11Hey, Chuck, I'm going to tell you.
15:13You got them proofing skills down pat.
15:15Flavorful jar.
15:16You did a fine job running that still.
15:21Clara, you actually have the cleanest clear jar of the three.
15:26And you brought us a good high proof jar.
15:28Plenty of backbone.
15:29That would hold up well in the cocktail and not break down.
15:32You know, all in all, really good.
15:35Gino, yours was the lowest proof, but it's still above the minimum threshold.
15:42And sometimes, the lower the proof, it puts more flavor out.
15:45I think your blending skills served you well.
15:49To me, the flavor was absolutely great.
15:52Well done.
15:55This is for pecking order who gets to go into our little stock room full of fine wines.
16:01As far as how we're going in, Gino, you're going to go first.
16:11Clara, you're going in second.
16:13And Chuck, you're going in third.
16:15All three of you did a great job.
16:18And at the next challenge, you know, someone will be going home.
16:22Your next challenge, you're going to be distilling wine, which has more alcohol, but it also has a lot more
16:30flavor.
16:32The wines you're going to be working with are actually table wines.
16:35They're made for drinking.
16:36They're not wines that were made as a mash for a secondary product.
16:40You better be very careful because it may bring something through in distillation.
16:45It's unpleasant.
16:47All right.
16:48Drop your jars and follow me.
16:50We're going to the wine cellar.
16:53The common wine grape, Vitus vinifera, was the first fruit crop domesticated by humans.
17:00Over 11,000 years ago.
17:04Now, the most recognizable wines on liquor store shelves are all made from varietals of the same species.
17:12With vines covering more than 13.5 million acres around the world.
17:18Despite a shared ancestor, each vineyard's environment and growing method leaves a unique fingerprint on the grapes.
17:25While the winemaker's technique shapes the character of the wine even further.
17:33Grapes have an extraordinary ability to produce chemical compounds during fermentation called esters that are identical to those in other
17:42fruits.
17:42Presenting in a measurable range of flavors and aromas depending on the yeast used and the time spent in a
17:49barrel.
17:49So, while any fruit can be turned into wine, the malleability and endless possibility of the humble grape has justifiably
17:58dominated the category for thousands of years.
18:02For the elimination round, distillers must use traditional grape wines along with any specialty wines they choose to distill an
18:11original high proof spirit.
18:12All right guys, now it's time to pick your wine to run your shop.
18:17You'll have two minutes in which to do so.
18:20Gino, you're going first. Your two minutes start now.
18:24Get busy.
18:27I'm so happy that I got to go into the wine cellar first because that is my area of expertise.
18:32I don't even need to taste all the wines in order to know their flavors that they're going to put
18:36out.
18:36You have one minute left.
18:38Going for the Merlot. It tastes the best. I can really extract some decent flavors out of it.
18:43I also picked a Moscato and a Sauvignon Blanc.
18:46Moscato is going to be sweet and then Sauvignon Blanc. That's apples and pears.
18:51All dead? All right.
18:53Outstanding.
18:54All right, Claire. On your mark. Get set. Go.
19:00What are you looking for, Claire?
19:02Something fruity.
19:03I distill Chardonnay at home. That is something that I am comfortable with.
19:08You have 30 seconds left.
19:10I did add some of the strawberry wine to kind of add a little bit of sweetness to it.
19:14And then the Sauvignon Blanc, add some in. If not, I can drink it later.
19:19Three, two, one. You're done.
19:23Okay. Chuck, you ready, my man?
19:25Yes, I am.
19:26Your two minutes start now.
19:30Coming in last gave me a little disadvantage.
19:33Go ahead and get all wind up in here before you get your run started. You won't dread it near
19:38as bad.
19:38Gino just picked my top choice, the Merlot, but I have to go for the Cabernet.
19:42And strawberry Moscato.
19:45I see a bottle of wine over there with a funky purple color.
19:50Tastes like a raspberry chocolate milkshake, and it tasted so good that I had to grab all three bottles.
19:56Have a minute left.
19:57I think the raspberry chocolate would go perfectly fine with the Cabernet.
20:02A man that knows exactly what he wants.
20:05We can't wait to taste it, so let's get back to the still house and turn that wine into shine.
20:15We got all kinds of wine here. I think we're going to have good wine shine.
20:22Well, bring us a beautiful, clear, flavorful spirit at a bare minimum proof of 90.
20:29The spirit that you run here now will also be used as your base for the two that makes it
20:36into the final challenge.
20:38You're going to have four hours, but at the end of this challenge, one of you will be going on.
20:48Let's turn that wine into shine.
20:51You got four hours. Your time starts now.
21:02Beautiful wine.
21:03It makes flavorful liquor if you run it slow.
21:09What kind of base wine did you pick, Chuck?
21:12I picked Cabernet.
21:14I picked the Cabernet for the main pot.
21:19I also put a gallon of Cabernet and the three chocolate raspberry into the thumper.
21:27That chocolate raspberry that he put in his thumper.
21:30I mean, that stuff looked really good.
21:32I also put some strawberry Moscato.
21:36I'm going for a super rich chocolate raspberry flavor.
21:41Moscato, ain't that a real sweet?
21:43It's a real sweet wine, yeah.
21:52Ooh!
21:54Why do you pick Chardonnay?
21:55I want a more neutral base.
21:59Chardonnay has a little bit more fruity, floral notes, so I could go a million different routes.
22:05I think she's going for a more neutral flavor, you know, planning for her final challenge.
22:11You know, that's not a bad move.
22:14So white wine, girly.
22:16What did you end up going with?
22:17I chose the Merlot.
22:18I want to get a little sweetness out of it.
22:20I want to get a little bit of chocolatey.
22:21I want to get blueberry.
22:23I'm putting my Merlot all in the pot.
22:27I'm going to use some for my thumper, but what I want in my thumper, I want that Moscato.
22:32I want to pull out that sweetness.
22:33I want the flavor of peaches.
22:35I want that green pear in there, too.
22:36So I'm going to put a little bit of the Sauvignon Blanc also in the pot with the Merlot.
22:41You know, these darker red wines, the tannins that are in them, I mean, they may bring, you know, too
22:46much leather to the party.
22:47I mean, they're notorious for their leathery taste.
22:52For this run, I'm going to try and recreate my sangria recipe in a clear jar.
22:57It always tends to impress.
22:59Ooh, I smell something.
23:02Like a Ryan.
23:03Yep.
23:04That tastes real good.
23:06It is tasting just how I would like it to.
23:09Having, like, the fruity notes, the floral notes, everything, you know, bright and airy has been very nice.
23:17You're dripping.
23:18You're running.
23:19Oh, for real?
23:21That smell good.
23:23When it first came out the run, all I smelled was chocolate and raspberries.
23:27All right, I'm getting a steady pull now.
23:29The chocolate and the raspberry notes are there, and the proof is there as well, so I'm going to have
23:35to proof it down some.
23:38Yeah, got some proof on that.
23:44What'd it taste like?
23:46Peaches.
23:47Judges like higher proof liquor.
23:48On the last run, I was the lowest proof, but this time I'm going to bring it up a bit
23:54and really play around with my blending.
23:57You know, all of them really know what they're doing.
23:59They got the seal set up.
24:00I can't believe they're still, they've run so long as they haven't, they're still not high proof.
24:09Two minute warning, guys.
24:15I'm tall between two.
24:17Flip a coin.
24:18Flip a lid.
24:19I think I got my jar, guys.
24:21This jar definitely tastes like sangria.
24:23It tastes like a very hot sangria, but it tastes like a good sangria.
24:27I'm good to go.
24:28I feel good about it.
24:30I am very happy with my final jar.
24:33I, you know, am presenting it with pride.
24:36We look forward to tasting it.
24:38Good luck, Clara.
24:40Chuck, I hope you found that pick of the litter.
24:45There it is.
24:47Oh, there you go.
24:47I never quite seen it done that way before.
24:50I really believe that this jar could get me to the final round.
24:53We're going to head out and do some more tasting.
24:56Just don't get too comfortable, because after this, somebody's going home.
25:04We started out with cider.
25:06Now we're talking about flavors from aging in a barrel, from different types of grapes.
25:11This is really next level.
25:13If the guys did anything like they did with the cider, we're going to have something good to taste.
25:18The only requirement that we put on them was a clear jar and a minimum of 90 proof.
25:25Well, let's start with Chuck, man.
25:30I don't think it's low proof.
25:31I'm just hoping this was in the jar right here.
25:34It smelled awesome.
25:35I know.
25:35That smell really came through.
25:37Yes.
25:38You smell it.
25:39It's like decadent.
25:41I hope I can keep that one.
25:42It's all blackberry.
25:44It's got a fruity smell.
25:50Not like what I expected.
25:51I was thinking about a brandy is what I thought it was going to be.
25:54Yeah.
25:54The chocolate did it in justice.
25:57There's no highs and lows.
25:58It's just how it starts out.
26:00You got a little alcohol, then it peters out.
26:02I never tasted nothing like it.
26:04My first as well.
26:06All right.
26:07Clara.
26:09That thing is exceptionally clear.
26:11I mean, I...
26:12Really?
26:13I just hope a lot of flavor came in with it.
26:17Yeah.
26:19It's not as robust, which was intentional, but I'm just hoping that they see the quality in that.
26:27And it's got some power.
26:30That's a pretty good drink.
26:32That's pretty strong.
26:33It don't have that butter flavor, slick taste.
26:36It's dry.
26:36I like it.
26:38I really like the flavor, but it's just too hot proof-wise.
26:42It's not quite breathtaking, but it's good.
26:4420 points lower in proof.
26:46The jar right there would be something.
26:50All right, y'all ready?
26:52Gino.
26:54Did he lose his flavor?
26:55I hope he did.
26:56That's high proof.
26:57He brought the horsies.
26:59I actually blended between five different jars.
27:03Well, he had to blend, and those flavors are going to come out at different temperatures.
27:07They will.
27:09It's got full flavor.
27:11Got a lot of fruity notes in there.
27:13It's a good taste profile, but it is really strong.
27:17It's got a lot of flavor to be the proof that it is.
27:20Yeah, yeah.
27:20That's the best grape flavor on the table.
27:23Absolutely.
27:23Yeah, it's got the best flavor, but it's probably 25 proof higher than anybody else.
27:28They did pretty much what we asked them to do.
27:31But this is an elimination round, guys.
27:33One of these is going home.
27:43We got all kinds of wine chimes.
27:49Well, guys, here we are, belly full of liquor, and ready to give y'all our decision.
27:57Chuck, flavorful jar of liquor.
27:59The raspberry was in there.
28:00The chocolate, did you get kind of the same flavor profile you did out of those currants?
28:05Slightly a little bit.
28:06I got a little of that, too, but fine job on your behalf.
28:10Chuck, you had some that was like 150 proof on the table.
28:15Yep.
28:16And there was really nice clear jars, but you turned in the jar was a little bit cloudy,
28:20which tells me you got a little proof in that jar.
28:22But you still got a good taste profile because you got a little proof.
28:28Now, Claire, you brought good alcohol to the party.
28:32Maybe just a little bit too much.
28:33It might have clouded your flavor a little bit, but it was really fruity and floral on the nose.
28:39It was a little dry, but you know, honestly, it's really good kind of all the way across the board.
28:45It's got level legs under it.
28:47I thought you did a really good job.
28:50Claire, you got some high proof stuff there.
28:52I think your alcohol ran away from the flavor.
28:56Chuck's got a whole lot of flavor and less alcohol.
28:58You got a whole lot of alcohol and less flavor compared to his flavor.
29:03Down here with Geno, the professional wine blend.
29:06Really good job with those blending skills.
29:09You're to be commanded on that.
29:10Now, yours has a spicy note up front.
29:13Very complex, but it had the highest alcohol in the jar.
29:18If you would have tuned that thing down about 25 proof, boy, you'd be on top of the world.
29:25We set the standard at 90 proof.
29:28That's where flavor and proof meet.
29:40Chuck, unfortunately, your proof bought you a ticket home, my friend.
29:45Disappointed that my proof was low.
29:46I thought it was a little higher.
29:48It's been my honor and privilege to have judged you.
29:51You've been nothing but a gentleman, and we appreciate that.
29:55I'm gonna go home and practice my shake, Tessa.
29:57Got a job to practice right now.
30:01You turned your wine into shine.
30:03Now it's gonna be time to turn that shine into your signature spirit.
30:08Y'all can flavor as you see fit.
30:10The winner of this flight, you're gonna get your ultimate bragging rights,
30:14but you're also gonna get a limited run of your wine-based spirit at a major distiller.
30:20Guys, we don't have all the knowledge of wine we need, so we're bringing in a special judge,
30:25Miss Emery Whalen.
30:30She's not only an expert wine taster, she knows a whole lot about selling spirits as well.
30:35Hi, y'all.
30:36How do, Miss Emery?
30:36There you go.
30:37Thanks for having me.
30:38All right.
30:38Hello.
30:39Hello.
30:40Hi.
30:40I'm Emery Whalen.
30:41I'm a restaurateur from New Orleans.
30:45I am the owner and CEO of QED Hospitality.
30:48We oversee nine bars and restaurants across the South.
30:51Between our restaurants, I oversee almost a thousand bottles of wine.
30:55A little bit of Laffy Taffy?
30:56It's a childhood memory, but I don't know.
30:58It made you smile right away, which is a wonderful thing.
31:01I'm a wine expert, but most importantly, a wine lover.
31:04I know a lot about wine and also what sells.
31:08So, I have some samples here of what they started with and what they finished with in
31:12the last challenge.
31:13Both of them ended with a clean, wine-based shine.
31:17Claire started Chardonnay.
31:18If you taste the shine, you'll see what she came out with.
31:20Let's see.
31:25You can still get those floral notes.
31:27Yeah.
31:28That is surprising.
31:29Mm-hmm.
31:29So, Gino, his spirit was a malode.
31:32We have his finished product right here.
31:36Ooh.
31:37You really get hit with the spice off the nose on this.
31:41So, wait till you get it on the paddle.
31:42Ooh.
31:43Yeah.
31:44That'll wait, Kip.
31:45Mm-hmm.
31:46I just cannot wait to see what y'all are cooking up.
31:51All right, guys.
31:52We want to see how you can build off the wine flavors that's in your spirit and create
31:56us something that's new, unique, and could sell in the market.
32:02Guys, y'all got four hours.
32:04Your four hours starts now.
32:13Gino over here, he's putting them chips in them peaches.
32:17Oh, amen now.
32:18What's going on here?
32:22Going to get smoky in here.
32:23This will no longer be a sangria.
32:26This is going to be an oaked peach brandy.
32:30I want it to be as clear as possible.
32:32I can rapid age without actually oaking the jar.
32:36I'm going to play off the flavors of my sangria.
32:39Really try and bring out the flavors of that merlot and from the Moscato.
32:43But I'm going to send out something that is peachy.
32:51Claire's dumping a bottle of Chardonnay wine over in the thumper.
32:54It was for drinking yesterday.
32:55It's for distilling today.
32:58So my plan going into this final round is gin forward.
33:02I did bring gin botanicals from home that I plan on loading into the thumper.
33:09That looks like coriander.
33:12Some lemon peel.
33:14Damn, I ain't never seen some mixology going here.
33:19Claire, tell me about that bag you're making up there.
33:22There's 10 botanicals total, which is a little adventurous for such a small scale.
33:27What style of gin are you going for?
33:29A contemporary style.
33:30You know, it's not going to be like a punch in the mouth, but a little bit more on like
33:34the tropic freshness.
33:35This like light bright, like you're sitting on, you know, a beach and like you feel a nice breeze.
33:40That kind of vibe.
33:42Of course, this is my first time ever making gin on this kind of system.
33:46So it is going to be a learning experience for me.
33:48I'm just hoping that I can pull it through.
33:52I just want to taste it.
33:54All right, guys, you're halfway there.
33:56Two hours down, two to go.
33:59Mine's running.
34:03There it is.
34:07Tell me about that spiciness that's in your shine.
34:09How do you think it's going to play with the peach?
34:11I think that spiciness and peach can go really well together, especially if you do oak and a toast because,
34:18I mean, it comes through like a pie.
34:20Awesome.
34:21Looking forward to trying it.
34:25Tastes like oris root.
34:27Yeah.
34:28There's a lot of play with gin.
34:30You taste it constantly and see what's going on.
34:32And I've noticed that the Chardonnay has been pulling out more floral notes.
34:37The oris root is coming out a lot stronger on this.
34:41So I added more botanicals to manipulate that.
34:46Yes, ma'am.
34:48You got three minutes left, guys.
34:55I'm ready.
34:58That's the one?
34:58It's the one.
34:59I want to win bad.
35:01I want to bring this home to my wife, my daughter.
35:03I'm pretty confident this is going to win me a master distiller.
35:05I'm ready.
35:07Just another sniff.
35:08You just wanted one more nose hit.
35:11She's just playing possum.
35:12This gin is exactly what I was going for.
35:15So I'm excited to turn it in.
35:17We're going to head out and taste and deliberate and bring you the name of the new master distiller.
35:22Oh, my gosh.
35:24That's it.
35:34I never thought Chardonnay would be looking like that.
35:38Put it in the liquor still and light it up.
35:40Yeah.
35:40And you should taste the base.
35:42Same as, I guess, when you do the wine.
35:43Well, in wine, one of the big tests that we go through is blind tasting.
35:47There you go.
35:47You should be able to taste the wine and say who made it, where it came from, what the soil
35:53was like, what year it was.
35:54You can feel it.
35:56It changes.
35:57Well, I guarantee you'll feel what's in this jar.
35:59I think I will.
36:00Mm-hmm.
36:03Shine made from wine.
36:05This is our Shine Gria.
36:07Never seen wine look so clear.
36:09It is kind of amazing, though, when you see it clear as spirit and you saw that blood red wine
36:13that it started out with.
36:15He's got some alcohol.
36:17I'm going to put him up there at 120 and let us know what's going on in that jar.
36:22You know, he put peaches and oak chips in his stumper.
36:25Mm-hmm.
36:26So that should enhance the nose.
36:27Getting a little bit of the peach on the nose.
36:30I'm not getting as much of the wood.
36:32Does it have a dry finish like a wine?
36:34Mm-hmm.
36:35Mm-hmm.
36:35When you have the wine aged in those oak barrels, you introduce from the wine skins and from the oak
36:42tannins.
36:43And tannins, that thing that on the side of your tongue, when you drink like black tea, it sort of
36:47dries out the side of your tongue.
36:49And I'm almost getting a little bit of that here.
36:52Merlot starts off with those black fruit flavors.
36:54So black cherry, currant.
36:58Okay.
36:59A real dry finish.
37:00Is it like a dry fruit, maybe?
37:02Mm-hmm.
37:02Mm-hmm.
37:09It absolutely has some alcohol, right?
37:11It does, yeah.
37:11It's up there.
37:12I don't get any of the peach.
37:14I get a lot of fire on the back end.
37:17From a cocktail perspective, there's a lot that we can do with it.
37:20I like it myself.
37:22I really like it.
37:23He was headed towards something he could use to fortify a sangria.
37:27He could make a five-gallon bucket of it with this.
37:30Mm-hmm.
37:31Just that one jaw.
37:31And still have a good stiff dream.
37:34Let's see what Clara's brought to the tree.
37:36But it looks like Clara's got a clear jaw of gin, she calls it.
37:41Her base spirit was her Chardonnay.
37:47I want to say around in the 90s, I shoot for 92.
37:51So it should have a lot of flavor.
37:53Absolutely.
37:53A lot of flavor.
37:56Definitely get that juniper.
37:58And a lot of it.
37:59A little bit of the lime, maybe.
38:05Did she put coconut in there?
38:07She did, in fact.
38:09She told us we were going to be sitting on a beach.
38:14It doesn't taste like gin.
38:15It's more lemon, lime, grapefruity flavor.
38:20It is a very much citrus drink.
38:23I think a lot of the modern American gins that we're seeing now have those citrusy elements
38:28because that's what people are looking for.
38:30None of the ingredients overpower the other one.
38:34You can taste all of the different layers of flavor that she's trying to show us.
38:41Exactly.
38:42Now both of these, I can see going on one of our cocktail menus.
38:46But I think one of them is ready today.
38:48All right, Henry.
38:50You ready to go name the next master distiller?
38:52I'm ready.
38:53Let's do it.
39:06Given the fact that nobody caved to the pressure, every jar you've turned in has been a challenge for us
39:12to judge.
39:13But now getting down to business, now here we go with Clara.
39:18You built a gin from a wine base.
39:21Probably brought one of the most fragrant liquors I've ever had an opportunity to stick my nose to.
39:28Clara, the layers of flavor that you managed to build were so impressive.
39:34And the way that you still held true to the original wine that you had and building off of those
39:40citrus elements that we found in the Chardonnay here.
39:42I was so impressed with it.
39:44And I really, by the end of it, I was craving that in a Spanish-style G&T.
39:49And I wanted to have it on a beach.
39:54Gino, what you've done with your sangria, you're just creating it to fortify your sangria with.
40:01That jar will fortify about anything.
40:05Outstanding.
40:07Gino, wow.
40:09The way that that just hit you, the second that you drink it, the way that the nose just starts
40:16to expand.
40:17And I had never had something where you can take the Merlot and then make it into something that is
40:25so distinct from the original profile of that grape.
40:29You talked about putting it in a sangria, but I can see so many other applications to it.
40:34And I'm really excited to see what happens next.
40:38We've got two very good distillers standing in front of us right now.
40:44But at the end of the day, we're here to name another master distiller.
40:54Claire, you are the next master distiller, my friend.
40:57Oh, my God.
41:00Oh, my God.
41:02I am on a cloud nine.
41:04I'm, I am, like, it's unreal.
41:06Your complexity that you described to us when you layered your ingredients.
41:12I think that was the deciding factor.
41:15I feel, like, validated, you know, working so hard every day for the last seven years.
41:22It's, like, paying off.
41:24Good job.
41:25Thank you, guys.
41:28Woo!
Comments