All language subtitles for Moonshiners.Master.Distiller.S01E03.Moonshine.of.Mexico.1080p.WEB.x264-ROBOTS_untitled_track2_[eng]

We put a lot of stuff
in our stills

to give it
a little different flavor,

and I've never put
a chicken in still pot.

Narrator: This time
on "master distiller"...

...The spirits head south
of the border

as the competition
tackles mezcal,

the moonshine of mexico...

They're hiding in the forest.
Like us.

...Using indigenous
agave mash

and ancient
distillation techniques.

Jerrod: I don't know if
the judges are gonna like

that much of a bite to it.

Narrator: Tackling this
traditionally small-batch booze

will show once and for all...

Well, hello, beautiful.

...That a true master distiller
can master any recipe.

This jar bought you
a ticket home.

♪

across the country,
a handful of amateur distillers

are heirs
to a centuries-old tradition.

Some operate on the legal side,

others practice their craft
beyond the reach of the law.

Now they'll face off to earn
their place

in america's
liquor-making legacy...

Digger: Jar's on the table,
no more piddling with it.

...Judged by three
legendary moonshiners,

they'll go head to head
in a series of challenges...

He put his two jars of tails
in his thumper.

Whoo!

...To determine who has
what it takes...

Whoa!

...To be named
master distiller.

Seems to me like me and you
need to hang a possum

in our still pot.
[ laughs ]

-- captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪

y'all know why we're here.
We're gonna find out

which one of you all
is the master distiller.

The winner's gonna get
the bragging rights,

and you're gonna get
a limited run

of your signature liquor.

Here at sugar lands
distilling company,

we're gonna do something
that's got all of us

pretty stoked up.

Y'all, we're gonna make
some agave-based spirit.

Tim: You'll be making
a pechuga mezcal,

so you'll have
to triple distill it.

Mezcal is the moonshine
of mexico.

Narrator:
Mezcal is a mexican spirit,

distilled from the native
agave plant.

The best known type of mezcal
is tequila made from blue agave.

Mezcal is traditionally produced
in small villages

using old family recipes.

The heart of the agave plant,
or peña, is harvested

and then cooked
in an underground pit.

Once cooked, the peña is crushed
to break down the sugars

and starches,
combined with water,

and left uncovered to allow
wild fermentation to occur.

Like the backwoods shiners
of appalachia

infuse their spirits,
the mezcaleros add fruits, nuts,

and, in some cases,
meat to their stills

during the final distillation.

This style, known as pechuga,

produces a rich,
complex finished flavor,

rarely made outside of mexico.

Digger: Ladies and gentlemen,

first, you're gonna
make you a blue agave mash.

Then you're gonna run it
on three identical stills.

Nobody's got
the upper hand.

The only thing that's gonna
separate you all

is gonna be
your skill set --

what you brought with you
in your hip pocket.

Let's go make some mash.

You're gonna have one hour,
and your time starts now.

♪

narrator: Using the same
three ingredients --

water, agave concentrate,
and yeast --

distillers must produce a mash
that yields enough alcohol

to last through
three separate distillations

over the course
of the competition.

♪

there we go. Whoo!

Digger: You know, I think
it's pretty evident

that jerrod
didn't take safety in mind

whenever he got dressed
this morning,

being around
the open flame.

[ laughter ]

it's a little fancier pot
than what I'm used to,

but, you know, we'll make do.

My name is jerrod, and I live in
los fresnos, texas.

Distilling is really my passion.

It's what I think
about at night.

I spend my weekends
working inside the shop,

perfecting my craft.

My first real job
was actually running moonshine.

Now, I did have a few run-ins
with the law.

In here we have, oh, right now,
about 40 gallons of mash.

I ended up picking up some kegs
that were left at a party

on south padre island
one time.

I started designing
my own stills and still parts

and doing my own copper work.

I do have some experience
with making mezcal.

That's a good, clear mash.

My wife is from
san miguel de allende,

which is in
the northern part of mexico.

I love to incorporate
the tropical flavors,

the fruits and vegetables

and things that come from
mexico, into my spirits.

Mexican vanilla
is one thing I like

to add in a lot of my stuff.

There are mexican
hillbillies too,

and I tend to identify
with those people.

Have y'all done
y'all's agave?

-Oh, yeah, we weighed it out.
-I got yours.

Okay,
I haven't done mine.

Just go ahead and do
what you got to do.

We're a little short
on the agave,

so I'm gonna improvise it
and just wing it and go by eye.

Let me get
out of your way.

That's how you got to do it
out in the sticks.

Y'all came out of the gate
looking out for one another.

You know, whether it's mezcal or
moonshine, there's still a code.

Are you doing okay
over there?

Doing great,
how about you?

I am delightful.
I'm just stirring my yeast.

Okay.

Miranda is proving a point
that liquor people,

teetotalers have said
for years.

That's all they're doing
is sitting on their ass,

making liquor.

[ laughter ]

my name is miranda,
and I'm from lizella, georgia.

This is my setup,
using an induction plate.

Once the still comes up
to temperature,

it's just a standard
10-gallon still.

Monday through Friday
is full-time job,

take the kids
to and from school.

I can swap to the next jar.

Sunday is my day.

We started taking
little distillery tours

as we went
on vacation places,

and started going
through the process

of learning a little bit,
deciding, "you know what?

I really enjoy this."

thank you.
That was it for me.

We're gonna open
a distillery.

This is a blue form mixture,
which is what we're hoping

to feature out
of our distillery here.

I'm here to compete
and show tim, mark,

and digger that women
are strong competitors

and we're here to win.

♪

got a good smell to it.

It smells nice.

This is more
of a sickly sweet.

Well, he said
he had a brewery.

Mark: He had a brewery,
yeah.

That's a different ballgame.

My name is lawrence
and I'm from napoleon, ohio.

I own and operate the flatrock
brewing company.

We opened the brewery
here in 2014.

Now, we're transitioning
away from craft

brewing into distilling.

These are our three
and a half barrel fermenters.

We use these
for beer fermenting,

but now they can hold
the mashes

and the washes
for the distilling process.

This is my grandfather,
lawrence albert prichard.

He was a moonshiner
during the great depression.

When I opened my brewery,

I really didn't know
my grandfather

was this famous moonshiner.
When I was younger, I mean,

you're just playing catch
with your grandpa.

He's not gonna come out
and say, "oh, yeah.

By the way,
I was making illegal liquor

and, you know, distributing it
during the great depression."

in southern ohio,
there was a lot of farmers

that had to do that,

because farming
wasn't profitable

during the depression.

Let's go in, it's cold.

There was really a lot

of really great
african-american distillers,

but they just don't get the same
notoriety as their counterparts.

For me to win master distiller,

I think, will enable me
to kind of tell my story

and tell about their
contribution into distilling.

All she wrote.

Narrator: During fermentation,
the yeast consumes the sugars

and starches
from the agave mash,

releasing alcohol
as a byproduct.

The fermented mash,
called mosto,

is then ready to distill.

For the first stripping run,

the mosto is heated
to 173 degrees,

separating the alcohol vapors
from the remaining liquid.

It then travels through the arm
into the condenser,

where it's cooled
into liquid alcohol.

The weak alcohol produced
during this run

is then re-distilled
in a second spirit run.

Finally, the resulting
clear high-proof mezcal blanco

is distilled for a third time,

using unique pechuga recipes
to produce the finished flavors.

♪

digger: Alright, guys,
your mash is ready.

I've checked it myself.

Time to get over
and put them stills to work.

You've got your equipment
behind you.

This run
is the stripping run,

and the goal is to make
as much product as you can.

You bring us
your finished product,

we're gonna weigh it.

We're gonna figure out
the proof gallons,

and this is gonna determine
first, second, and third place.

Who gets first place gets
the first pick of the still pot.

You've got four hours,
starting now.

♪

lawrence:
Looking at the mash this
morning, I was pretty happy.

It was already starting
to clear up.

I think my mash
actually finished fermenting.

As a brewer, I make yeast
starters all the time.

I actually added a little bit
of a concentrate

to the yeast starter,

and I think that really helped
the yeast kind of take off

because it has something
to eat and multiply.

♪

she's got stuff
running out.

She's got her drain open,
just running out.

She is.
She left the drain open.

Are you kidding?

[bleep]

she done lost some
tonic already.

Miranda: I didn't
double-check myself

when I started loading the pot.

That was my fault.

Much too, too late.

Lawrence: Mine cleared up
from the tox.

I think it was done fermenting.

He left somewhere around
the same amount, okay.

I need as much
as I can pull.

I just don't want to burn
anything on the bottom.

Straining to light that out.
Was there a lot in there?

A lot of particles?

Yeah. I've got a little
less mash,

so I've got to work
with it.

Got you open there.

Tim: He's getting ready to light
up something over there.

Get ready. You may catch
on fire over there.

That comes on now.

Coming now.
There you go.

Whew.
What else do you want?

Less hair.

That's what I am,
the problem solver.

[ chuckles ]
you're a good man.

-Whoo!
-Whoa.

We got fire.

Then we've got
a new technique here.

We have a new technique.

He's taking a wrench and putting
against it and listening to it.

Oh, yeah. She's starting
to move in there now.

What'd that monkey wrench
have to say?

My ears are 50 years old.

They've been around
too many diesel engines,

and I don't hear
so good anymore.

I've worked on commercial
fishing boats.

I've owned a commercial
shrimp vessel.

Right now, I drive a truck.

I usually just put a towel on it
and lay my ear on it.

Driving a truck isn't what
I'd like to do

with the rest of my life.

I would prefer to open up
a palenque and distill,

legally, if possible,
in south texas.

Lawrence, it looks like you've
got something on the move, man.

Yep.
Got product coming out now.

Yes, you have.
Yeah.

Jerrod:
Doing this strip and run,

we're trying to get
as much volume out as we can.

I'm gonna try and run it hot
and fast on this one.

You know, we hope
we don't scorch this liquor

and come out
with a good product.

I love low and slow.
This is not a process

I feel like you should rush,
even doing a stripping run.

How many jars
do you have?

Working on my fifth.

I'm slowly getting there,
but I'm at one.

Narrator: Coming up...

Miranda: I need to get into
that room first

and get my still parts
to get the parts

that I'm comfortable with.

Narrator: ...The stripping run
bares all.

I am a risk taker.
I like to gamble.

Digger: Alright,
boys and girls.

You're at the one hour
left mark.

Narrator: Three of the country's
top amateur distillers

are competing
in uncharted territory

for the title
of master distiller.

Lawrence: Smells good.
I'm happy with it.

Sometimes that wash smells good

and when it comes out
that worm, smells like hell.

Narrator: With the goal to make
the best triple-distilled

mezcal de pechuga from
a single barrel of agave mash,

the competitors are first
facing off in a stripping run

to determine who can produce
the most alcohol by volume.

-Got another little rag?
-Yeah.

Tie that around that.

Keep this because it's getting
some splash in it.

This is what I'd like
to see right there.

He's over there
helping him.

Tim: He's gonna him
his last rag he had.

Digger: He's right,
right there.

I mean, that cold water
will soak up in that rag,

and won't
contaminate his liquor.

Plus it'll cool that spout
as well as the rest of the worm.

Lawrence: Look at that.

Getting in tails.

Jerrod: Yeah,
it's already cloudy.

I think what I would like to do
is save

a little bit of a tail,

it's the pit in my doubler
for the next run.

Jerrod, where are you at,
brother?

We started to get
a little cloud in there.

We got a little bit
of water in the liquor.

I'll mark that as tails
and save that.

My plan with my tails is that
if I make it to that last round,

I want to add
a little character

to my mezcal de pechuga
in the end run.

A lot, a lot, a lot of water
in this, low proof.

I'm willing to sacrifice
for volume now to get

where I need to be later.

I'm looking to win the war.
Not the battle.

Y'all got 20 minutes. I hope
y'all where you need to be.

Miranda:
Honestly my temp just jumped.

That tells me
I'm heading into water

so I may be done
after this draw.

I'm about to stop too.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna
finish this jar 'cause

I just don't want
to mess anything up.

Nice and clear.
Smells good.

Tastes good.
Couldn't be happier.

I didn't run as hard and fast
as they did.

I knew we had
the same amount of time

and I wanted as much clean,
good product is I could get.

I need to get
into that room first

and get my still parts
to get the parts

that I'm comfortable with.

Thank you, sir.
-Alright, guys.

-Appreciate it.
-Good deal.

-We'll be with you shortly.
-Good luck.

Thank you.

Here's a bucket.

Digger: You got a big bucket
full plus some.

Sure do.

-Alright, lawrence. Thank you.
-Thank you.

-Good luck, buddy.
-Thank you.

Miranda.

Did you get the volume
you wished for?

Time will tell.
Thank you.

♪

yep.

How about 25.2?

Mark: 25.2 pounds
for jerrod.

Narrator: To calculate
individual proof gallons,

each bucket is weighed,

and the alcohol content
is measured using a hydrometer.

The weight of each bucket
is then multiplied

by the percent
of alcohol by volume.

This number is then multiplied
by two and divided by 100.

A complicated equation
not usually attempted

by shiners
in the backwoods.

Here we go, guys,
nobody goes home on this round,

but the winner will get
their pick of still parts.

Here is the total.
Jerry.

Sir.

I see that you've kept quart
to the tails.

You had 2.1 proof gallons.

Lawrence.

You held out two
additional quarts of tail.

You come free with
1.8 proof gallons.

Miranda.

You chose to hold out
none of your tails.

Correct.

Put it all in the bucket.
Put it all in the bucket.

So if that was the plan
of winning this first step

of this contest,

it was successful.

You have 2.3 proof gallons
in your stripping run.

So all of you are going
to the next round.

They're all gonna make us
some mezcal,

but you're simply gonna get
first pick of your still parts.

Jerrod, you're going to get
second pick of your still parts,

and, lawrence,
you'll get third pick.

Miranda: This just
kind of guaranteed

a little bit of a leg up

since I can choose the parts
that I'm familiar with.

Narrator: Unlike tequila,
which has been mass produced

in mexico for decades,

mezcal is still
traditionally distilled in clay

or copper pots connected
directly to the condenser.

But like their
moonshiner counterparts

north of the border,

many mezcaleros
have long operated

under the cover of darkness

to keep from
the prying eyes of the law.

This means they learn to build
stills quickly out of anything.

To carry on this tradition

and truly make
the moonshine of mexico,

distillers will have to build
a working still out

of whatever they find.

Alright, miranda,
go get what you need, girl.

Alright.
Five minutes.

I'm going back,
just a basic build,

just like I use it at home,
a carbon copy of it,

so I'm gonna use a thumper
and keep it simple.

Use what you know.

Pack it up, miranda.
You're done.

Alright, cuz, you've got
five minutes from now.

Jerrod: I personally felt
comfortable with the still setup

that was there,

and I think I will probably
follow the very same line

and run the very
same thing again.

Alright, lawrence, you're up.
Five minutes starts now.

Lawrence: Gonna grab a doubler
and a shotgun condenser 'cause

I'm used to using
those as well.

And that way also I can kind of
really focus on the drip.

I want to be really,
really low and slow.

Be able to taste, that way
I can make my cuts properly.

Alright, lawrence.
Bring it out. Set it down.

Tim: Alright, guys.

It's time to show us
that you can build a still.

Get to it.

♪

miranda: In georgia, I have
a store-bought still

instead of making
one of my own.

So this was a first
for me today.

Tim: Lawrence, you see he's
getting a little complicated

with his setup,
but he knows what he's doing.

He understands the importance
of a thumper

in a situation like this.

Jerrod: I went
with a traditional design,

just the pot, head, worm.

The mash we ran on
that stripping run

had a very nice flavor.

I'd like to retain
as much of that as possible.

Mark: Three stills, boys,

three different
complete still setups, yep.

Narrator: Coming up...

Tim: And he's putting a special

something from
the mason jar in there.

Narrator: ...Three jars
of mezcal and one last shot

at making it
to the final round.

Do you ever do
anything fast?

Only when it's necessary.

Miranda: I'm going to open
a distillery.

There's no if, ands, or buts.

This is on the money.

It's time to start the second
phase of your process.

Narrator: One texas shiner,
one legacy liquor maker,

and one distillation aficionado
are starting a mezcal spirit run

and a battle for the title
of master distiller.

That's running that second run.
We need to get busy.

We ain't gonna get done.

You got four hours
starting...

Now.

Narrator: For this
elimination challenge,

contestants will use the alcohol

collected in the first
stripping run of the agave mosto

to produce a clear
flavorful mezcal blanco.

The top two will advance
to the final round

to make mezcal de pechuga
by infusing the mezcal

with an original mix
of fruit, nuts, and meat.

I'm looking forward to see
if lawrence can work this out.

I like that setup.

Lawrence: I took the tails
from the stripping run,

so that it has
a lot of flavor,

and that's gonna carry
over into the jars.

♪

miranda just poured
that mash into her thump keg.

It is going to change
the taste profile,

and then it also gonna change
the way the run comes out,

head, hearts, and tails.

Miranda: I used the leftover
from the still

before to load
into the thumper

because I didn't hold
any tails back.

Jerrod: I didn't add tails
into this run

because this is traditionally
a second distillation

that's kind of saved
for your final distillation.

I think I'll come out fine
with my hearts,

and then I'm gonna leave
those faints to add in

if I make it
to that last round.

He done turned it
right up,

so get ready.

Boom.

I love seeing flames

when there's a lot
of alcohol vapor around.

I'm telling you.

We've got ignition over here.
Everybody's hot.

You don't get excited?

Oh, he ain't stressed
at all.

-Hey, jerrod?
-Sir?

Do you ever do
anything fast?

I ain't seen
your pace change yet.

Only when it's necessary.

♪

jerrod: I know what I'm looking
to produce,

and I think I have the strategy
and the game plan to get there.

Now, you had a little bit
leftover tails.

I charged
the thumper with that.

Okay, alright.

So the vapor is gonna go
through there and --

I see right there.

Yeah, pick up a little bit
of that flavor.

This probably don't worry
any of you,

but you've got
two hours left.

Tim: Smell something burning
other than

what's supposed to be burning --
your bucket's on fire.

I knew it was something burning.
Your bucket's on fire.

Already told you my nose
don't work.

Thought you said
your hearing was off.

That don't either.
And my eyes are bad.

Lawrence: Selective hearing.

Everything else works fine.

[ laughter ]

digger: Yeah,
we got liquor flowing.

♪

you doing okay?

Yep. I'm moving heads now,
it's moving right along.

Jerrod: How's the taste?

Tastes pretty good.

I still taste the mash
in there.

It's got like a spice to it,
a little pepper.

The key to a master distiller

is really watching
for the taste and smell.

I think over time,
your palate kind of gets...

Evolves to a point
where you can taste the cuts.

Narrator: During a spirit run,
additional water

is separated
from the distillate, refining

and purifying the resulting
alcohol in the process.

First off, the stills
is the heads

containing the highest alcohol
content and harshest bite.

Next is the hearts, the purest,
smoothest ethanol,

followed by the flavorful
but lower-proof tails.

Finding the right cut of hearts

and blending it
with a small amount of tails

is key to
a balanced final product.

♪

tim: We only need one jar,
one jar each now.

Don't bring us no two cases
over here, lawrence.

Okay. What I would like to do
is move our family name

from illegal distilling
to legal.

Learning that my grandfather
was this famous moonshiner

really made me want to learn
the trade from the ground up

and I think my grandfather would
probably laugh his head off

to know that I have a bottle
legally on the shelf.

Guys,
just so you all know,

you're at 25 minutes away from
tables covered in pretty jars.

I'll bring in the jar
that I don't empty.

Okay.

We've seen that happen.

[ laughs ]

for me, my family has been
a huge encouragement to this.

When I turned to my husband
and saying,

"I think I want
to be a distiller

and I want to open
a distillery,"

and without missing a beat,
he said, "okay, let's do it."

♪

support is everything.

I'm going to open a distillery.
There's no if, ands, or buts.

That your jar?

It's a jar.

You happy with that?

About as happy as
I'm gonna get.

♪

is that the one?

That's the one.

Alright, we're gonna take
your word for it.

Alright, here they come.
They didn't use up all the time.

Thank you, lawrence.
Yep. Thank you.

Digger: Thank y'all. Y'all head
out and wait on the back porch

and I'll come get you here
in little bit.

Good luck
to all of you.

Well, boys.
The time is nigh.

Jerrod -- it's real low.
It ain't got big bubbles in it.

It's got all in bubbles
in it,

he's done put too much
water in that thing.

♪

well, it's smooth.

That's because
ain't no alcohol in it.

I mean, it's got
a good taste to it.

That tastes like
weak backin's.

Yeah,
it's a good drink,

it's got tails in it,
that's what it is.

It's good.
It's got a great taste.

Now, miranda's has got
a little liquor in it.

It's gonna about
to make you sneeze,

there's so much vapor
coming up.

It's kind of rye spicy
on the end.

You get a little floral
up front.

A little fruity
in the middle,

and a whole lot of alcohol
on the back bite.

Tim: I think I liked that one.
It's probably 110 proof.

I'm thinking it's between
more than one team.

Lord have mercy.

It's heatin' you up,
ain't it?

Yeah, I'm damn hotter
than doughnut grease.

It's supposed to be prized
for its smoothness.

That ain't smooth.
Ain't got no smooth.

Yeah, it'll burn the piss
out of you.

Lawrence.

Honestly,
this is sippable.

Tim: Now I'm getting a little
pepper on this one.

Yep. There at that back end,
you've got a ball of pepper.

Got a little pepper
on the back end.

I got a little fruit
on the front.

Yep.

Lawrence is the one,

he put his two jars
of tails in his thumper.

I can even smell some of that
hint of the pepper.

-Go get them.
-Go get them, digger.

Narrator: Coming up...

They're hiding
in the forest.

Like us.

...It's no foods barred
as the distillers face judgment

from a true mezcal master.

Be careful about how much
sugar you add in to it.

That can be extremely spicy.

Narrator: A booze traveler,
a legal distiller,

and an aspiring distillery owner

have brought
their best jar of mezcal blanco

to the table for judging.

We had a tough decision to make.
It was pretty hard.

Only two will make it
to the final round.

Lawrence, you know, this thing
has got a fantastic nose on it.

It starts
and finishes well.

You get a little bit of fruit,
tiny bit of floral.

At the end, you get a spicy bite
like a rye, really.

Mezcal is to be kissed.
It's a sipping drink.

It's not meant to be harsh.
So this is on the money.

You've got the
number one jar buddy.

Jerrod, you got
a pleasant drink here.

I mean, it comes out,
you know,

you get that initial little burn
on your tongue

and then it finishes weak.

Yes, sir.

I didn't add
tails into this run.

I am a risk taker
and I like to gamble.

We're gonna find out if that
was the right move or not.

Miranda, you know, that's
a beautiful jar of liquor,

crystal clear. It had a good
initial flavor on it...

But unfortunately, it finishes
a little harsh.

Right.

What'd you think your proof
was at?

I'm hoping
it was around 90.

Okay. Well, you were
actually at 115.

I was way off.

-Yes, you were.
-Pretty high.

You've been sampling
too much.

And as much as it pains me
to do it,

this jar bought you
a ticket home.

If I had just proofed it down,

it would have been
a much harder decision.

Thank y'all.
Thank you, honey.

It was nice meeting you.

-Nice to meet y'all too.
-Good luck to you.

Thank you.
I have the skills

and the instincts
to get a distillery open,

and that's what
we're gonna do.

Let's get on it, y'all.
We're here for one purpose

and one purpose only,

to figure out which one of you
all is master distiller.

So you'll be making a pechuga
mezcal, for your final run.

Narrator: Like the regional
moonshine recipes of appalachia,

mezcal de pechuga is crafted
in small batches

using old family recipes,
made for celebrations.

Fruits, grains,
and nuts are added

directly to the pod
of double-distilled spirit,

and meat is hung
from the still cath.

The raw meat is cooked
during the third

and final distillation,

infusing the liquor
with flavor from the fats

and juices dripping back
into the pot,

and adding body
to the final product.

For the third
and final distillation,

the remaining contestants have
brought ingredients from home

to make their own
unique pechuga recipe

to flavor their mezcal blanco,

and determine
the next master distiller.

Welcome back, boys.
We phoned a friend here,

world-renowned
erick rodriguez.

And he is gonna help us
refine our skills

to know what we're looking for,
so we fairly judge you two.

Narrator: Known as
the indiana jones of mezcal,

erick rodriguez travels
to remote villages across mexico

searching for mezcaleros who
distill in the ancient style.

Driven to preserve
this heritage,

he brings their small-batch
products to market,

and holds tastings
at a storefront in mexico city

to educate clients
about true mezcal.

I'm glad to see that you guys
making pechuga.

I'm here just to help
master distillers

to know what is mezcal,
what is the true mezcal.

Wish you luck
for both of you.

Thank you.

Today's the day we're
gonna find out

which one of y'all truly
is the master distiller.

Now,
that's not just a title,

you're gonna get
the bragging rights,

and you're also gonna get
a limited run of your liquor

in a major distillery.

You've got four hours,

and that four hour starts...

Now.

Now, in mexico, do the
distillers in the villages,

do they face
legal repercussions?

Is it illegal? Is it illegal
for them to just...

As it should be, here.

Erick: One of the ones
that I work,

they're hiding in the forest,
until now.

Like us, yeah.

Jerrod: My plan
for the final run

is to make a traditional
mezcal de pechuga.

I use turkey,

star anise, pineapple,
banana, almond, and rice.

And what I can recommend is,

this one, they need
to be cleaned perfectly.

Any of the white part
is gone. Yeah.

♪

I'm using tails
in the blend.

Think of it is as sharing
a little from the first run,

and add body to the spirit.

Hey, alright.

-What's going on?
-What do we have here?

I'm gonna toast
to my henry county, ohio,

sweet corn, drizzle a little bit
of the raw honey over it,

add in my spices, let it cook up
a little bit, strain it,

and add it to the doubler.

The mash didn't have that
deep smokiness

that we were looking for,
so I made sure

that I had a smoked chicken
to go in as well,

and hopefully it picks up
some of the smoky notes

once it goes
through the doubler.

You need to be careful about
how much sugar

you're adding to it.
Right.

Because when I distill
something really sweet,

let's say
we have spicy and mangoes,

they can be
extremely spicy

and pretty aggressive
to your taste.

Once it's done distilling?
Yes, it is too...

Okay, thank you.

♪

♪

lawrence: I didn't put anything
into the pot,

because it's a precious amount
of alcohol in there.

So I just wanted to...
Just a nice clean run,

and let it kind of go through
the extract that I made,

instead of putting it into
the pot, and risking scorching.

Digger: We put a lot of stuff
in our stills

to give it
a little different flavor,

and make it
the next big thing,

but I've never put a chicken
in the still pot.

What happened is...

It seems to me
like you and me

need to hang a possum
in our still pot.

[ laughs ]

♪

♪

jerrod: And it's on.

Men,
you've got one hour left.

Hope y'all are where
you need to be,

time's getting short
on you.

Oh, the liquors nice
and clear.

I'm guessing 130 or 140,

130 coming off that pot.
I might've made a mistake

putting a little
too much anise in there.

I don't know if the judges
are going to like

that much of a bite to it,
but at this point,

I'm committed.

Lawrence: So I'm getting out
the hearts right now,

so I'm really watching the drip.

It's getting
a little bit sweeter.

So I'm probably gonna make
that transition now.

♪

lawrence: Definitely going to
add a little bit of tails back.

It just depends
on the flavor of it.

I really don't know what the
tails are going to taste like.

♪

do you see the color?

Yeah.

I think he added too much tails
into this one.

I hope it's the only one.

Narrator: Coming up...

This one tastes like
a normal tequila.

Narrator: ...The third
distillation is the charm

for the first-ever
mezcal master distiller.

Mark: Right off the bat,
I just smell cinnamon.

For me, it's just real hot
on the back.

You're the next
master distiller, my friend.

Really, pechuga, it is
for specific celebrations.

They make this pechuga
to impress the people

are coming to the house.

It's special.
It's special.

Do people tend to keep track
of their recipe?

Yes.

Or do they just haphazard
through it?

No, they have recipes. Yeah.

We do a lot of things.
And unfortunately,

you know, we try
to keep track of them now,

but back in the day,
we weren't real --

digger and I was
on a little pot still,

a little bit bigger
than one of these, one time.

And we took what we had,
we threw it in,

didn't measure nothing,
and our mash fermented it all.

Oh, I can't wait to come back
in here and taste this.

Honestly, it was some of
the best liquor we ever tasted.

Oh, it's fine liquor.

But we ain't got no idea
how to replicate it,

because we don't remember
what we put in, you know?

Of course, yeah.

You know, so...

[ sighs ]

one minute, men.

Narrator:
It's a mexican standoff,

as a texas booze bandito
and a legal distiller

craft their own
mezcal de pechuga recipes...

Here comes jerrod.

...But only one can be named
master distiller.

Thank you, I hope
you like the fillers.

-Good luck, jerrod.
-Good luck.

Thanks, guys.

Digger: Y'all brought it
right down to the wire.

Yep.

I like people
that use their time.

We'll come get you
when we reach our decision.

We appreciate it.
Alright, thanks.

Gentlemen, we've got
to figure out

which one of these
is the top.

Tim: Check it. And you call it
the pearls?

-Perlas, yes.
-Pearls.

And we have the beads.

In some of the areas,
it's the eye of a snake.

Yeah, a frog eye,
we say a frog eye.

The eye of the frog.
A frog, okay.

This is the moonshine
of mexico.

That's the coolest part.

Mark: I guesstimate it's 65%.

-Were you're right?
-65%.

Erick: 65%, yeah.

Jerrod: I know it's a hot jar,
but it's a smooth jar.

And I guess at this point,

I just have to see
what the judges say.

It's a little spicy.

And it does have something
to do with the fruits,

the specific fruit.

Like I mentioned before,
I think it's pineapples,

the one that brings
this really spicy.

Too much sugar.
In the front.

But the after taste,
I think, is really good.

All of the fruits going on,
a lot of after taste.

Somebody can sip this one.

For me, it's real smooth,
which is high proof.

But it has a pepper
in the back, a little bit.

What you really want to do
in pechuga

is just to strike
all the flavors

and oils all the sugars,
everything the fruits provide,

even the chicken.

Mm-hmm.

Digger: Nice.
Let's look at lawrence.

We've got jerrod
all figured out.

Mark: Let's see what happens
with lawrence's.

Full jar.

Yeah.

♪

this one tastes like...

Just like a normal tequila
for me.

Like it has been
watered down.

But this is specific aromas
that you can find here,

distilled from the agave.

Some people say it's a hobby,
but for a lot of us, it's not.

It's a way of life and --

it's an obsession.

Yeah. You can't call it a hobby
when you have

that much tradition
and heritage invested in it.

Yeah, no.

It's a different taste
than I'm used to.

Let me and tim get a little
pour of it.

Tim: Alright, you want
to let this...

It isn't harsh on the back end
at all because it's weak.

Right off the bat,
I just smell cinnamon.

The cinnamon that he used,
but --

did he use
some cinnamon?

I think that helps a little bit
with the flavor.

Yeah. I mean,
lawrence's is smooth,

and not too strong
on the nose, you know?

Nice, nice drink.

Well?
I've got my winner.

Yeah, I'm good.
Me too.

I've got my choice.

Well, boys, I'm gonna go
get them,

and unfortunately
swing that ax.

Somebody's
got to go home.

♪

boys, welcome back.

Since erick understands
them so well,

I'm gonna let him
bring them to you all.

Lawrence, I think it is really
low in proof.

Mark: It's 70 proof.

You taste
a lot of the heads,

and you lost your palate,
basically.

So they have
really good flavors,

but it is really,
really low proof.

Tim: You have more of the tail
flavor into it,

but you don't have that bite
or that oomph.

Alright, jerrod, when you take
the top off of this one,

you really smell it,

and then when you taste it,
the taste carries on.

Your product is
really outstanding.

You can really taste
the depth of this product.

Even though it is, for me,
a little bit high.

120, 121 is ideal,
you hit it at one 125.

I would have said 110.

This is the part of the job
we don't like,

and you all both know
one of you has got to go home.

It's the only way we can come up
with the master distiller.

In light of everything...

Jerrod...

You're the next
master distiller, my friend.

Thank you, guys.
Yes, sir.

Congratulations, man.

I'm gonna take what I learned
from them

and take it back to ohio,

and continue on
in my journey distilling.

Congratulations,
jerrod.

Thank you.

I just couldn't be happier.

My wife and sons
are gonna be proud.

I've done a good job
in my life of accepting

and blending
with other cultures,

and I would hope
that everybody else that sees

and hears this would be
more willing to look into,

and accept, other cultures that
are around them as they can.

Narrator: Next time,
on "master distiller"...

Man: This is
the mountain brandy.

Narrator: ...Mountain brandy,
the hillbilly hybrid

of fruit and grain...

Gonna be real cinnamon-y.

...Gets the top-shelf treatment.

Tim: There you go.

...But only one original,
regional recipe

scores the ultimate prize.

Digger: If I were you,
I'd be concerned.