All language subtitles for Moonshiners.Master.Distiller.S01E04.Mountain.Brandy.1080p.WEB.x264-ROBOTS_untitled_track2_[eng]

Tim: What is that
in that jar?

That, gentlemen,
is a cubeb berry.

A -- a what?

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

Tony:
This is mountain brandy.

Narrator:
Mountain brandy --

the hillbilly hybrid
of fruit and grain.

That's hotter than
a [bleep] wolf in a forest fire.

Born of desperation,
its recipes vary

in every corner
of appalachia.

Tim: Looks like
we're gonna have apple pie,

we're gonna have gin,
and I don't know what.

That's gonna be
west virginia surprise.

Narrator: But the best jars
of mountain brandy...

Gonna be real cinnamony.

...Could be the ultimate test
of heritage and skill.

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.

At this point, if I were you,
I'd be concerned.

Judged by three
legendary moonshiners,

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

Tim:
You know what sells.

Yeah, and I know
what won't, too.

There you go!

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

Oh! Oh!

...To be named
master distiller.

It's gonna be the longest hour
of my [bleep] life.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by
discovery communications

digger: Men, y'all know
why you're here.

Tim smith,

mark ramsey,

and I'm digger manes.

Y'all got to impress us.

Your skills is what's
gonna separate you.

Now y'all are gonna make us
some mountain brandy.

Brandy, from the dutch word
for "burnt wine,"

is traditionally distilled
from fermented fruit.

But in remote areas
of appalachia,

the high cost and limited
shelf life of fruit

drove moonshiners
to experiment,

combining seasonal fruits

with cheaper,
longer-lasting grains.

Old-timers now use the nickname
"mountain brandy"

to describe any type
of hybrid moonshine

that incorporates
regional produce

into a grain-based mash.

You're gonna prove to us
which one of you all

is master distiller.

The winner's gonna get
the bragging rights, of course,

and you're gonna get
a limited label

here at sugarlands
distilling company.

Awesome.

Tim: We've provided you
with a finished mash,

so y'all got the same still,
same mash.

The winner of this run
gets their choice of any parts

they want to assemble
from our still stash house

men, you got four hours
to bring us your best jar.

Your time starts...

Now.
Get with it.

Narrator: Like the moonshiners
of centuries past,

the first run
of the mystery house mash

will showcase the distillers'
ability to adapt their skills

to the untested
ingredients and equipment

and serve as the base spirit
for the next flavor challenge.

Zigzag --
he's doing good.

He got the rubber band
around it.

You know, he's got
his filter going on there.

That's the good stuff
that gets you drunk.

Name's bob zigai.
I'm from indiana.

That's about as clean
as you can get,

and I made this
with tap water.

I go by the name zigzag.

That's what everybody calls me.

Right here, there's
some honeyshine I made.

I would put my mountain brandies
up against anybody's.

I call this tailgate still
because I can take it anywhere

and try to stay
one step ahead of the law.

I used to be a machinist,
fabricator.

[ chain saw whirs ]

I worked in the coal mines.

I'm a jack of all trades,
master of none.

I made this.

You can put your apples,
your peaches and stuff in here.

I've been running moonshine
for about 17 years now.

I'm self-taught.
I use old-school techniques.

I love cooking with fire.

This is the part
I love right here --

getting to watch magic happen.

Years of practice, my friend.

I give the neighbor a jar,
a couple of neighbors.

Well, now I got
the whole town --

they've all come together
trying to rob me,

break in my house
and steal my shine.

So I must be doing
something right.

Look at that!

Tim: Big boy, huh?

I bet he'd skin
a feller up

if you pissed him off.
Oh, yeah.

Welcome to
loch & union distilling.

My name is gian nelson.
I go by g.P.

I'm the technical
cellar master here.

Being in the napa valley,

we have a lot of great resources
for used wine barrels.

[bleep] always leaving [bleep]
over here.

My mountain brandy's gonna be
kind of an interpretation

of what I think
spices should be.

Being a new-wave distiller,

we kind of do things
a little differently,

so I'm excited
to show the judges

what we're all about out here.

We basically built these stills

out of the biggest piece
of ikea furniture

with no instruction
you've ever seen.

So, I've been distilling
for about three years now.

I originally came
from winemaking,

but before that,
I was in the marine corps.

Really tense times out there,

and I got hit
by an I.E.D. Out there,

so I was in rehabilitation
after that,

and I still am.

I overcame some obstacles,

thankfully to some
close friends and family.

But also, I found my true love
of what I do.

It saved my life because it
gave me a purpose in life again

that I didn't really feel
when I got out of the military.

I get to bang on these barrels

and make spirits
with a bunch of cool guys.

I mean, I'm a pretty lucky guy.
-[ laughs ]

that's tasting good.

Real good.

I'm gonna tell you
what --

old tony,

he's got some severe alcohol
abuse going on over there.

Tim:
[ laughing ] I know.
He's pulling that funnel.

That screen funnel
ain't working too good.

Has he got any
into the pot yet?

Tony:
Dagnabbit. Oops!

My name is tony perry.

I make the best mountain brandy
in west virginia.

In west virginia,
you've either got a coal miner,

a logger, or a moonshiner
in your family.

That's just a fact.

We gonna go see
how the jits are doing,

maybe make a little bit
of moonshine.

What do you think, buddy?

I got mixed up in the moonshine
world kind of bootlegging.

I distill 'cause I feel
like it's a dying art.

I call it the jit.

It's kind of
one of them redneck,

hillbilly ingenuity type things.

I will take this still
when it's running,

I will go one, two, three.

If I can do that without
jerking, it ain't hot enough.

I'm 55 years old
and I still hide stuff

from my mommy out of respect.
I love her to death.

I wouldn't want
to break her heart.

I hope she don't pass out
or nothing

when she finds out that
her only son is a moonshiner.

[ chuckles ]

this is really three
different countries.

It couldn't be
no more diverse.

♪

what it'll all come
down to

is if they run
at the right temperature

and if they get it
tempered correctly,

'cause everything else
is identical.

Narrator: In order to complete
this challenge,

the contestants must deliver
a crystal-clear spirit

between 90- and 100-proof

that can best be combined with
additional regional ingredients

to further flavor
their mountain brandy.

G.P.: There it is.

Damn, I wish I'd brought
my glasses.

Come on.

Are you kidding me?

Boy, I need
one of these burners.

-[ laughs ]
-holy [bleep], I love it.

You got to ask santa.

I wish I had
something this fancy.

You ought to come by
our store.

Well, I got one --

it's just different.
[ laughs ]

narrator:
Once burners are lit,

distillers have to
carefully control the heat

as the mash approaches
173 degrees.

The heat vaporizes
the alcohol from the mash,

causing it to rise up
into the cap

and then out through
a pipe called the arm

and over
to the thump keg,

where any residual water
is deposited.

The purified alcohol vapor
then moves through another arm

to the condenser,

where it's cooled
into liquid mountain brandy.

G.P.:
What's up, man?

Just figured out something
I didn't do, I should've did.

What's that?

Man, forgot to use
my cheesecloth.

I put my mash in,
and I thought, "oh, no."

I noticed the cheesecloth,

and I was wondering, I thought,
you know, this wire thing,

I'm not getting all my sediment,
all my stuff out of my mash,

and that's when I realized,
I thought,

I don't have time to really
break this down a second time.

So I thought
I'll run it slow.

So I'm gonna make sure
that I don't scorch this,

and I'm gonna get
that one perfect jar.

Perfect.

I'm kind of one
of those perfectionists,

so I want to get it
just really nice.

Zigzag: I'm ready to cut
this hose off right here.

G.P.: [ laughs ]
that's what's gonna condense

that vapor
back into alcohol.

Do I got permission
to cut this hose?

Yeah, just don't cut mine,
though, alright?

Well, I just want
to cut this

so I can drain it quicker
and keep the water.

By the time it travels through
there, it's backing me up.

No, that's what
I was doing, too.

Now I can crank this up and go
get my water flow through there.

'cause the colder
you can keep this,

the better your alcohol
is gonna come out.

I'm gonna make good liquor,
not [bleep].

Monkey [bleep].

Hey, that's what
I'm calling mine!

I'll buy you a beer
after this, huh?

I only drink shine.
Alright, I'll buy --

every time I drink beer,
I go to jail.

[ laughs ]

tim: What you got going on
there, g.P.?

G.P.:
I'm in the thumper now.

You not nervous no more?

I've been to combat.
This is nothing.

Yeah? Oh, oh, okay.
[ laughs ]

nobody's shooting at you
right now.

Nah, not today.

They might want
to arrest you,

but they're not gonna
shoot you.

[ laughs ]

ooh, yeah. It's nice.

Got a good mash flow
on that.

Narrator: As alcohol runs
off the still,

distillers make cuts to separate
the dangerous compounds

found in the heads

from the most desirable liquor
found in the hearts

before reaching the flavorful
but lower-proof tails

contained
at the end of the run.

Spoon test coming up.

I don't know
if that's an old-school

or new-school technique.
[ laughs ]

you know, different parts of
the country do things different.

Digger: Yeah, I mean,
he is from indiana.

Hey, zigzag?
We always consider ourselves

learning all the time.

Tell us about that spoon.

When you light that,
if you instantly see red flame,

-that's an impurity in it.
-That'll kill you.

But if you light that and it's
just a pretty blue flame

and it stays pretty blue,
go ahead

and start drinking, boys.

From watching this,
I can pretty much

pick out the jar I want.

Well, I'll be damned.
Now we know.

Yeah, I'm digging
his chemistry end of it.

Yeah. Now we know.

-Tony, how you doing?
-Doing pretty good.

-Yeah?
-Slow. That's okay.

Don't run out of time now.

You know, I ain't never had
a time set on this.

-No, me neither.
-[ laughs ]

just takes
as long as it takes.

That's the time.
-Yes, sir.

Zigzag: It's one of those
things, you don't rush it,

because rushing could
cost you your life.

Tim:
What do you think?

Tony's gonna have to put
some more fire under his.

G.P. Over there, he's already
got nearly a 750 full.

Yeah, he's running his like
he gonna get out of town,

like he stole it.
-[ laughs ]

just making it fast
don't make it good, neither.

Gentlemen, you're at
the one-hour-left mark.

One hour to get us a jar
on this table.

Tony got any liquor
running yet there?

Tim: No, he ain't got
nothing going on.

It's not none of our concern,
but at this point,

if I were you,
I'd be concerned.

Narrator:
Coming up...

You need to get you
some of that.

Slim shady over there
is gonna drink his best one.

Narrator: ...Jars
hit the judging table...

Where you at, tony?
Getting close over there?

Narrator:
...And missing still parts
have one shiner running dry.

Can't connect it.

Looks like you're in
quite a pickle.

Tim:
You just got it dripping?

Just starting?
It's starting.

Narrator: Two outlaw shiners
and one legal distiller

are locked in
a mountain brandy battle

to claim the title
of master distiller.

But a simple mistake
has one former bootlegger

falling behind.

Run it slow,
so I'm gonna make sure

that I don't scorch this.

G.P. Over there
has probably got --

how many jars you got,
g.P.?

One jar of hearts right now.

Digger: Jars on the table
in 30 minutes.

Oh, man, you need to get you
some of this.

Slim shady over there
is gonna drink his best one.

Digger: I believe he about drunk
about a whole jar.

I'd love to have a job
doing this.

G.P.'s messed with them jars
an awful lot, ain't he?

Keep rubbing, there's gonna be
a damn genie pop out of it.

When I proof at work,
we use hydrometers,

we use density meters.

We do things that are
a little bit more technical.

But at the end of the day,
when you don't have any tools,

you got to rely on yourself.

Alright, I'm done.

You got your pick
of the litter?

Pick of the litter.

-Gentlemen.
-Yeah.

-Here you go, man.
-Zigzag!

I hope it meets
your approval.

-Alright.
-Z-z.

Where you at, tony?
Getting close over there?

Time's starting to run down,

so I thought, I'm gonna go
with the one I got,

and I believe
it's good enough.

This feller's the best
I can do today.

This is zigzag's.

I'm telling you, this one's got
a heck of a bead on it.

Yeah.

[ dramatic music playing ]

for high-proof liquor,
it's good liquor.

It ain't fiery, is it, tim?
-Yeah, no.

Yeah.
A little.

I mean, it's a little bit
because of the proof.

Yeah, but if you drink
about half of that

right there,
you'd be fiery.

Oh, yeah,
you drank right down to there,

you'd be outside
in the damn weeds.

Ready to
tear something up.

Well,
this is old g.P.'s.

Yeah, it got
a good smell to it.

Yeah, it don't smell bad
at all.

That's real low-proof,
huh?

♪

it ain't fiery at all,

but I don't think
it's enough proof to be fiery.

Smells like backins
to me.

I mean, it ain't bad.

It's just enough proof,
you'd bust your damn head.

Oh, now tony. Oh.

Got a little different
smell to it.

That's surprising
for the same mash.

That might not have been
a handkerchief

he used
to filter it through.

Might've been
his damn socks.

[ chuckles ]

he didn't strain his,
and I believe

he just got a little bit
of scorch in there.

It ain't hot.

No.
No, it ain't fiery.

It just got a funny aftertaste
to it to me.

Alright, boys,
we're pretty rock-solid

on which one
we're gonna go with?

I think so.

As yinz know, only one can win
these challenges.

Tony, yours has incredible
taste profile,

totally different
from anyone else.

But I think you know
what the problem was on this.

You got a little bit of your raw
goods in there from the mash.

Didn't want to burn it,
'cause I know if it burned,

it was gonna be
the bullet to the head.

Well, I think no matter
how bad you dodged,

you still scorched
a little bit.

Zigzag over here
with the spoon trick, now.

We all three have learned
something from you.

Thank you, sirs.

I want to say it's a little bit
precise, you know?

I mean, it's kind of
like you tuned it in

because of that spoon trick
that you're doing.

For me personally, it's too
high-proof for drinking.

Yeah, yeah.

When you're selling
118-proof liquor,

you're losing money.

Yeah, I know it. Yeah.

G.P., let's go with you.

Yours is actually incredible
smooth -- incredible smooth.

Thank you.

By no means is it cloudy,

but I think it has
more water molecules in it.

-Yes, sir.
-You know?

Makes sense. Yes, sir.

It tastes good, but I think
it's just too low-proof.

♪

-zigzag?
-Yes, sir.

You get pick of the litter
of the still parts.

Thank you, sir.

I'm excited
they like my liquor.

Means the world to me
coming from them guys.

Come with me, and we'll take you
to the still stash house.

You pick the parts
that you want.

You go first.

G.P., you'll go second.
Tony, you'll pick third.

This loss,
this is gonna be something

that's gonna make me
concentrate a little more.

I ain't gonna make these
little, silly rookie mistakes.

Follow me.
We'll go get them.

Narrator: From small copper pots
used on family farms

to giant submarine pots
popularized during prohibition

to supply the masses,

moonshiners have traditionally
matched their stills

to the mash.

Like the shiners before them,
the distillers must pick parts

to assemble a still best-suited
for a second flavor run

of the house mash
that will determine

who will run their own
mountain brandy from scratch.

Mark:
Alright, guys.

Zigzag, you got
five minutes, buddy.

Go to it.

G.P.: Leave some
for the rest of us.

♪

alright, zigzag.
You're down to 30 seconds, man.

I hope they got a big one.
[ laughs ]

alright, zigzag.
You're done, buddy.

Alright, g.P.

As I got into that stash house
and I thought I had

a lot more time than I did...

G.P., you better get with it.
You're down to one minute.

One minute. Oh, boy.

Second they said
"one minute,"

you know, the heart rate started
going up a little bit

and I just started
grabbing things

that I knew I could work with.

Mark: Time! You're done!
Come on out of there, g.P.

[ exhales sharply ]

tony.

Tony: There wasn't
a whole lot of choosing.

When I went in,
it was like survival mode.

Like, I need something
that will work.

30 seconds, my man.

Tony:
Oh, it's going quick.

Alright, tony, you're done.
Come out of there.

You've got what you need.

Let's head on back
and put them together.

Narrator: The contestants will
now have to configure a still

that can best impart
their signature flavors

into their mountain brandy.

Welcome back,
gentlemen.

You've got one hour
to get these stills together.

If you ain't got what you need,
you'd better squat [bleep]

because your time's past.

And that one hour
starts now.

G.P., man, he's stacking up
something.

He's making him a column still,
ain't he?

Tony's got
an in-line one, too.

It looks like he's got
three condensers and a shotgun.

He's got a doubler.

He got a shotgun
and a worm.

Yeah, I know it.

He got a totally wrong cap
for what he's making.

Tim: Well, he's got
this cap, too.

He can't hook that one up
to his thumper.

Ziggy -- he didn't
change nothing.

He was happy
with his damn still.

G.P.:
What you got going on?

I don't have nothing to connect
this to this.

Digger: What's going on,
gentlemen?

I want that.

I can't connect it.

Yeah, you could
get this connect,

but you won't be able
to get a jug under that.

Looks like you're in
quite a pickle.

Yeah, it's like having a
500-horsepower motor in your car

and no damn drive shaft.

It ain't worth a nickel
if you can't make it run.

Mark: G.P. Ain't got
no condenser, does he?

Tim: Tony over there
has got three of them.

How you gonna condense liquor
without a condenser?

That's a fine question.

I wish I would've thought
about that in my five minutes.

[ chuckles ]

mm.

Narrator: Coming up...
I'm gonna get up.

-...Pressure builds...
-There you go.

...And knives are out
for elimination.

G.P.: At this point,
it's up to the lord.

This ain't the time
to experiment.

Nope, not the time
to experiment.

Narrator:
Two backwoods shiners

and one combat veteran
turned legal liquor maker

are going still-to-still

to see who makes
the best mountain brandy.

I want that.

Can't connect it.

Mark: G.P. Ain't got
no condenser, does he?

How you gonna condense liquor
without a condenser?

That's a fine question.

But two contestants
are missing vital parts.

You're not gonna be able
to thump, no matter what,

so just go straight
in your condenser.

I can.
I can go to the condenser.

And then, hey,
at least right now --

I can run.
...You're running liquor.

Well, I had overlooked
how to connect it,

and he brought that to
my attention, and he's spot on.

Narrator: A single-pot setup
that runs alcohol vapor

straight to the condenser

without the intermediary
thump keg

means any flavoring
must happen in the main pot

or after distillation.

You can't get
to your condenser.

He can't get to condenser,
'cause he ain't got one.

-I got a condenser, buddy.
-I'm helping you out...

-I got a condenser.
-How about helping me out?

I'm gonna help you.
Brother.

You're my man.
I just need this.

You're the man, tony.
I love you, man.

They give each other
a little love.

That's what it's all about.

At this point,
it's up to the lord, so...

I thought he turned water
into wine.

I didn't know
he turned it into liquor.

-That was popcorn's job.
-No, you're absolutely right.

I used to make it
into some wine,

but now I'm making it
into some shine.

Well, I'm glad we've got
three different people,

three different places,
and three different setups.

Three completely
different setups.

I'm just gonna go with
a standard pot still here

with kind of a lyne arm
condenser.

Zigzag:
It's got a big thump where
I can get more flavor in it.

Don't try
to second-guess stuff.

Just go with what you know.
Keep it simple.

Tony: I think I've done
all I can do here

with what I got.

I think I'll name
her wildebeest. [ laughs ]

yinz all done a good job
of assembling your stills.

This is your flavor run.

When this run
is said and done,

we're gonna say goodbye
to one of you.

Time to go the pantry.

You're gonna have
five minutes each.

Good luck to all of you.

Narrator: When ingredients
become so scarce

there isn't enough to fill
a mash barrel,

backwoods shiners
can stretch their yields

by infusing additional flavors

to their mountain brandy
during or after distillation.

Following in this tradition,

the contestants will have
to make the most

out of the limited
pantry options

to complete their own
unique mountain brandy

by flavoring
the mystery house mash.

I'm making sour apple, peach,
cinnamon, and sour honey.

So, first thing I see
is the apple cherry cider,

and I thought I can do
something with that.

I got to sweeten it a little,
so I saw the jar of raw honey,

and then I saw the almond.

G.P.: If I want to really
impress these judges,

I got to think on my feet
and just go with my gut.

Spices, spices, spices,
spices, spices.

I'm seeing juniper.
I'm seeing coriander.

I'm seeing all the other spices
that I'm used to working with.

Hell yeah.

But I also know that
I'm not in california anymore.

I'm in eastern tennessee,
so I'm gonna make sure

that I'm gonna give
a little flavor profile

that's more kind of
congruent to them.

Yeah, I could work
with that, too.

So I wanted to make sure
that I had something

that was really complex,

but also something that would
showcase my skill set, too.

I'm ready as I will ever be.

Welcome back, men.
Y'all got all your goodies?

Time to do
that flavor run.

You're gonna have
your four hours,

like you did
on your first run.

Unfortunately, one of you
gonna go home.

You got four hours.

And your time starts...

Now.

Narrator:
For this flavor run,

the distillers can use
their unfinished jars

from the first run,

as well as the additional
unused house mash

to further hone
the flavor profile

of the final mountain brandy.

Tim: What's tony doing?
He's turning the still over now.

He's double-straining
his mash.

-Ohh.
-He scorched that last time.

I double-filtered my mash.

I'm not screwing up
on that again.

I'm gonna make a good liquor,
and I'm gonna win this thing.

There ain't no damn
jibber-jabber

between them right now
at this point, are they?

No,
it's serious business.

G.P.'s over here
having a snack.

He's got a lot of different,
like, little spices and stuff.

He had a lot
of little jars.

He been handling
a teabag.

I'm gonna steep
the botanicals into the mash.

I'm gonna get the oils out.

I'm gonna distill
the botanicals.

And while that's working,
I'm gonna try to see

if I can come with
some kind of syrup or juice

to kind of blend that out.

He is making a gin.

Narrator: Flavoring shine with
juniper and other botanicals

was first done
for medicinal purposes.

But as with
all mountain brandies,

using local herbs and spices
has evolved into another way

to increase the palatability
of a base spirit.

See, that's california.
You go over here,

tony's not gonna know
anything about that.

Same as zigzag, making some
kind of apple something.

I think he's gonna make
an apple pie or something.

Apple cinnamon
toast crunch.

Zigzag:
That's good stuff there.
Gonna be real cinnamony.

Put too much cinnamon
on there.

I mean, if I was him,
I'd be careful.

If he ain't careful,
he's gonna overpower it.

He knows what he's doing.

He's making something
he knows how to make.

Put every bit of the stuff
he mixed up in the thumper.

I put my still beer here.

I put all my flavor
in the thump.

That way, I don't scorch it
over here in the pot.

Don't you spill
one drop of that.

I won't.

Well, it looks like
we're gonna have apple pie,

we're gonna have gin,
and I don't know what.

That's gonna be
west virginia surprise.

This is honey, toasted almond,
cherry, apple.

If you win, tony, I don't know
if you have a big enough jar

to put a label on
and say all that.

Well, that wouldn't be
my problem if I win.

I crushed the almonds.
I put them in a gin basket,

try to infuse almond oils
into my shine.

And then after I get a product,

I'm gonna introduce my apple,
cherry, and my honey.

Zigzag's getting ready
to light it up.

I'm gonna get up
so I can be ready to run.

-There you go! Yep.
-[ laughs ]

you're blowing pure gas,
no fire.

Ain't nothing
smells no damn worse

than on-fire hillbilly.
-Yeah.

Narrator: Coming up...

One shiner falls from grace.

A lot of good liquor
here on the table.

And a little bit
of [bleep] liquor.

And the remaining two
put all their dreams

of becoming
master distiller

in one pot.

I'm glad they finally started
cooking something.

Narrator:
It's spicy versus sweet

in the race to turn
a mystery house mash

into a signature
mountain brandy

and win the title
of master distiller.

Ohh, man! That's fiery.

Digger:
20 minutes, men.

Winning the title of master
distiller, that'd blow me away.

That fruit's really starting
to come through now.

It's right where I want it.

That's gonna be the jar.

Now we're getting there, bud.

I'm concerned
seeing tony and zigzag.

You can't discount years
of experience,

whereas I come from
a new train of thought

where spices and botanicals
really kind of run the game.

Tony: I'm thinking number four
is gonna be the one.

Just good enough
is not good enough for this.

-Here comes zigzaggy.
-Here comes zigzag.

Here you go, man.
Hope you enjoy it.

Tim: That's a pretty-looking
jar, now.

And g.P.'s coming up
to the table.

-Fellas.
-Ah!

Good luck.

That's mr. Zigzag,
right there.

Go for it.

Smells like apple pie.
[ sniffs ]

and it tastes like apple pie.
Really?

It's nothing that you can buy
at the grocery store.

I don't know, that back end's
a little funky.

That cinnamon's
what did it.

That's hotter that a [bleep]
wolf in a forest fire.

-Whose is that?
-This is g.P.

-I ain't no gin guy.
-I can smell that over here.

It ain't horrible.

I ain't ever seen gin
look like that, though.

He used way too much
citrus peel.

You may fall in love
with that.

I get more pepper
than anything.

Think about it --
we got to drink it,

and we got to sell it.

Let's go to old tony.

Now, that's dandy right there
on the nose.

I would put it in the lines
of one of them kiddie juice bags

that you poke a straw in.

I mean,
you can drink that.

You know what sells.

Yeah, and I know
what won't, too.

Honestly, a lot of good
liquor here on the table.

And a little bit
of [bleep] liquor.

This has been the toughest
bunch, I think --

and I didn't park my vehicle
nowhere close by,

so don't y'all think
you're gonna go put a nail

or a knife in my tire.
[ laughter ]

tony, you got
a good liquor here,

a little light.

You put ice in this,
you got a good kool-aid.

Now, g.P., you've got
a little start of a gin,

a little
flavor-infused gin.

I love gin.
It's just a little bit

on the peppery side for me
on the back end.

Zigzag, when you were
walking over here with this,

we saw the perfect jar
of liquor.

Thank you.

You know, right off the bat,
you get a good fore-flavor.

And then on the back,
it's a little...

Well, it's a lot harsh.

Yeah.

I think the cinnamon
is what killed you.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

I think that you've been used
to the, as I call it,

the dollar-store cinnamon...
-Right.

...That's just bark
that's been sprayed

with cinnamon oil.

And, old buddy...

It bought you
a ticket home.

-Okay.
-I'm sorry, old buddy.

That's alright.

When I was making it,
I took a sip,

and I could feel the cinnamon
on the back of it,

and it burnt the back
of my throat.

And I didn't understand why,
'cause I only used two sticks,

but it was different cinnamon
I'm not used to.

All the best.

It's been
a humbling experience.

You taught us
an important lesson

we're gonna carry through
in our work.

Thank you.

You may get to see
this spoon again.

Other than my kids being born,

one of the best days of my life,

and I want to thank y'all.

Narrator: For the final round,
the distillers will

mash in their own original
mountain brandy recipes.

Using water and heat
to break down the ingredients

they brought from home,

this process will set the stage
for fermentation.

Tony: This is mountain brandy.
I got sugar.

I use ground corn,
the malted barley,

and one of my ingredients
that not a lot of people use,

is I like to use rice --
white rice.

I think it gives it
a little sweet taste.

It kind of knocks the edge
off the corn.

Planning on doing a blackberry

'cause a lot of people
seem to like it.

This is kind of
a west virginia thing.

I feel like mine's the best.

'course,
probably everybody does,

but I'm the only one right.

[ laughs ]

g.P.: My ingredients for
my final mash will be caraway,

allspice, cubeb berry, nutmeg
with 100% malted barley.

The barley comes from
the other side of the mountains

in the sacramento valley.

I have a great relationship
with the maltster,

and they have a great
relationship with the farmer,

so it really showcases
what california's all about.

Oh, she's sugary.
That's good.

This west virginia yeast maybe
is a little tougher than most.

Alrighty.
-That's a wrap.

Narrator:
Once the yeast is added,

the mash is allowed
to ferment for five days.

If conditions are right,

the yeast will consume the sugar
and starches in the mix,

releasing alcohol
as a byproduct.

Once the mash's alcohol content
reaches 10% to 20%,

the yeast dies off and is ready
to distill into mountain brandy.

Welcome back, boys.
This is your day.

It might not be the most
important day of your life,

but by damn, it's gonna be
the most important

four hours
of your life right now.

Y'all are gonna make us
some mountain brandy.

This is where
we're gonna find out

which one of you is
master distiller.

You get the bragging rights,
and you get your signature run

in a major distillery.

And your time starts now.

Good luck, buddy.
[ sighs ]

I want his cap, and I want
to hook it to my thumper.

Ooh, that smells good.
Huh!

He's making a bucket
to strain his mash in.

That's new.
What's big man doing?

Old g.P.'s making
another gin bag.

But with different --
with different spices.

Different spices.

G.P.: My plan for the final run
here is take my mash

and steep them
with the botanicals

that I brought from home.

What in the world
is g.P. Doing?

G.P., what is that
in that jar?

G.P.: That, gentlemen,
is a cubeb berry.

-A -- a what?
-A cubeb berry.

They're these somewhat peppery
and kind of fruity spices

that you find --
I believe it's in indonesia.

You know, I'll tell you what.
You got two people here

that is from both ends
of the universe.

You might as well say
I'm backwoods,

and man, he's got more recipes
in his head

than I've ever heard of.
[ laughs ]

hey, but you know what?
You've been distilling longer

than I've been alive,
so that counts for something.

My still setup
for the final run

is something that
I'm really comfortable with.

Charging that water's gonna
bring my proof up.

I'm hoping to get
a little cleaner liquor.

That's my goal.

Steady.
-Damn, g.P.

That's an awful big bucket
there, buddy.

Oh! Oh!

Well, I don't have a lot
of mash to work with today,

so I'm gonna get every
single ounce out of this.

Uhp! [ muttering ]

tony's got a fire.

Tim: Tony, what are you doing?
What are you, eating something?

I'm eating a blackberry.

You're eating
blackberries?

I'm gonna make
a blackberry.

Where's the blackberries
come in?

Blackberries
come in at the end.

But not distilled
blackberry?

Not distilled blackberry.

We got nutty flavor
over here,

and we're gonna have
blackberry flavor over here.

Gonna have
a blackberry.

What poor old tony
don't know --

I hate blackberries.

You hate blackberries?
Uh-oh!

[ both chuckle ]

gentlemen, you're at
the one-hour-left mark.

It's gonna be the longest hour
of my [bleep] life.

You always get a raccoon
in the mash.

That's the number-one animal
that gets in that, is raccoons.

But raccoons are
really smart, though.

I'm telling you,
they're problem solvers.

They get down in it, fall in it,
and they can't get out.

Hell,
they don't want to!

Hell, they're in there
paddling around, drinking.

He's in between loving you
and biting you.

Biting the hell
out of you.

Yeah, he's mad,
but he's happy.

He's like, he's happy and he's
like, "my instinct tells me

I'm supposed to be aggressive.
I'm supposed to growl, bite,

scratch, eat."
but then he's like --

can't bring himself to do that,
can he?

Yeah, then he can't
stand up straight.

Tim: That's your first jar?
First drip?

Yeah, first drips,
going low and slow.

Narrator: An up-and-coming
legal distiller

and an experienced
backwoods shiner

are going jar-to-jar

to prove who makes
the best mountain brandy.

G.P.: The only reason
I'd get sent home

is 'cause it's just not
traditional.

But as far as smell,

I'm close to getting
into the hearts.

Tony: I'm wanting to get
into my hearts.

I'm wanting to get that one
that just kind of --

it's the money jar.

Yeah, y'all down
to 10 minutes.

Digger: I'll tell you where
10 minutes is a long time --

when you sitting in
the back seat of a patrol car.

[bleep] is going now.

This is a delicate
business, man.

If you really want to be
a master distiller,

you know, you got to think about
every single detail here.

So I'm gonna give you
the best hearts

I can give you with this,
and [bleep].

All up to the gods now.

I'm wishing g.P.
The best of luck.

I want him to put out
the best jar of liquor

he's ever put.

And I want mine to be
that much better.

Lids on the jars,
jars on the tables.

Five minutes.

You're running close
but you're good.

-You're close.
-I believe that's the one.

-Thank you, tony.
-That's the one.

G.P.:
Oh, yeah! Let's go.

You're down
to about 10 seconds.

You better hurry
there, g.P.

Four, three, two...

That's what you call being down
to the damn second.

Here comes the fun part.

G.P.'s got the best bead

I've seen on a jar of liquor
to date.

You judge it on clarity
and the beads,

I'd give him a damn blue ribbon
right now.

That smell, it's just...
It's a rye or pumpernickel.

It's got too much spice
in it,

just like zigzag's did.

It's a really strong cinnamon
that lays right in there

with you, and that's from them
cubeb berries, I guarantee.

Tell you what --
it's a little...

[ laughs ]
it's a little much.

It's different.
He's putting stuff in there

I ain't never heard of
before.

Check tony's out.

Now, this right here looks
pretty, too, just looking at it.

This ain't over 80.

No.

Now, it smells
like raspberry.

Mm-hmm.

He put blackberries in,
but it smells like raspberry.

I don't know how it did it,
but it's raspberry.

It's a smooth taste.

It covers your tongue
perfect.

It's raspberry.
Oh, yeah, I like that.

This is backwoods
of west virginia

and, you know,
phd of california.

[ dramatic music plays ]

boys, pretty good showing
out of both of you.

Tony: I do have butterflies
in my stomach

'cause, mark, tim, and digger --
I look up to them.

And I would just be honored
to be mentioned

in the same sentence
as those guys.

At the end of the day,

only one of you can be
the next master distiller.

A master distiller, to me, is
a title that really gets earned.

I mean, coming
from the marine corps,

we earn that title
of marine.

Once a marine, always a marine,
and I'm really proud of that.

I'm doing this for them,
and I want to make sure

that in my life,

that I get to become
the master distiller.

Pretty jars
on the table there.

I mean we've got two
fine-looking jars of liquor.

Tony, I don't want
to worry you,

but you got two sitting here
on the panel

don't like blackberries.

Mm!

It's got great flavor.
You know, you look at it,

you're seeing blackberries.
You're gonna think,

well, you gonna get
a drink of blackberry.

Then you take a sip,
and it fools you.

There's raspberry
in there.

-It's cranberry.
-Oh, cranberry.

It's got cranberry
in it with it.

-Ah!
-That's my little...

Trick.

G.P., now, you look
at this jar right here

and you think you've got
the perfect jar of white liquor.

You know, it's got
a great nose on it.

I mean, it's like
opening an oven

with a big loaf of bread
that just come out of it.

Something I ain't ever smelt.
Yeah.

That's something
different right there.

-This is a pretty complex drink.
-Thank you.

I think you might've overdone it
on your cubeb berries.

-Okay.
-They're a powerful spice.

-Yes, sir.
-It's really prominent.

Okay.

Boys, at the end of the day,
somebody's got to go home.

[ dramatic music playing ]

tony...

You're the next
master distiller.

Good job.

-Congratulations, buddy.
-Thank you.

Tony: Thank you.
Means a lot.

I'm the new master distiller!

I'm from west -- by god,
stand up and shout,

where the men are men,
the sheep know it,

and a man can drive good woman
hog wild, sooey! -- Virginia.

I'm proud to lose to you
there, big guy.

Being here as a combat veteran
and a wounded warrior,

that, you know, resilience
is everything to us.

You have a got
the damn know-how.

In a few short years,
you, g.P.,

are gonna be a force to be
reckoned with in this world.

You know, I thought I came here
just with one objective,

but I'm leaving
with a new appreciation

for these old-time guys

that are really making it
happen out there.

Tony: So, mom,
I got to confess --

you're the mother of
a moonshiner.

And not only that --

you're the mother
of the next master distiller.

Mark: You ain't never seen
nothing like that.

Narrator: Next time...

Better brought
your "a" game, tim.

...On "master distiller"...

I turn around, and mark
and digger's over in the corner

making milkshake.

Narrator: It's digger
versus mark versus tim

in a never-before-seen
showdown

to prove once and for all
who makes the best liquor.

You touch that, and you can say,
"I've been shot before."