Nitrate

Moonshiners · S0 · E149

Master Distiller

  • TV-14
  • Jul 9, 2019
  • 42 min

A subculture of distillers across America carries on the backwoods tradition of moonshining. Now, judged by legends Mark, Digger and Tim, America's top legal and outlaw shiners go head to head to see who has what it takes to be called Master Distiller.

Watch on Philo

About this episode

A subculture of distillers across America carries on the backwoods tradition of moonshining. Now, judged by legends Mark, Digger and Tim, America's top legal and outlaw shiners go head to head to see who has what it takes to be called Master Distiller.

Specials

80 episodes · 1 still to air
  1. 1Cannonball Run

    42 minApr 18, 2012

    Winter means the ‘shine has gone cold and the stills aren’t in operation. But, that doesn’t mean Tim and Tickle stop doing their thing. Curious to see what they are up to? Then this is your lucky day because Moonshiners returns on Wednesday, April 18th with Moonshiners: Cannonball Run. Tim and Tickle are back and this time it’s not about making ‘shine but about making the rounds. On the go and not taking it slow Moonshiners: Cannonball Run welcomes the boys back in a big way.

  2. 2Secret Summit, Part 1

    42 minFeb 6, 2013

    At a secluded location, the moonshiners meet with executive producer Matthew Ostrom to talk about their encounters with law enforcement, the reasons why they let cameras film them, how they make dynamite, and time-tested proofing methods.

  3. 3Secret Summit, Part 2

    42 minFeb 13, 2013

    As executive producer Matthew Ostrom continues to interview the guys, they discuss the code of illicit alcohol manufacturers, what it is like to lead a double life, fanatical fans, and the dangers of running a still site.

  4. 4Tickle's Guide To Love

    42 minFeb 14, 2013

  5. 5The Road to the Shine: Outlaw Cuts

    42 minOct 29, 2013

    The off season from moonshining provides the moonshiners some relief from the long hours of work and constant fear of getting caught. The moonshiners set aside their craft and carry on the other parts of their lives.

  6. 6Kick-Off Summit (Season 3)

    42 minNov 5, 2013

    The moonshiners gather in a secluded cabin to kick off the new season. The episode features new-season highlights and clues to what lies ahead. Josh and Bill go on an adventure to Kentucky, and fans get answers to their questions.

  7. 7Secret Summit: The State Of Shine

    42 minNov 26, 2013

  8. 8A Moonshiners Christmas

    42 minDec 10, 2013

    Visit Tickle at his cabin while he sips on candycane 'shine and trims his Christmas tree in this special episode loaded with Christmas Tickle's Takes and high action, as still site intruders, toxic mold, and mountainside chases plague our shiners.

  9. 9The Ballad Of Jim Tom

    42 minJan 7, 2014

    Jim Tom tells his story in song as he begins attempting to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a country music star.

  10. 10Secret Summit: The Struggles

    42 minJan 14, 2014

    Josh and Bill suffer the consequences of bootlegging. Darlene goes against her best instinct and lights up her still indoors. Jeff, Mark, and Lance find their competition is still out there. Tim takes final measures to protect his legal moonshine business.

  11. 11Secret Summit: Secrets Of The Shine

    42 minFeb 4, 2014

    Jeff and Mark reach the ultimate roadblock. Deputy Chuck is hot on a trail. Josh and Bill might finally be back in the game. Mike takes a trip to finish off his biggest sale of the season. Tickle and crew attract unwanted attention.

  12. 12The Off Season

    42 minOct 28, 2014

  13. 13Secret Summit Kickoff (Season 4)

    42 minNov 4, 2014

    Tim, Tickle, Josh, Bill, Jeff and Mark gather at a secret location to count down the minutes to the new season premiere. Jim Tom surprises producers by making his debut at the roundtable. Then the guys let Tim be the judge of a moonshine taste test.

  14. 14Thanksgiving Summit

    42 minNov 25, 2014

    The moonshiners gather at a secret location to discuss the season, Thanksgiving table etiquette, and how to bag a turkey Moonshiners-style, and share their favorite family recipes. Shiner Josh and sidekick Cutie Pie visit a legendary moonshiner.

  15. 15Christmas Shine

    42 minDec 9, 2014

    The Shiners share they Christmas recipes.

  16. 16Jim Tom's Road To Nashville Volume 1

    42 minDec 30, 2014

    Jim Tom embarks on an adventure, ending up in Music City, U.S.A.

  17. 17Jim Toms Road To Nashville Volume 2

    42 minJan 6, 2015

  18. 18Secret Summit: Outlaw Confessions

    42 minJan 13, 2015

  19. 19One Shot

    42 minJan 27, 2015

    Tim and Tickle sit back and comment while the first episode of Moonshiners is rerun.

  20. 20Two Shots

    42 minFeb 3, 2015

    Tim and Tickle sit back and comment while the first episode of Moonshiners is rerun.

  21. 21Secret Summit: Final Countdown

    42 minFeb 3, 2015

    The moonshiners gather to discuss their most dangerous season yet. Chico and Tyler talk about their split with Tickle.

  22. 22The Need For Speed

    42 minMar 15, 2016

    Josh aims to take his dirt track skills to the next level with the help of a speedway pro. Tyler searches for the perfect bootlegging car. Mark & Huck take their haul off-road to deliver across state lines. Mark & Digger aim to revive a heritage car.

  23. 23Moonshiners On Moonshiners

    42 minNov 15, 2016

    Before season six of Moonshiners begins, the cast is reminiscing about classic moments of seasons past. The shiners are taking a look back at some of the most memorable moments in moonshiner's history.

  24. 24The Legend Of Tim Smith

    42 minMar 14, 2017

    Tim Smith, who delivered his father's illegal shine recipe from the backwoods of Virginia to America's store shelves, takes us back in time to his humble beginnings. Accompanying him to locations of his memories, we glance into his life as a moonshiner.

  25. 25Mark Rogers Last Of The Mountain Men

    42 minMar 21, 2017

    Mark Rogers has lived off the land, surviving in today's world by hunting, fishing and making liquor. Mark heads into the mountains of Appalachia to track a black bear and also to dig ginseng, a rare medicinal root that he wants to infuse with moonshine.

  26. 26The Tale Of Tickle

    42 minMar 28, 2017

    Pittsylvania County's most wanted, Steven Ray Tickle, takes a trip down memory lane remembering the people and events that shaped his life and led him to become the model backwoods shiner and outlaw he is today.

  27. 27The Fast And The Fearless

    42 minMar 28, 2017

    While tinkering on a 1950 Packard, Mark and Digger reminisce about the automobile's effect on the moonshining business. Their conversation is a walk down Moonshiners memory lane as we revisit some of the series' greatest hits related to the automobile.

  28. 28Codes of the Craft

    42 minNov 7, 2017

    Moonshining is a dog eat dog business, where the players play for keeps and the weak are quickly culled from the herd. These are the six guiding principles of the trade that no moonshiner can live without at least not for very long.

  29. 29Moonshiners xXxmas

    42 minDec 5, 2017

    Oh by gosh by golly it's time mistletoe and holly... and America's original liquor. Tim and JT team up with Tickle's mother and daughter to create a Christmas surprise, while Chico and Sondra head out to shoot the Christmas turkey.

  30. 30Shiners on Shine: Bootlegging

    42 minDec 19, 2017

    Master shiners Tim, Tickle & Mark & Digger sit down to discuss bootlegging; a tradition as old as the moonshining craft itself. They're reminiscing about their biggest hauls, closest brushes with the law & revealing their favorite tactics of evasion

  31. 31Shiners on Shine: Close Calls

    42 minJan 2, 2018

    No strangers to risking their lives and freedom for one of the country's most dangerous traditions, Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger look back on their closest calls while braving the harsh wilds and the law to keep the shine flowing.

  32. 32Shiners On Shine: Fails

    42 minJan 9, 2018

    Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger relive their greatest muck ups from rookie mistakes to season sinking disasters--every shiner has a memorable moment they just want to forget.

  33. 33Shiners On Shine: Innovate or Die

    42 minJan 16, 2018

    Master moonshiners, Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger are taking a look back at their greatest feats of backwoods engineering and the innovations that have furthered the craft while keeping their operations clandestine and productive.

  34. 34Shiners on Shine: It Ain't Easy to Shine

    42 minJan 23, 2018

    There's no rest for the weary when it comes to making moonshine. Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger reveal the challenges every shiner must face to keep the heritage spirit flowing.

  35. 35Shiners on Shine: Friends and Foes

    42 minJan 30, 2018

    Master moonshiners Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger take a look at the friendships, families and rivalries that have defined the craft of moonshining through the years.

  36. 36Shiners On Shine: Moonshiner Heritage

    42 minFeb 6, 2018

    In the hills of Appalachia, making moonshine is more than just a way of making a living...it's a tradition. Masters Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger take a look at the moonshine traditions that have stood the test of time and pay homage to legends.

  37. 37Mark and Digger: Legends and Legacy

    42 minMar 6, 2018

    Mark and Digger give exclusive insight on the early days of their partnership, lessons from legendary old-timer Popcorn Sutton, and how they continue to honor their heritage with innovative still designs and recipes.

  38. 38Whiskey Business

    42 minMar 13, 2018

    Each year, dozens of U.S. craft distilleries fail and Tim Smith thinks he knows why. In this episode, Tim and his team of experts help struggling owners of Missouri Ridge Distillery to "put the woods back in the whiskey", in hopes of helping the producer turn a profit

  39. 39Mark Rogers: The Will to Survive

    42 minMar 20, 2018

    Mark Rogers, the last American mountain man and Appalachian moonshiner is heading back out into the wilderness with only with the clothes on his back, a very sharp knife, and his cousin Chuck who wants a crash course in how to make moonshine.

  40. 40Secret Summit Season Kickoff

    42 minJan 2, 2019

    America's top 'shiners gather at an undisclosed location to discuss unsettled business for Moonshiners' new season. They reveal backwoods secrets that keep them ahead of the law, and put their skills to the test in a first-ever moonshiner showdown.

  41. 41Shiners on Shine: Secrets of Backwoods Engineering

    42 minJan 16, 2019

    From devising elaborate stills to make high proof liquor, to constructing insane bootleg contraptions to sell it, backwoods ingenuity drives moonshiners to invent new solutions to the centuries old problem of avoiding the long arm of the law.

  42. 42The Legend of Jim Tom

    42 minJan 23, 2019

    Across Appalachia, the name Jim Tom has meant moonshine. Between run-ins with the law and time serving hard labor, he spent 60 years making illegal shine. A mentor to Josh, Mark and Digger, his secrets define the next generation of outlaw shiners.

  43. 43Secret Backwoods Recipes

    42 minFeb 20, 2019

    Across centuries of tradition, only a handful of moonshine recipes are considered among the best. In the right hands, local ingredients and backwoods ingenuity create magic in a mason jar. But the path to perfection is always paved with spills.

  44. 44Tickle Runs For His Life

    42 minNov 19, 2019

    Moonshine's prodigal son, Tickle, returns from jail to the Appalachian backwoods. With longtime partner, Tim, determined to stay legal, Tickle recruits an old friend to make an inaugural run of shine and re-stake his claim as an outlaw shiner.

  45. 45Outracing The Law

    42 minNov 26, 2019

    With a secret family recipe and a rich legacy in Carolina moonshine, Josh Owens races headlong into a new season. What's a few broken bones when you're building underground stills and selling shine at $200 a gallon, just one step ahead of the law?

  46. 67Born to Shine

    42 minFeb 16, 2022

    Moonshiners is back and the backwoods is booming. For Appalachia's liquor makers, it's like the Roaring Twenties again. But a boom time for moonshine also comes with a lot more risk. America's favorite outlaws reveal secrets from the booming new season.

  47. 70Season 12 Kickoff Summit

    Nov 2, 2022

    Facing high prices, moonshiners kickoff a new season of innovation. Mark and Digger discover a police captain determined to catch them in the act. Josh goes on Iam when a fire marshal investigates his charred rental house. Richard invades Mike’s turf.

  48. 75Overhaul in Overalls

    42 minDec 21, 2022

    With tons of shine to sell, Josh and Tickle attempt to buy a car from an off-duty cop and turn it into a bootlegging vehicle. As sparks fly, Tickle's challenge turns to keeping Josh from setting it on fire. Mark Ramsey hits the gas in his own shiner car.

  49. 76Tickle-Down Economics

    42 minJan 18, 2023

    America's favorite outlaws reveal secrets to making profitable liquor amid skyrocketing prices. A police captain deploys new tactics against Mark and Digger, a feud erupts between shiners in NC and Tickle reveals his tool of choice for cutting prices.

  50. 77Ultimate Summit Showdown

    42 minMar 29, 2023

    America's favorite outlaws join forces to reveal secrets of the season; Mark Ramsey emerges from the shadows, and shiners deliver a verdict on Mike and Richard's top jars of the season.

  51. 78True Crime & Shine

    May 10, 2023

    Mark, Digger and Tim explore the 1970s-era Tennessee-Mississippi border where famed lawman Buford Pusser battled a crime mob fueled by illegal liquor money and ignited a lasting mystery about the disappearance of his would-be assassins.

  52. 79Ozark Outlaws To The Rescue

    41 minDec 26, 2023

    Arkansas moonshiners Big Chuk and his double cousin Joe Boy enlist Josh Owens' help with their outlaw operation -- but when Josh gets injured in a racing accident, they team up with legendary shiners Henry and Kenny Law in a daring bootleg to help Josh.

  53. 80Moonshiners And True Crime: Pappygate Conspiracy

    45 minJan 9, 2024

    Moonshiners Mark, Digger, Tim, and Tickle delve deep into bourbon country’s darkest secret. When 200 bottles of the coveted Pappy Van Winkle vanish, the theft of the world’s most expensive bourbon is just the tip of a staggering criminal conspiracy.

  54. 81Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: The Real McCoy

    45 minFeb 14, 2024

    Moonshiners Mark, Digger, and Tim delve deep into the case of the most prolific and elusive bootlegger of the Prohibition era. Declared Public Enemy Number One by the government, Bill McCoy's outlaw mission was about a lot more than just fame and fortune.

  55. 82Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Murder on Thunder Road

    45 minNov 6, 2024

    Moonshiners Mark, Tim, and Josh drive the notorious Thunder Road in Dawson County, Georgia, to investigate the murder of Lightning Lloyd Seay, a notorious bootlegger turned pioneering stock car racer who was killed over a few bags of sugar.

  56. 83Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: The Raid That Changed Moonshine

    45 minJan 8, 2025

    Moonshiners Henry Law, Tickle, and Tim revisit Operation Lightning Strike -- a massive federal anti-moonshine action. Targeting Franklin County, Virginia, the so-called "Moonshine Capital of the World," its aftermath left deep scars in the community.

  57. 84Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Crimes Against Popcorn Sutton

    Airs Mar 19, 2035

    For legendary outlaw Popcorn Sutton, freedom means answering to a higher law, making tax-free liquor as his forefathers did. But now that Popcorn's in the government's crosshairs, no moonshiner in history has ever felt more persecuted by the law.

  58. 85Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Caught in the Act

    45 minMar 26, 2025

    Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger deploy hard-won lessons from backwoods tradition to get away with making and bootlegging illegal moonshine. However, on the other side of the fence, law enforcement uses their own tactics and tech to catch them in the act.

  59. 86Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Rogue Sheriff

    45 minMar 26, 2025

    Mark, Digger and Tim explore the 1970s-era Tennessee-Mississippi border where famed lawman Buford Pusser battled a crime mob fueled by illegal liquor money and ignited a lasting mystery about the disappearance of his would-be assassins.

  60. 87Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Sin City, Alabama

    45 minJan 7, 2026

    Mark, Digger and Tim uncover a moonshine-soaked conspiracy in Phenix City, Alabama, where corrupt power brokers prey on young soldiers. When one man dares to fight back, his back-alley murder sparks a reckoning that would finally break the mob's grip.

  61. 88Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Brooklyn Whiskey Wars

    45 minJan 14, 2026

    Mark, Digger and Tim investigate the bloody battles of Civil War-era Brooklyn, when the government sent Marines to enforce liquor taxes and urban moonshiners fought back, setting the tone for centuries of conflict between the revenuers and distillers.

  62. 89Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Seaside Speakeasy Conspiracy

    45 minJan 21, 2026

    Mark, Digger and Tim investigate a Prohibition-era speakeasy in Connecticut that served bootleg liquor to the hottest celebrities of the day. But when New York's mobsters came calling, glamour gave way to gunplay -- federal agents closed in for the kill.

  63. 90Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Texas Bootleg Betrayal

    45 minMar 11, 2026

    Mark, Digger and Tim investigate a small TX town that became a moonshine capital during Prohibition. When the Texas Rangers flip a local bootlegger, his knowledge of the outlaw liquor trade leads to raids, arrests and the turncoat's own unsolved murder.

  64. 91Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Moonshine, Marijuana and Murder

    45 minMar 18, 2026

    Mark, Digger and Tim uncover a backcountry murder mystery tied to Kentucky moonshiners who swapped cannabis for corn liquor. What had been, for decades, a cat-and-mouse game between bootleggers and revenuers erupts into a life-or-death fight for survival.

  65. 92Moonshiners True Crime & Shine: Bones in the Backwoods

    45 minMar 25, 2026

    When a moonshine kingpin murdered a rogue bootlegger in 1948, fear kept witnesses silent. But when forensic evidence led the investigating sheriff across county lines, two tenant farmers and a local psychic helped bring justice to a rural town in Georgia.

  66. 118Foraging for a Long Winter Ahead

    42 minMar 20, 2018

    In Tennessee, Mike sets himself up for a career high with a run of specialty liquor but faces a devastating setback. In the last run of the season, Sondra takes the reigns and Rodgers tampers with his final run in an attempt to cash out.

  67. 140High Proof Holidays

    42 minDec 11, 2018

    It's Christmas in Appalachia and Tim Smith is 4000 miles away in Alaska making a special delivery to his northernmost customer. In Tennessee, Mark and Digger cook up a plan to make a holiday run of liquor for two legendary shiners from a bygone era.

  68. 144Midseason Secret Summit

    42 minFeb 13, 2019

    The shiners gather to deal with unfinished business. Mike tells his side of the Mark and Digger feud. Josh reveals scars from his checkered past, and the shiners put their skills to the test in a whiskey showdown.

  69. 146The Legend Of Popcorn Sutton

    42 minMar 6, 2019

  70. 147Secret Summit: Unfinished Business

    42 minMar 13, 2019

    Moonshiners share their tricks for running shine and how they avoid the long arm of the law. Tim reveals a visit with Tickle behind bars, and Mark & Digger reveal an unexpected twist in their search for Popcorn Sutton's shine, stashed a decade ago.

  71. 148Secret Summit: Tickle Unshackled

    42 minApr 3, 2019

    Tickle's back and funnier than ever after a year in jail. Josh, in stitches, reveals an unexpected twist to his season. Mark and Digger uncover how Popcorn's shine-hoarding ways will pay off for Pam, and Tim gets a rematch on a proofing challenge.

  72. 149Master Distiller

    42 minJul 9, 2019Now viewing

    A subculture of distillers across America carries on the backwoods tradition of moonshining. Now, judged by legends Mark, Digger and Tim, America's top legal and outlaw shiners go head to head to see who has what it takes to be called Master Distiller.

  73. 150Code and Conflict

    42 minApr 13, 2021

    With no recourse to official law enforcement, outlaw shiners must resolve conflicts through a centuries-old code; Tim, Digger, Mike and Josh reveal secrets of how the unwritten rules of the backwoods play out in real life.

  74. 151New Season Kickoff Summit

    42 minOct 21, 2021

    Moonshiners is back and the backwoods is booming. For Appalachia’s liquor makers, it’s like the Roaring Twenties again. But a boom time for moonshine also comes with a lot more risk.

  75. 152Rebel Rye

    42 minDec 28, 2021

    Tim and Howard go to Pennsylvania in search of the spirit that sparked the Whiskey Rebellion; as they track down pre-prohibition rye and a Colonial-era grist mill, Tickle builds a one-of-a-kind still to help re-create America’s lost rye whiskey.

  76. 153The Real McCoy

    45 minFeb 13, 2021

    Moonshiners Mark, Digger, and Tim delve deep into the case of the most prolific and elusive bootlegger of the Prohibition era. Declared Public Enemy Number One by the government, Bill McCoy's outlaw mission was about a lot more than just fame and fortune.

  77. 154Murder On Thunder Road

    45 minNov 5, 2024

    Moonshiners Mark, Tim, and Josh drive the notorious Thunder Road in Dawson County, Georgia, to investigate the murder of Lightning Lloyd Seay, a notorious bootlegger turned pioneering stock car racer who was killed over a few bags of sugar.

  78. 155A Raid That Changed Moonshine

    42 minJan 7, 2025

    Moonshiners Henry Law, Tickle, and Tim revisit Operation Lightning Strike -- a massive federal anti-moonshine action. Targeting Franklin County, Virginia, the so-called "Moonshine Capital of the World," its aftermath left deep scars in the community.

  79. 156Crime and Shine: Crimes Against Popcorn Sutton

    44 minMar 18, 2025

    For legendary outlaw Popcorn Sutton, freedom means answering to a higher law, making tax-free liquor as his forefathers did. But now that Popcorn's in the government's crosshairs, no moonshiner in history has ever felt more persecuted by the law.

  80. 157Caught in the Act

    44 minMar 25, 2025

    Tim, Tickle, Mark and Digger deploy hard-won lessons from backwoods tradition to get away with making and bootlegging illegal moonshine. However, on the other side of the fence, law enforcement uses their own tactics and tech to catch them in the act.