-[gas whooshes] -[Lee] You still got your bangs.
[narrator] This time on Master Distiller...
I don't think I've ever had any homemade moonshine before.
You just have to make more friends.
[narrator] What happens when distillers blend their spirits...
Oh, yeah.
[narrator] ...and seal it in the can...
[Mac] Make the backwoods proud.
[narrator] ...they earn a stake in a billion dollar
ready to drink cocktail market.
RTD, ready to drink cocktails.
The tricky cocktail, it's not for everybody.
Absolutely nervous.
[narrator] Now...
Kelly, it's coming for you.
[all laughing]
[narrator] ...legal and outlaw shiners...
[Lee] I couldn't read a bead to save somebody else's life.
So you count?
[narrator] ...compete to craft the best high proof canned cocktail from scratch.
[scatting]
[Kelly] Hopefully, it doesn't taste like soap.
[narrator] ...for the title...
Smoking.
[narrator] ...of Master Distiller.
I'm glad she don't live in east Tennessee.
We'd be out of business.
[twangy country music playing]
[Digger] Welcome to Master Distiller.
RTD, ready to drink cocktails.
You're here to build us your signature RTD.
What you got at stake is your bragging rights, of course,
but beyond that you'll win a limited run
of your RTD in a major distillery.
That's a pretty big deal.
The ready to drink cocktail market hit almost a billion dollars.
And as consumers are drinking this stuff,
they are demanding more flavors
and more quality cocktails in a can.
This trend has a long history.
Tickle, tell us all about it.
RTDs, or ready to drink cocktails,
well, they've been around since 1892
when a smart German immigrant named Andrew Heublein
and his sons, Gilbert and Louis, started selling
bottled to-go cocktails in their fancy Connecticut hotel.
By the time Prohibition came in 1919,
bottled to-go cocktails were being sold
at liquor stores all over the country.
But over time, ready to drink cocktails were overshadowed
by cheaper, malt liquor drinks
and faded in popularity by the 1990s.
But these days, we're seeing a real renaissance of RTDs.
Global RTD cocktail market was estimated at $782 million
and is expected to reach $853 million national.
Alright, guys.
Your challenge is you're going to make us a run of high proof liquor.
Then you're going to pull some ingredients and flavor it.
Now after you've successfully done that,
you're going to turn it into a winning cocktail
and then can it.
You're going to need a high proof spirit you can blend with,
but you got to balance the proof with flavor
so that your liquor punches through.
Alright, guys. You got to build some mash before you can make liquor
and you can't make RTDs without liquor.
So we're gonna go make a little mash,
but we ain't gonna make it here.
Let's head out to the woods.
Welcome to the weeds.
Time to make your signature mash for your RTD cocktails.
It don't matter what type of spirits you're making.
This is where it begins.
You're gonna have one hour to get your mash built and in that barrel.
Your time starts now.
[dramatic music playing]
[liquid sloshing]
[gas whooshes]
Oh, yeah.
I'm Lee Hedgmon. I am 49 years old.
And I am a professional distiller
for Freeland Spirits in Portland, Oregon.
We do whiskey, gin, bourbon and canned cocktails.
These are the two I produced here for Freeland Spirits.
They are canned, they are carbonated.
Delicious.
I've been distilling legally since 2016.
We'll do our mashes here.
Transfer to our fermenters.
Before that, I was a professional brewer.
Smells like booze.
And before that, I was a home brewer and a college professor.
It looks like Lee here has a jar of honey.
[Mark] I like honey.
Is that more honey?
-This is actually molasses. -Molasses.
My mash build is very simple.
I didn't want to have to mess around with grain,
so I'm doing a nice little rum base.
I don't think she's using the grain at all.
Is that wheat, Lee?
-Cane sugar. -[Mark] Oh.
[Tim] She's gonna have plenty of alcohol.
[Digger] She's gonna have rum.
[Lee] What I love most about distilling is there's some science there.
There's some magic there
and there's a little bit of luck.
-Nobody brought no corn? -No.
I love corn.
Yeah. None in your mash though?
I don't have it here though, no.
-[Lee] What you got going on? -[Mac] Corn and malted barley.
-Nice. -Yep.
Gonna make some Tennessee corn whiskey.
-[dog barking] -[Mac] Sally! Mally!
Hi, pretty girls.
My name is MacArthur Subtles.
People call me Mac. I'm 46 years old.
I am a third generation moonshiner from Campbell County, Tennessee.
This is your worm. This is what comes out.
You want that cold as possible.
I helped my dad when I was ten.
Got to get it fired up.
We made moonshine, sold moonshine.
I fell in love with it.
I've now done it, you know, pretty much my whole life.
You know, I think Mac was messing with some corn.
-[Digger] Mmm-hmm. -[Mark] Can't go wrong with any corn base.
If I make it to the last challenge,
I'm gonna try to do a spinoff of a pina colada.
I come up with the fruity drink cocktail about a year ago.
There's not a lot of ingredients in it.
It's easy to make, you know, and it's very flavorful.
-Oh, that smells good. -Make you hungry, don't it?
[sighs] Yes.
-Do you mostly work with corn? -It's my specialty.
Have you ever drunk any homemade corn moonshine?
-Yeah. -I don't think I've ever had any homemade moonshine before.
I don't know how big it is in New Jersey.
Maybe I just don't know about it.
-You just have to make more friends. -[Mac] Yeah.
-[Lee laughing] There you go. -That's not wrong.
[strains] That's fine.
My name is Kelly. I'm 28.
I've been distilling for four years.
20 minus 15.
And I work as a lead distiller in Asbury Park in New Jersey.
I bartended since I was 21,
so I know what the trends are,
what drinks people are ordering more often,
which I think helps you as a distiller.
So, my strength is in finding flavors that meld together well.
I get a little honey on the nose.
-It's definitely woody too. -[man] Yeah.
I don't want to be braggy, but I think I have a great palate.
What are you working with over there, Kelly?
A red winter wheat, malted,
and then malted barley.
We get it from our farmer in New Jersey.
[Mac] So it's all locally grown up there?
Yeah. We grow a lot of things in New Jersey besides just highways, but...
-[Lee laughs] -People don't really know that.
My mash build for my, like, base spirit is 60 pounds of grains.
It is as lot of grains, but I think I can get a nice clean flavor
that's gonna turn into a gin for my RTD.
Alright, guys. You're halfway there. You got 30 minutes.
[tense music playing]
[Lee] So...
[Tim] So we got corn liquor,
we got rum and we got wheat.
Yours boiling?
-Nope. I'm not going for a boil. -Oh.
I wanted to win the title of Master Distiller
because I'm good at what I do.
I've made RTDs before.
That's what I'm known for doing
and I'm ready to bring it.
[Kelly] I think I'm just gonna dump it in.
-That's a lot. -It's probably a lot, yeah.
I think I have the skillset to win this.
I make great spirits,
I'm really into cocktails,
and I think making a spirit made to be put into a cocktail is gonna be a strength for me.
Five minutes, guys.
Ooh, that looks nice.
I do have an edge over my competitors.
The judges, they're all back woods moonshiners
and they've been where I'm at right now.
Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six...
Five... Four... Three... Two... One...
You guys are done. Step away from your barrels.
Alright, guys. Let's head on out.
[dramatic music playing]
[Digger] Alright, guys.
You have four hours to make your initial run of your mash,
get your spirit ready for your RTD.
You got four hours.
Get your mash in that pot
and get that liquor cooked off.
Your four hours starts now.
Good luck, guys. Get with it.
[rock country music playing]
-[Lee] Damn, I can smell it. -[Mac] That means gas is coming out.
-[gas whooshes] -[Mac] There you go. It's lit.
-[Lee] You still got your bangs. -[giggles]
Are you satisfied with the way your mash worked out?
[Mac] I am, yeah. The taste of it, good and bitter.
-Just corn liquor? -[Mac] Yep.
Same way my pappy made it, dad made it.
My spinoff of a pina colada,
I don't think that anybody's ever tried. I've never heard of it myself.
So I just got to make sure to run it low and slow
and it'll come out good.
[Digger] Well, that looks like rum mash.
We've made a little bit of rum in our time.
[Lee] I wanted to make rum.
So my cocktail, it's called a honey bee, is a rum base.
-Lee, how about your mash? Did it suite you? -[Lee] Yeah, it did.
-I got alcohol. -That's the most important thing.
[Tim] Kelly, what are you straining?
[Kelly] Malted wheat and malted barley.
I went with wheat because it's got a lot of sugar,
and I went with malt because it's got great diastatic power.
A nice clean flavor to serve as a base for the second distillation.
[Mark] There appears to be a lot of grain in there.
My mash is a little thicker than I anticipated.
It's a challenge to like, go to smaller equipment.
I'm used to a little bit more automation
[Mark] That bag is causing her a bit of issues.
[Mark] That'll take a long time.
It's the way that I've done it since I've been distilling.
So I don't really know if there's something that I'm doing the wrong way.
So it's definitely a challenge to separate it,
but I can smell the fermentation
and I saw it bubbling a little bit,
so I know I can get some good alcohol off of it.
Alright, ladies and gentleman,
you've burnt two hours. You got two left.
I believe they're all in a good spot.
[Mark] Mac, he's just at home.
Here it comes, guys.
[Lee exhales]
[smacks lips] Mmm, sweet.
-[Mark] Tim? -[Tim] Yes, sir?
Is one base spirit any better than another to make RTDs?
Well, take, for example, Lee over here.
[Lee] Here it comes.
She's going with a honey and molasses rum base.
[Lee] Oh, that tastes sweet. A lot of flavor.
[Tim] Now, if she follows through with that all the way,
then that could be a real rich, deep flavor from the base.
Ooh, happy.
Now, let's see. Even the corn liquor or the malted,
they could be making a neutral base.
-[exclaims] -[Lee] You got yours coming over.
-[Kelly] Mmm-hmm. -[Lee] Nice.
It'll absorb any kind of flavor.
[Tim] Right. You want a neutral flavor
if you're gonna add a real strong flavor.
You know what the next round brings, I don't know.
I don't know where they're going.
Smoking. Smell it.
-Smell the corn? -Oh, yeah.
Mac really, really knows what he's doing.
But I'm a professional distiller
that actually uses like, hydrometers
and I have an alcolizer at work,
I couldn't read a bead to save somebody else's life.
It is so hard.
-[Kelly] What's that proof? -Honestly, I can't tell.
[Kelly giggles] Me neither.
I don't know how to read the bead yet.
You know, that's where we find that legal distillers have the biggest problem.
-[Tim] Proofing the alcohol. -[Mark] Yep.
Eh.
You know, that's where we find that legal distillers have the biggest problem.
-Proofing the alcohol. -Yep.
[Kelly] I don't know how to read the bead yet,
but I know this is how real moonshiners do it.
-So you count? -[Mac] Yeah.
And the smaller those bubbles are, the less proof it is.
The bigger they are and they pop real quick, the hotter that moonshine is.
I learned to read the bead from my grandpa.
He could shake it and he could tell you
within two or three degrees of what it was.
So the fact that I can read a bead,
I think that that gives me a little bit of an advantage over them.
Alright, guys. You got five minutes left.
I hope you all got your pick of the litter pulled out.
[tense music playing]
-[exhales] I think I'm done. -[Digger] Bring it on up.
I love this jar.
It is clear, super sweet.
Tastes like a rum base. I'm really happy.
-You're sure about that? -As sure as I ever will be.
[all] Good luck.
Alright.
The jar for the first run, I did not know if the proof was right,
but I knew it was as good as it was gonna taste
and that was the most important thing for me.
I love all grain liquor
and I'm looking forward to tasting that.
Mac, you're under two minutes, brother.
I am very confident about my jar I'm turning in.
It's good on the palette, good on the nose,
and it's got that corn taste.
Just super clear, turned out amazing.
[Digger] Good deal.
We're gonna taste all these fine liquors.
We're gonna come back and give y'all a reading on 'em.
-Alright, thank you guys. -[Digger] Good luck, my friend.
Let's head out.
That's a pretty jar.
[Mark] RTD based spirit.
[Tim] They're building that taste profile right now.
-Mac. -Good looking jar.
This is what he does, corn liquor.
I'm gonna say he's in the neighborhood of 95 to 100.
-[Tim] Yeah, I get 95. -[lid rattling]
Probably the longest run of my life I would say.
-[laughs] -You know, but I enjoyed it I had fun.
Looks good.
Smells good too.
Tastes really good too.
It's got a different corn smell.
That's that white corn.
I'm putting him at 95.
-Yeah, I think his proof is spot on. -[Tim] Yep.
In the illegal world, if you sell somebody a jar of liquor and it's weak
they're like, "Man that was awful."
[Mark] Man, that ain't got a bit of fire in it, has it?
Absolutely none.
-Smooth front to back. -[Mark] It's awful sweet.
I think he's right where he need to be
to build that RTD beverage to put in that can.
I look at it like this.
If they think it's pretty good, them it's pretty good.
I mean, it gets no better than them guys.
-You nervous? -Oh, yes. Absolutely nervous.
[Tim] Lee.
You can just about see next Christmas through that jar.
-[Tim] Oh wow. -[Digger] Mmm-hmm.
I got a lot of flavor out of this.
I don't know if my proof was where I would have liked it,
but the flavor gives me someplace to go with it.
I think she's somewhere around 120.
It don't smell like 120.
I think you're gonna be a little surprised then there, gentlemen.
-Wow. -[Digger] Yep.
Yeah, 120 proof. Smooth.
She is spot on with her honey and molasses.
Plus it's got a rum finish in it in there.
I mean, damn. 120 proof's liquor is not supposed to be that mild.
I'm glad she don't live in east Tennessee.
We'd be alchies, wouldn't we?
We'd be out of business.
-Well, that. -[chuckles]
[Tim] This is Kelly with a heart.
100 all day long.
-I'd put a 100 dollar bill on that. -[Mark] Yep.
-Mmm-hmm. -Smells like wheat to me.
And a little bit barley.
That right there is almost spectacular.
That may be as good a liquor as I've ever had.
I don't see how she could have a better base spirit.
[Tim] They're all excellent proof.
This is a pretty easy choice right now.
I know where the number one jar is at.
-[chuckles] Yeah, sitting right here. -Yep.
[Mark] I'm riding with you guys.
-Are we in agreement here? -[Tim] Yeah.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Digger] Come up. Get your jars.
Alright, guys.
I'm gonna say right off the bat.
We have had an extraordinary situation.
All three of these jars were exceptional.
Mac, I'm gonna start with you.
That is fine of a jar of corn liquor
that I've ever had the opportunity to taste.
And I'm including mine
and a lot of people that I worship
in the liquor making business in that.
Spot on proof. Corn liquor through and through.
I can't find nothing wrong with that jar there.
Great job.
[Digger] Lee...
Outstanding job.
I tip my hat to you.
That liquor right there, the rum from the molasses
that honey, they're all right there.
It was outstanding.
You're maybe a 120,
but tastes like 80.
-You don't want 80 to taste like 120. -[chuckles]
[Tim] Outstanding.
Kelly...
All grain liquor makes me just warm all over. I love it.
That was some of the finest all grain liquor that I've ever tasted.
60 pound of grain in a 30-pound barrel, zero sugar.
It's an incredible grain liquor.
Man, I can't remember ever having three jars this good.
So with each one of you, it's your place to lose here
because you've all done one.
[Digger] We just have to get everybody in order
where you'll go to pick out your ingredients from the bar.
Here's the way we go.
Kelly, you're number one.
Lee, you're number two.
Mac, you're number three.
You got your base. Let's get that flavor.
[Digger] Time to go get your ingredients.
You have one minute each to select your ingredients that you need from the bar.
Kelly, you're one minute starts now. Good luck.
[Kelly] Going up to the bar, I knew I needed
to have juniper to make gin.
I also wanted to add all of the flavors
that I wanted to eventually come out in the cocktail.
So I just wanted coriander, orange, grapefruit, lemon peel,
a little lavender, a little elderflower, and cherry.
I'm aiming for something a little floral,
a little citrusy and a little bit fruity.
Kelly, you still got 30 seconds.
-You good? -Yeah.
Hopefully, it works out.
Looked like your needle's pointing towards gin.
-Yeah. -[Digger] Good deal.
Next up, Lee.
Go.
My honey bee RTD is super simple.
It's just rum, lemon juice and a simple syrup.
But with my rum, I'm gonna try to create layered flavors
with some salt, dried lemon peel,
some dried grapefruit, dried lime,
and then get tropical flavors to come through.
-25 seconds, Lee. Are you good? -Yeah.
Alrighty.
Mac, last but not least, brother.
Your minute starts now.
[Mac] I'm third, so whatever they leave me
I'm gonna just try to bring mine in.
I get some citrus oil, I get some Mexican vanilla,
which I didn't know what that was.
[Digger] 20 seconds, Mac.
[Mac] I got an orange, a lime.
I just picked what I thought I could use
to make mine pina colada-y.
-Like where you need to be? -I do.
Alright. Time for your flavor run.
Hopefully you got all your ingredients, 'cause you can't go back.
You have four hours.
Bring us your very best flavor liquor
for your signature RTD.
And I mean your very best because at the end of this one
one of y'all will be going home.
Your four hours starts now. Good luck, guys.
It is really reassuring to hear my jar is the best grain liquor they've ever had.
The point of the grain base was to get as much sugar as possible,
but to still stay neutral.
So for the gin, I just wanted to get the flavor
from the botanicals.
I wanted to make sure that I had a little bit of juniper
coming through at the end.
So I did twice as much juniper as I did the coriander,
and then twice as much coriander as I did with any of the other botanicals
to make sure that it was nice and balanced.
Looks like a small herb garden over there.
-[laughing] -[giggles] Yeah.
Kelly knew exactly what she wanted when she came to the table.
-She had that all malted grain base. -[Digger] Mmm-hmm.
And she's going for gin!
I don't know if that's gonna go together well.
[sighing]
Now Lee, she took a few extra seconds, I'd say.
But I think she knew what she wanted too.
In the second run, I really want an infused, bright lemon flavor in there.
So dry lemon, fresh lemon, dried grapefruit,
and I'm actually gonna put that in the thumper
to see if I can get some more tropical citrus flavors.
Now I love Mac's corn liquor.
It was off the chain.
[Mac] On this second run, I'm gonna put some pineapple in my thumper.
I wanna give my spirit that pineappley-citrus taste.
[Kelly] Mac, you made a little net
-out of your copper? -[Mac] Yup.
I love it.
[Mac] Here it comes. Yeah.
[Kelly] Oh, look! He's getting distilling. Nice work, Mac.
[Lee] Something's making me nervous.
[snapping]
[Lee] No. No, no, no, no, no.
I'm in the second run, I'm almost coming over.
I can see the temperature and it hits me.
Damn it.
I think that I have plastic on my steeping bag that's sitting in there.
I don't want to do this,
but I'm going to do this.
I need to take that out.
[Kelly] What's wrong?
I had an awful feeling,
and I'm gonna see if I can fix it.
I wouldn't open it.
[Kelly] You're going to endanger us.
[Lee] No.
No, no, no, no, no.
I think that I have plastic on my steeping back
that's sitting in there.
I don't want to do this,
but I'm going to do this.
I need to take that out.
-[Kelly] Are you going to... endanger us? -Open it.
I wouldn't open it if it's got pressure on it.
[Lee] I turned it off. It'll stop.
[Digger] When plastic scorches it,
it gives a petroleum-like flavor.
Um...
Let her try.
I'm gonna off-gas real quick.
Alcohol and vapor hadn't come over yet into the thumper,
so I had a safe window to open it.
I mean, I had to burp it, it still had some pressure.
So I let some liquid out. That'll help with that.
It was hot, real hot.
I just needed to get that out and just get the run going
back up as quickly as possible.
[sighing] Okay. Done.
Now, would I have done that? No, I'm not that bold.
[Lee] Boom!
Now I have heads.
Let's taste this and see if I've gotten weirdness.
As far as I can tell, no harm, no foul.
There was a lot of excitement going on right there with Lee.
But she overcame.
[Mark] She don't appear to be scalded.
She's not scalded, when she gets back to Oregon,
she gon' have a story to tell.
-That's good. I'm a big fan of stories. -[Tim] Yeah, yeah.
[Lee] Mmm. Mmm-mmm-mmm!
That's right, baby.
I'm really eager to see where this goes.
We've got one backwoods distiller,
two legal distillers.
Mac operates like me and Mark do.
You know, by taste and feel.
Kelly, everything weighed out,
precise, making good notes.
I wish I could be more like that.
One hour, ladies and gentleman.
-[Mac] That smells like a big pasture field or something. -[Lee] Ooh.
-It's lavender and elderflower in there. -Lavender, yup.
-[Lee & Mac] Yeah. -[Kelly] Hopefully it doesn't taste like soap,
'cause some people think that, like, lavender in any amount
is really soapy.
It's tough with gin, because, like, you'll get the juniper
all in one section, and you'll get the citrus all in a different section.
But I was definitely getting the flavors that I wanted,
and try to figure out which jars are the best.
[Mac] What you got there, Lee? Molasses?
[Lee] No, buckwheat honey.
Buckwheat honey.
[Lee] I wanted to use something that you
would not normally see on the shelf somewhere.
So, I'm using buckwheat honey that had been barrel aged.
I wanted just a little hint of sweet.
I feel like it really gives a cocktail that could seem very simple
a lot more depth with the use of the honey.
That's mama's... That's what mama wanted.
30 minutes, guys.
You better be buttoning them up.
[Lee] Well the pressure's definitely on right now, then.
[triumphantly] Ba-da-da-da!
Mac, what do you have in there that's making it come out that color?
-Vanilla. -[Kelly] Vanilla!
Oh!
[Mac] I'm very happy.
But I'm gonna blend and try to make me
a pineapple upside-down moonshine.
I felt like my spirit come out tip-top notch.
At this competition here, they're bringing it,
and I'm just gonna... gotta bring mine in.
Two minute warning here, guys.
Kelly, it's coming for you!
[all laughing]
[Mac] Here it is.
There you go, guys. Best I could do.
-That's a pretty jar. -That's a full jar!
-You go on back, straighten up. -Good luck, Mac.
[Mac] Thank you, sir.
I think I got it.
I'm really happy with the jar.
I think it tasted exactly as I wanted it to,
and that it was balanced.
Kelly...
Beautiful, clear jar of liquor,
and works out at the tasting.
-[Kelly] Thank you guys. -[all] Good luck.
[Digger] Lee, you bring that jar of liquor up here.
I am handing in a second jar and I am proud of what I made.
I think it really does showcase the flavor profile that I'm making.
You just wanna bring it up.
I've been watching your expression,
and I believe you're pretty proud of that jar.
-[all] Good luck. -Good luck to you.
[Tim] Looks like a really diverse selection.
[Digger] All right, guys.
As soon as we reach a decision,
we'll be back in to tell you all.
-[Mark] Timmy... -[Tim] Yup?
[Mark] This is your specialty here.
[Tim] Yeah, I've got four RTDs on the market.
We got Lee with a rum base.
[Mark] You know, it's got a real nice honey looking color.
No way you can proof it by shaking it at this point.
I am happy that I overcame my obstacles.
Oh, it got a little bit of octane to it.
-Yes, it does. -[Tim chuckling]
It might be 100 in type.
Now, it's got that fire on the back
like a rum does.
It's got some power.
It's got a good flavor to it.
I had actually two honey choices,
and I went with the darker one, taking a chance.
But I liked the taste of it, I liked the smell of it.
We got Kelly with a all-grain base.
Maybe 90. Maybe, maybe...
I think she's right where she wants to be,
whatever it is.
I'll tell you, her bead reading skills
-is pretty top-notch. -Yeah.
She was acting like she didn't know what she was doing,
but I think she does.
I believe she is japing us a tiny bit.
-I think so. -I think...
I was less focused on being at a specific proof
than getting up flavor profile,
'cause gin... the flavors will open up at different proofs
and I was just worrying about the flavor.
I noticed the first thing she got when she went to the bar
was the juniper.
The nose definitely has it.
That is a key ingredient to make a gin.
Wow.
Yup.
That's a gin!
And it's nice.
If she's going for a gin, she hit the mark.
Moving on...
-Big Mac, big Mac. -[Tim] So we got Mac with a corn base.
[Digger] I think it looks like a peach juice.
[Mark] It's very transparent.
-It has a unique color. -Different color. It does.
[Digger] I believe that color's from a little bit of citrus flavoring.
You know when you was a little kid,
and you go to your grandma's house
and she's making, like, a pineapple upside-down cake, you can smell that?
-[Lee] Mmm. -[Mac] That's what I was shooting for.
-Yeah. -[Mac] And that... I mean, it's pretty close!
I don't usually like pineapple,
and I really like that.
Fruity.
Wow, it is great on the nose, ain't it?
It's wonderful on the nose.
I get a lot of pineapple.
I'm getting vanilla on the nose,
and when I taste it, I'm getting it.
And it's got alcohol in it.
It's got vanilla.
It's got alcohol on the back,
it's got flavor up front.
Boy, it just flies across your tongue.
I could almost say that's a RTD right now.
But one of these have to leave.
I really like all three of them.
They're all incredible.
We're in a pickle.
It's like waiting for Christmas.
You wanna hear the news.
We're at the end, and this is the part that's pretty much killin' me.
Aw...
[Digger] Come up and get your jars.
Mac, you started out with some of the best liquor that we've tasted.
I think you put a little vanilla and a little citrus in there.
Vanilla's a fickle flavoring.
You gotta be careful with it.
It's like Mark always says,
"When you think you got enough,
you've probably two times more than you really need."
But you did a fine job.
It looks good. Good, clean jar.
The proof's spot on.
Great job.
[Digger] Lee, you started with honey
and molasses to make a rum, which was fabulous.
You've got high proofing and you've got good taste.
Sometimes you don't get that balance.
You still got it.
With your skills and what we've saw you do,
and your education and the experience you have in distilling,
you didn't land on that by accident.
Good job there.
[Digger] Kelly, you made probably the finest
all-grain liquor we've seen on this show.
Then you moved on to gin,
and you immediately went to juniper first.
And juniper always worries me because it's like vanilla.
You know, you gotta just be very careful with it.
Well, it's outstanding because nothing overpowers the other.
It's... It's a perfect blend and a perfect balance.
You did an exceptional job.
Coming from someone who has four RTDs
on the national market right now,
all three of you have something that's gonna fit in the RTD market.
Y'all got a lot to be proud of.
And... And we're proud of you.
Digger?
Well guys, I don't know whether you're looking over here or not
and seeing a little bit of concern on my face.
You know, we are given the task
to whittle people down.
But we all feel like we would be doing you all
and ourselves an injustice...
...to cut one out right now.
[Tim] There's no way we can separate y'all three right now.
So congratulations. All three of y'all are coming back.
I'm absolutely shocked.
And happy!
No one is going home.
Due to the difficulty we had reaching a decision,
we decided to bring in our guest judge.
She's a cocktail specialist, Casey Fox.
Thank you, Digger.
My company Libacious is all about getting people to drink better at home.
We do a lot of teaching, a lot of workshops.
I've tasted a lot of great ready to drink cocktails,
and I'm so excited to see what y'all are bringing to the table today.
I guess the RTD market is booming.
We are looking for the next new flavor.
At the end of this run, somebody's gonna be named the next Master Distiller.
It's anyone's game now.
-So good luck. -You got one hour.
Get your RTDs canned, sealed up,
carbonated if you want to, and on this table.
Your one hour starts now.
Good luck. Get with it, guys.
[Mac] Good luck, Kelly.
-Good luck, Mac. Good luck, Lee. -[Lee] All right, Kel.
[grunting]
[Kelly] I'm feeling a lot less confident
going into this round than I did going into the first.
[Digger] When you're making an RTD,
it'll be really easy to make a mistake.
[Casey] It's true.
Whenever you're batching anything,
-there's more room for error making a cocktail. -Yeah.
[Casey] So, uh, so yeah.
Maybe they'll make it easy on us, who knows?
With all of us coming back,
it's a lot of pressure.
I gotta step up my game, so I just have to make sure
that I have the right flavor first,
before you add the gin in.
[Mark] I wanted to see what you got in that jar.
Kelly, tell me a little bit about what you're doing.
I'm trying to make something similar to an Aviation.
[Casey] Okay.
An Aviation has creme de violette,
Maraschino liqueur, lemon, and gin.
I tried to put some, like, floral flavors in the gin,
and then we're just doing like a little violet tea
for color and a little bit of the flavor.
And then we added some cherry and, like, some citrus.
Okay.
The creme de violette can be really overpowering,
so I'm gonna try and make an approachable version.
[Mark] Everyone's precise, exact.
[Digger] Everybody is weighing, measuring, double checking.
At this point, it's any one of ours
to make a mistake and lose it.
So I really need to raise my game.
-Lee, what have you chosen to do today? -[Lee] Hi.
I'm actually making what they call a Honey Bee.
It's a very simple cocktail.
It's just rum, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
I sweetened it with barrel-aged buckwheat honey.
-Lovely. -[Lee] Thanks.
I am choosing to carbonate my drink.
It's going to give a cocktail that could seem very simple
a lot more depth.
[Tim] This is where, you know, it's gonna be that thin line.
Because when they do the carbonation and put it in that can,
it doesn't get too much pressure in it, or no pressure,
then they mess up the flavor,
'cause we tasted the base.
-Right, this is a tough challenge. -[Tim] We open it, and it's...
All right, guys. You're halfway through.
You got 30 minutes left.
[Casey] Mac, what have you chosen to do today?
-[Mac] A spin-off of pina colada. -Okay.
It's got roasted coconut, pineapple juice...
I don't wanna use fruit in that,
because it wants to separate.
Through trial and error, I believe I make the backwoods proud.
-Excellent. Look forward to tasting it. -[chuckling]
It's a pretty tight competition.
But now I'm ready to take it home.
I think I've got a... a good RTD.
Good flavor, super rich, so pretty confident.
You got ten minutes, guys.
You better be gettin' ready to can 'em up.
[Lee] Oh, all right.
[Mac] Mine turned out really flavorful.
I'm thinking it'll work out in my favor.
-[Mark] Good. -[Casey] One down!
[Lee] My drink was spot on.
I like that it has more of a natural flavor
and aroma to it.
-[Tim] Pull the handle. -[Digger] Drop your other lever.
Now if you turn it upside down and it doesn't leak,
you're good.
-Okay. -Yay!
I got my cocktail to a place that I was really happy with.
It's sweet, sour, still kind of gets that floral note.
It also has, like, kind of a pretty color to it.
-[quietly] Yeah! -[Digger] Looks like everyone
was successful in sealing the cans.
Two minutes, guys.
[Mac] Here you go.
I'm representing the backwoods, boys.
[Digger] Good day.
[Tim & Digger] Good luck, my friend.
[Mac] Thanks, man.
All right, I think I'm ready. I think I'm good.
[Digger] Good luck.
Last but not least, Lee.
There you go.
We're gonna head out, taste, deliberate,
and come back and give you all our decision.
Good luck.
-[Mac] We're down to the end of this thing! -[Lee] Yeah.
-It was a bit of fun, though. -Yeah.
I know!
-The experience has been a... -This has been great.
The fact is is that we made it all the way here,
-all the three of us, which... -Mmm-hmm.
...if any one of us had a doubt about how good we were
at the things that we do and how passionate we are about what we do,
this should leave you without a doubt in your mind that we were.
I'm happy that I got placed with you guys,
'cause I'm so glad I got to meet you,
but also I kind of which you were worse at what you do.
[all laughing]
Well guys, we've been at the threshold of spectacular
all the way across this contest.
I expect nothing less at this point.
We couldn't make a cut in the first elimination round.
Well, I'm glad you're here.
It presses on you.
-[Casey exhales nervously and laughs] -Yeah.
[Digger] RTD cocktails.
[Tim] I'm ready to drink.
So this is Kelly's riff on an Aviation,
which is a gin-based pre-Prohibition era cocktail.
I'm a little nervous.
People don't know what Aviations are.
But it's pink and it's pretty!
-It is pink and pretty! -Yeah.
[Digger] Oh, it's a pretty color!
Exactly what that should look like.
Traditional Aviation uses creme de violette,
-which is a violet-based liqueur. -[Digger] Okay.
You'll find it somewhere in this purply, pinky color range.
-Wow. -That's nice.
Yup, I smell the violet.
Yeah.
[Digger] I like the ABV.
I was a little worried when I was smelling it,
because the gin was so forward
that I was gonna be a little hot.
But it's perfectly balanced.
But I think it's a tricky cocktail.
It's not for everybody, and it's tricky to master as well.
All right. Next.
This is Lee's Honey Bee that she's made with her honey rum.
I didn't hear a tremendous amount of fizz.
No, it sounded about like the last one.
I guess carbonation is something
that takes more time than she actually had.
It is the fastest I've ever done a carb.
I was impressed.
-I was impressed. -[both chuckling]
-Smells delicious. -[Casey] Yeah, it smells great.
-Wow. -Wow.
[Casey] And the honey is really coming through.
That honey is very distinctive and if you're not prepared for it,
it's gonna be a "Oh, okay."
It's got some floral and earthiness.
-Lots of lemon. -[Mark] It's supposed to be a sour.
[Casey] It's a little forward on the citrus.
She did add a little sea salt.
-I noticed that. -[Casey] Yes.
And salt's gonna make that lemon pop
-even more. -[Casey] Exactly.
But the components are beautiful in there.
They are there, and this is a Honey Bee cocktail
and she's really nailed the honey part of it, I think.
Okay, moving on to Mac.
[Casey] This is Mac's pina colada riff.
You know, pina colada's normally a rum-based drink.
-He made an outstanding corn liquor, I know that. -He did.
[Digger] Okay.
Would you guys make these at home?
-It's interesting. -[Mac] I actually made some for my neighbors
and they... they wanted some.
They were like, "I'll take a quart of that."
-[Tim] Looks like pineapple. -Looks like pineapple!
-That actually looks a little thick! -[Casey] Yup.
It smells exactly like a pina colada.
[Mark] Yeah, I like it.
I like it a lot.
I think he should've carbonated it.
[Casey] I would agree with Tim.
Yeah, if he had it carbonated, that would thin it out a little bit,
and then enable him a little bit more alcohol.
-[Casey] Mmm-hmm. -[Tim] ABV in there.
-But it's an outstanding taste. -[Casey] Mmm-hmm.
They've all done such a wonderful job.
Guys, all three of these have a place on the market.
But...
I think there's one that has a place on the market today.
[Tim] Definitely.
[Mark] We're all riding in the same length.
In the same truck.
Let's go give 'em the news.
I wanna congratulate all three of you
for making our job extremely tough.
I'm gonna hand it off to Casey.
I just wanna echo Digger's sentiment.
Y'all did a fantastic job.
Mac, I was really interested to see what you were gonna do with the pina colada.
When you're using pineapple,
it can be really thick.
One thing to explore, maybe, is adding a little carbonation
to make it a little less thick.
But all in all, it was absolutely just delightful to drink.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mac, if you'd had did the carbonation,
and then also maybe a little bit more alcohol,
that would've helped out some.
But what you brought to the table was outstanding.
Lee, it was a fantastic drink.
Lee, you know, you brought us a classic sour.
I think it lends itself really well to the RTD category.
I think you made a really good choice
with the buckwheat.
It left just a beautiful aftertaste.
One thing to keep in mind,
you gotta watch your citrus when you're scaling up a drink.
You also had some issues with the carbonation.
But using honey as your sweetening agent
gave it that silky, kind of unctuous, beautiful mouthfeel.
It's just really a joy to drink.
Thank you.
The aftertaste on this drink was fantastic.
I loved the way it felt on the backend.
Didn't get a whole lot of the rum anymore,
but the alcohol was fine.
You absolutely know what you're doing.
Thank you.
Kelly, I was really, really skeptical
with your choice of cocktail.
It's a tricky cocktail to do.
It uses a lot of complex flavors that you really have to balance well.
But we took a sip of it, and it tasted like an Aviation is supposed to taste.
And I was a little surprised by that.
Something to think about...
Is this recipe that you developed something
that is scalable, that you can keep consistent?
Because you're dealing with so many complex flavors.
But I think you did a good job.
I thoroughly enjoyed drinking your drink.
Thank you.
Bless your heart.
You made it tough on us.
It's spot on.
Casey's precisely right.
I know when it's good, and I can separate the flavors,
and cherries are my favorite.
So that hit me right in the wheelhouse.
All three of you have RTDs that will sell.
And there's one that the RTD could go on the shelf today.
That's the determining factor.
Unfortunately, two people can't be named Master Distiller,
but one will be.
And...
...Kelly, you're the next Master Distiller.
Congratulations.
Thank you!
I am over the moon.
I feel the confidence that I could carry my weight in the industry.
I feel like I'm ready to take the distilling world by storm!
You did a wonderful job. We all four applaud you.
-[Mark] All of you. -Thank you.
I think I speak for the whole panel.
I consider it an honor and a privilege
to have been able to judge you all.
Now get on out of here and share those cold drinks with one another, will you?
[Mark] You know what, guys?
If these are the type of contestants
we're gonna have from here on out,
we're all in trouble.