All right, guys. Listen.
You've won one.
It's my turn.
I wanna do another competition between us,
but with a twist this time.
I'm ready.
Let's get going.
Do it.
[narrator] this time on master distiller...
Welcome back, men.
[narrator] mark, digger and tim bring back
three of their favorite past competitors...
It's good to see all three of you guys again.
I wish the best to all of you.
[narrator] ...And roll up their own sleeves
for a chance at redemption.
This ain't just a one-man-show no more.
This sits on everybody's shoulders.
[man] whoa!
You's are all on the losing team.
[laughing]
[narrator] judged by a panel of their peers...
This is fantastic.
I gotta base my decision on marketability.
This is definitely the hardest one I've judged.
Yeah.
Hell, boy, this is redemption.
[narrator] to determine which
of these legendary moonshiners...
I'm sorry you're fixed to take
the ass-whooping you're fixed to take.
We'll see.
[narrator] ...Can coach the next master distiller.
Y'all know you're gonna lose, right?
Proof's in the pudding.
[digger] welcome back, men.
Everybody's been here before,
fought like champs,
didn't come home to victory.
We're here to figure out which one of you all
is gonna win redemption,
and which one of us makes the best coach.
Peg leg, we know who that's gonna be.
[giggling]
I have never beat these two.
I want redemption myself.
We got to choose our favorite past contestant.
And, big mike, you know I've got your back.
Leo, we got this.
For your first challenge,
you got the same still setup.
You got the same good corn mash.
You will do your run.
We will then do a blind tasting
for the order in which you will pick your still parts.
We're looking for a smooth, high-proof liquor.
[tim] after you build your stills,
it's gonna get really interesting.
You're gonna build your mash
from what you bought from home.
This is your most marketable recipe.
We're gonna be there every step along the way,
even mashing and even all the way through the run.
We're gonna be there in your corner, coaching.
All right, boys,
you got four hours to make us your best jar of liquor.
Your time starts now.
Good luck to all of you.
Thing about it is their stills are exactly the same.
How they run them is what's gonna determine their quality.
Exactly.
All we need is one good jug.
They don't get no more backwards than
this right over here.
It's Sunday before they get the Wednesday news, where he lives.
You know, I chose peg leg number one,
because he's just an outstanding guy in my book.
I think he got shortchanged.
He didn't even get to run his signature mash.
You know, it's just a hand that fate deals in this game sometimes.
I wanna see what he brings to the table.
He's made a tremendous amount of liquor.
Everything from bourbon to brandies to raw liquors.
My name is stan wisniewski. They call me peg leg.
I've been distilling since I was 12 years old.
You put a little bit in a container.
[stan] family members were running liquor
when I was younger.
And I learned from them.
It's no good. You want a nice blue flame.
And, you wanna make sure that it's good alcohol.
It's probably about a 150 proof.
When I was here last time,
I couldn't find rye anywhere.
At the last minute,
we found a bag of flaked rye.
I've never used flaked greens before in my life.
And my yeast didn't convert everything over.
I knew it wasn't going anywhere.
Very little alcohol in there.
There's my jar.
All I got was green water coming out.
So, I'm taking myself out of the competition.
Peg leg, that's pretty honorable, buddy.
I felt like somebody just
ripped their hand in my chest
and pulled my heart out.
And that's how I felt
until I was asked to come back.
If I won this, I'd be so happy and proud.
It would be unbelievable.
Big mike, I'm counting on you.
Oh, we're doing the way to dance,
me and you. [laughs]
[mark] you know, big mike, he's a hoot.
He's just a big ball of fun.
Last time he was here,
he ran gin,
which isn't even his specialty.
And he blew us away.
You know, he always brought humor.
He was more than willing to help the other contestants.
That, to me, is exactly
the true mark of a good moonshiner.
That's why I chose big mike.
Come on, big boy.
My name is michael fannon.
I'm from hinton, west virginia.
I've been distilling, probably...
12, 13 years.
My interest in distilling got started
with my grandmother's dad.
He was a moonshiner in the prohibition era.
Just a few gallons, two gallons or so.
I was here last year.
Second round, they told us all three of us
coming back to the third round because
everything was so good.
You're all outstanding distillers.
There is one here, though, that,
I think, makes you wanna go back and buy a second bottle.
Jason, you're the next master distiller.
[all cheering]
congratulations, buddy.
[mike] if I was to win this redemption round,
that would be considered the bragging rights
of having the bragging rights.
It's just a whole new level.
Leo, how we doing?
Like james brown said,
I feel good.
[tim] that's what I'm talking about.
Last time leo was here,
he was competing in the peach brandy run.
I'm a brandy man myself.
You know, he works with some unique ingredients.
And I've gone to a lot of different distilleries.
I'm trying to always learn
different distilling techniques.
I wanted to give him a shot at redemption.
And maybe I could learn a thing or two myself.
My name is leopold sawadogo.
I'm a master brewer.
[exclaims]
and, I own a brewery
in beautiful montclair, new jersey.
I've been distilling ever since
I started brewing 20 years ago.
Let's run this thing up.
[flame roaring]
I learned from my mom in west africa.
I decided to distill
with ingredients that come from my country.
The baobab is my favorite fruit to work with.
My first trip to master distiller was incredible.
But what happened is
I was unable to produce liquor to satisfy the judge.
Unfortunately, buddy, this jar bought you.
Take it home.
-We appreciate you, buddy. -Thank you.
You know what you've done?
You just won the most marketable jar.
Winning that title of master distiller
would mean everything to me.
I wanna introduce a piece of my country to the world,
and what a great venue to do that.
[man] oh! Right!
[laughing]
big mike, you ain't got no thumper, so...
Yeah, I've never not used a thumper.
Right.
I'm what you call a thumper guy.
Without a thumper, it's one distillation,
so you have to be super careful with the fact that
you don't have a thumper
to help clean it up if you make a mistake.
I gotta start playing it out in my head.
As far as the proof and the runtime...
You'll have liquor out quicker without the thumper.
[mike] a whole lot quicker.
Cap's starting to get hot.
How are you feeling about this mash?
Fine alcohol in the bottom of that barrel.
So, your game plan, that's to get to about 120
back at-- right, so go back down?
-Back it down. -130 somewhere in there.
Watching temperatures as it comes up.
I believe you gonna be the winner.
I can guarantee you I'm gonna be the winner.
-[tim] hey, leo. -[leo] yes, sir.
-You like that mash? -Absolutely.
-Mash is good. -Mash is clean.
-Yeah? -Mash is good.
I always use stainless steel.
I'm not used to copper.
I learned a lot the first time I was here.
So, I went back and studied everything
and, then, here we are.
I want to be careful of the timing
of when the liquor is run.
And also how fast it's gonna heat up.
You good on the burner?
-Yeah, everything is under control. -All right.
And, all we need is...
Is a real good jar.
I'm not gonna disappoint you.
-I know you won't. -All right.
Well, that's why I chose you.
Exactly.
All three of 'em working with a plan.
It's just sad that peg leg's and leo's
plans just ain't up to speed with mike.
[laughing]
leo, don't you let him worry you, okay?
It is not in my nature to worry.
-I got your back. -[giggles]
boys, hour-and-a-half.
This comes...
[chuckles]
I like to make noise.
[giggles]
[peg leg] we got some drips.
Ooh, that smells good.
There you go.
Oh, yes.
[leo] getting some drip-drip.
Coming down, mikey?
Won't be long before I can smell it.
Here we go, leo.
Looks to me like they're all on even keel at this point.
Yeah.
[coughs]
[leo] this'll be a lighter jar.
That gets a little higher than 120.
Get a couple more jars, I'll be done.
Looks like these boys are getting about
where they need to be.
You got a pile of jars over there.
[digger] yeah.
I'm about to cut this thing off.
[peg leg] look how slow that's coming out, at our own pace.
I'm the tortoise.
Those boys are the hare.
They're gonna get beat by way more than the hare.
[giggles]
30 minutes, boys.
[mike] fellars, I think I'm gonna shut down.
I think I'm good.
Where we at, boss?
[mike] I think we're right there on it.
You had no trouble without the thumper?
No, I got some high proof in there.
Look, it's probably 130.
I had a run which started about 100, 105.
And I started to hit...
Damn, I'm feeling good, boss.
Looks like me and you got the winning hand.
We gonna throw them out of the bus.
[laughing]
[peg leg] I was tasting the sweetness of the mash.
And, that's when I knew I was getting into my hearts.
That was giving me the right time to start blending.
Good.
And that's far as I can go.
Put this right here with spring water.
[digger] best liquor in the world, in my opinion
tempered down with a little bit of spring water.
Brings those flavors up.
Got a really good corn flavor to it.
And it's really sweet.
And the corn flavor really comes through,
running it without a thumper.
You boys ready?
Bring it on.
You might as well get misery out of your way immediately.
[laughing]
all right, big boy, get on out of here.
Get you some rest.
You're gonna need it when you get
the bad news here in a little bit.
Yeah, we'll see what kind of bad news.
[chuckles]
I think my man's already finished.
He's already the losing jar, and don't even know it.
[tim] that's pretty bead, right there.
I can see that from here.
I felt good about the jar.
It was not extremely high a proof
that it scorch your...
Your throat when you're drinking.
It was smooth.
All right.
The winning jar.
That's it.
That's what I'm talking about.
Get your rest up,
we're break the bad news to you here directly.
[laughing]
don't you worry, leo.
That's the best looking jar on the table.
Oh, I don't know about all that.
Now, my contestant, while we're looking,
he's running liquor the way you're supposed to.
That's the one, that's the one.
Think that's it, peg?
I think so.
I used as much time as I could.
I used the whole four hours.
I blended mine.
I took a little bit from each part of the jar that I had
and tasted it along the way.
When I got that sweetness coming in,
that's when I knew I had it.
Look at that, that jar is full
you couldn't tell there's anything in it.
See you shortly.
[peg leg] yes sir.
All right, boys,
at this point I don't even trust me.
This needs to be a true blind test.
I just so happen to know somebody.
-Get him. -All right, I'm gonna get him.
We're back.
All right.
[tickle] tell you what, fellars,
I done mixed these jars up so much
that even I don't know whose is whose.
It's definitely gonna be a blind taste test.
What do you think the judges are saying right now?
I guarantee they're saying right now
that my jar is the winner.
[all laughing]
[tim] jar number one.
All right, looking pretty good.
Breaking away, I'd put it at about 90.
[mark] I wanna say if there is a bad jar here,
I'm gonna really be surprised.
We've got all top-notch competitors right here.
-Right. -[tickle] I'll tell you what,
that is clear as the day is long.
Well, it smells good.
[tickle] it's got a good smell to it.
Tastes like liquor, don't it?
It ain't buttermilk.
That is real good.
Don't have any fire in it.
Oh, no, there's no burning activity to it at all.
That's good drinking liquor, right there.
[tickle] yes it is.
Jar number two.
Think we got a little bit more there.
About 95.
That one got a little bit of a different bite to it.
Bites me a little bit in the back of the throat.
Yeah, but that ain't a bad thing.
I wanna know I'm drinking liquor.
Well, hell, if you don't know when you're drinking liquor,
then you're in the wrong business.
I know it, but when I sip something
I don't wanna mistake it
for low proof, being so damn smooth.
-I like it. Boy, it's real easy on the nose and-- -yeah.
It's still a good, smooth job
but it's got a little bit more bite in the last...
-Really good, really good. -Run a little faster than it should've been, I believe.
You and I never work on copper still,
it heat up pretty quick.
Yeah, you gotta watch out for that.
Go by sight,
taste, smell...
-Listen to your still. -Yeah?
The still will talk to you.
It'll even fart every now and then. Give you a smell, you know what I mean?
Oh, yeah.
You've been sitting around and... [sniffs]
-something don't smell right. -Yeah.
[all laughing]
jar number three looks crystal clear.
Every one of them has been.
Hm, I think we're little bit high on proof on that one.
Damn, 'course they all smell about the same.
[groans]
that's the highest proof
and that's the smoothest jar...
It is a good jar.
All three of them are really good.
They're all outstanding.
I know where I'm at, though.
I know where I'm at on it, too.
I'll go fetch these fellars.
-Go fetch them. -Bring my winner in first.
Love you to death,
but I'm gonna give you a run for your money.
I don't know about that.
-Good for you. -We'll see.
You take off running too fast, leo, and we'll trip you.
[laughs]
all right, fellars.
-All right. -Hello, hello, hello.
Welcome back.
And I knew we were gonna be facing
three fine jars of liquor.
Why one of y'all couldn't have screwed up a little bit,
make it a little bit easier, is beyond me.
All that being said,
nobody's going home today.
All this is gonna choose is the pecking order
and which folks go to the still house
and pick their parts.
Ain't a jar sitting on that table
I wouldn't love to be sitting on
a creek bank fishing with.
Then it come down to just minute differences on them.
It's very difficult
to say anything bad about them, right?
Yes, one of them is a little bit
better than the other one.
One of them is a little bit higher proof
than the other one.
But, all three of you, outstanding job.
Thank you.
Pull the labels, tim.
The number one jar is...
Peg leg!
-[all clapping] -yeah!
-That's my partner. -Thank you.
Second place...
Big mike!
-That's right. -[all clapping]
-good job, mike. -Appreciate it.
Well, get the suspense over,
find out who the third place is.
The third place is...
Leo!
That is all great.
[clapping]
fellars, with that being said,
-let's go to the still house. -All right.
I got my truck running outside.
It's got a flat tire.
Any one of y'all know how to blow a tire up?
Oh, yeah.
I ain't got no pumps.
Someone's gonna have to blow it up.
You know, they say if it walks like a duck
and quacks like a duck--
but I had a buddy,
played a pretty damn convincing duck.
We are here to pick our still parts.
Y'all are gonna have three minutes.
Peg leg, you are up first.
Starting now!
Uh-oh.
Peg leg sounds like he's getting off to
a good start in there.
I know I didn't need a thumper,
so I had no other alcohol
or anything I wanted to put in there for that.
All I needed was a pot,
the connections and a condenser.
[tickle] ten seconds left!
If you don't come out here with it, it's mine!
There we go.
Mike, you've got three minutes,
starting now!
Do you know what to do with all of them parts in there?
About half of 'em.
Biggest part I'm gonna be looking for is the thumper.
Because that's what I'm most comfortable around.
I know how to tune it
to make it run the way I want it to run.
So, that's the main thing I want to get.
[tickle] 30 seconds left.
All right, look, mike's coming out strong.
We have got a doubler on the scene.
But we still gotta connect all that.
He came out of there with all kinds of [bleep]
all right, leo, you're gonna have three minutes.
-Starting now. -[leo] all right.
You seeing anything you need in there, leo?
[leo] yeah, let me get this out.
[tickle] all right, I see a doubler.
And a pot.
-Are you seeing anything else? -[leo] nope.
[tickle] right now, you can't make liquor.
[tickle] you got three seconds.
-Three seconds? -[tickle] no, I'm just lying.
It's 30 seconds left.
There we go.
All right, now we got a condenser.
-You sure you're done? -Yes.
All right, fellars, follow me.
Now, these fellars just got some still parts
and I believe they're gonna be ready to roll.
I'm gonna leave these fellars in y'all's hands.
All right.
[digger] welcome back, men.
First thing you gotta do,
get these stills together.
You got one hour.
Your time starts now.
Leo, when we win,
don't brag so much like I would.
Peg leg, now you really got to come with it.
There is two things I'm gonna need here.
I don't know if you have.
What do you need?
I'm gonna need some gasket.
I'm gonna need a cap.
-Would that work? -Yeah.
-Cool, man. -That would.
[mike] |you need some gaskets, too.
[digger] ain't nothing like
seeing these guys working good together.
-Thanks, men. -Yes, sir.
It'll work.
I need something this height.
Oh, lord.
Wait a minute now.
I'm worried about you.
[mark] I wanna win this redemption,
but not by default.
Oh [bleep]
I need something this height.
Wait a minute now.
I'm worried about you.
It will work.
Oh [bleep]
that's crazy.
[mark] hey, tim.
I'm gonna go over and help leo
with his still a little bit, if you don't mind.
Yeah, just take that condenser out of that.
He don't need that.
-Leo, my man. -Yes, sir.
You having a little difficulty?
[leo] this is not gonna work.
This right here might fix us.
-Let's see. -All right.
[mark] this fine arm condenser will do
-exactly the same thing as this will do. -Right.
[mark] I wanna win this redemption,
-but not by default. -Right.
Think that'll work for you, boss.
-Good luck, leo. -Thank you.
Solid.
-Good, leo? -Done.
You good?
-Yes, sir. -[mike] cool.
That's record time.
Boys, we're gonna see some fine liquor
out of this bunch right here.
[mark] that's right, 'cause your stills are done,
ready to run.
We're gonna put 'em aside for right now.
You guys get a good night's sleep,
because tomorrow we're gonna build
your specialty recipe,
your specialty mash.
The one that you think
will win you this competition.
Since we're going to be in your corner,
mashing and helping you,
we're gonna bring in a very, very reliable timekeeper
to referee this challenge.
Good luck to each one of you.
All right, fellars,
this is redemption time, right here.
This is gonna be three teams, right?
This ain't just one-man-show no more.
This sits on everybody's shoulders.
Y'all are gonna have one hour
to make y'all's signature mash.
You fine-tuned and honed these recipes.
But now's where we really put the pedal to the floor.
And your one hour starts right now.
Get ready.
-Put some water in it, it'll be ready. -Yep.
Time to break this new mash stick in.
I'm making a three-grain bourbon.
Our recipe is corn, rye and some barley in there.
Let it mix with the hot water first.
-Then we're gonna rehydrate the corn. -Yeah.
We'll mix it all together when it gets down to about 140.
-That works for me. -Okay.
We're gonna be the only two in tennessee to make this.
Yeah.
I'm making the baobab brandy.
The baobab is a 100-year-old tree.
And, it takes a 100 years to bear fruit.
You can find it in west africa and in madagascar.
They call it the tree of life.
The mash mill is only baobab powder and sugar.
I kept it very simple.
Think we got it there.
It's almost like a orange flavor.
Yeah, it's got everything.
A baobab fruit is a flavor that stands by itself.
What are y'all making over there?
Y'all making stew over there or what?
-Chicken stew. -[giggles]
I'd say they're making chicken [bleep].
What are you making, big mike?
-[mike] here, I'll show you, leo. -You got a very good one.
-Ta-da. -Oh, man.
[laughing]
what do they got? Chicken in the bucket.
-There's nothing in there. -More like a bowl of water.
[mike] if lord made it into wine,
I figure I can make it into liquor if nothing else.
We're going to do michael whiskey.
It's gonna have cracked corn in it.
And we're gonna cook it down
and get the starches to releasing.
Take two real malts of barley.
Uh-huh.
Convert them to starches.
Then, we're gonna take
some of this malt for bread wheat,
dump it in there and let it sit.
And, then...
We're gonna take it over here
and we're gonna put it in the sour mash.
I brought some sour mash that I had.
The fourth or fifth generation sour mash
that has been running.
I just keep it going, keep that flavor going.
That stuff is off the chain.
Yes, it is.
I also added three-quarters of a gallon
of dark honey,
it should be a pretty good liquor.
Boy, them little fellars worked hard
-for all that, didn't they? -Can you imagine?
[digger] we're about 170, 172.
Oh, yeah, that's fine.
We'll slip that warm gelatin
with everything else, you know.
Yep.
Everybody wants a sweet corn, a white corn,
but I like doing different things.
I use blue dent corn.
And everybody that tries it goes,
"wow, that is amazing."
fellars, 30 minutes left.
[digger] damn, that smells good.
[peg leg] just mixing the water around a little bit.
It's gonna turn out, leo.
[digger] when it gets to the right temperature,
it'll take care of itself.
150.
150, on the money.
I'm standing by someone who is very confident
in what he's doing.
I'm all ears.
I just think he's a wealth of knowledge.
I wanna learn what he's doing.
If you drink this every morning...
-You get younger? -Definitely.
[mike] a little bit more of this magical stuff.
Damn, that's gonna be an honor to drink
some of this liquor.
Y'all's are on the losing team!
[laughing]
now, I've been watching,
and I tell you what,
I believe they got a good handle on it.
Tim, mark, digger,
why don't y'all head out
and let these fellars finish it up, all right?
Go ahead, boss.
Y'all know you're gonna lose, right?
Proof's in the pudding.
[leo] you're close to being done?
Yeah, I'm gonna let her soak and I'm gonna start dumping.
[leo] I'm cooling it down, pitcher 80.
[tickle] all right, fellars,
we're getting down to it.
There are three minutes left.
[mike] gotta get it cooler.
[tickle] three...
Two...
And, one.
All right, fellars, drop your paddles.
We'll see y'all in five days.
-Sounds good. -Good enough.
[digger] welcome back, men.
This, right here, gentlemen,
is where you get your redemption.
This is where it lies.
With your signature mash, your run.
Obviously, we all have our horse in the race.
And, since the last few times
that we competed against each other,
we lost the trust.
So, we're gonna bring in some outside judges
to be judging you.
Do well, run slow, and make us all proud.
It's up to y'all what you bring to the table.
We want to see your best.
Your time starts now, men.
Good luck.
We got this, big mike.
Big w.
Boys,
I'mma go go ahead and apologize to you now,
I'm sorry you're fixed to take the ass-whopping
you're fixed to take.
We'll see.
-Peg leg. -Yes, sir.
How you feel about it, brother?
-Going good. -You're, uh...
Bringing out some of the heavies.
Still working a little good, though, ain't it?
Oh, yeah.
Man.
[peg leg] tastes good, don't it?
[digger giggling] yeah.
Man, that's got a ton of alcohol in it.
Yes, it does.
-Good luck. -Yes, sir. Thank you.
I'm expecting big things out of you.
Great teamwork, man.
-[tim] leo. -Yes, sir.
Where you at?
[leo] I'm mashing 10 gallons.
-[tim] you don't need all that stuff in there, right? -No.
Baobab got a lot of residue, but...
-[tim] yeah. -[leo] ...It'll work out.
Can I help get this thing lit up?
Can I do that for you?
Yeah, you can do it.
Yeah, thank you.
Okay.
All right.
You probably gonna start her running pretty fast ,there.
Yes.
You ain't got a thumper.
You just going straight up the linem, or--?
I'm just going straight up.
-Big mike? -Yes, sir.
How you doing, boss?
I'm happier than a pig in slop.
Think I'll do pretty good this time, mark.
I'm up to about right here.
Got a gallon-and-a-half in the thumper.
Already got the fire going.
You know here, without a doubt,
ain't either one of them boys running the thumper,
so they're gonna get hot way before you do.
-Oh, yeah. -So...
That's why I started my fire early.
Yeah, you know how to do this.
Oh, yeah.
-Good luck, boss. -All right.
I'm counting on you now, I mean it.
I'll see what I can do.
[peg leg] should be in about 120 now.
I'm taking the full four hours.
Yeah.
Yeah, this means a lot to me, this redemption.
I don't know what you guys are gonna do,
'cause you might need another redemption.
[all laughing]
all of them's gonna make three of the best of the best.
This mash is their comfort zone.
It's, uh...
Throw water on, leo.
...It's incredible.
Yeah, water should be on.
You got steam coming out.
Start turning your fire down, leo.
[peg leg] there you go, there you go.
It's popping out.
Oh, no.
I'm puking.
Start turning your fire down.
[peg leg] there you go, there you go.
It's popping out.
You're puking bad.
Oh, no.
[leo] my fire is too hot.
Man, you're all over the place.
[mike] put a jar underneath there.
That's pure alcohol.
[leo] yeah.
[leo] lot of things was running into my mind
when the mash was starting to puke.
I knew I had to turn down all the flame
and let it take its time.
All right, all right, all right.
Yeah, we're good now.
[leo] going from the kettle
into the condenser,
that's very short.
So, liquid can overflow
and then rise up.
And, then, create bubble inside the kettle.
And, then, cause that thing to puke.
Leo, what is happening here?
I think it was boiling too hot.
Yeah, that's the problem if you don't have a doubler.
-[leo] that's what it is. -[tim] it's okay.
-All you did was just flush the system out. -[leo] yeah.
[tim] you just made sure it was working right.
-[leo] right. -[tim giggling]
holdin' steady at 160.
Gotta go up.
Oh, she's a-raising cain now, fellars.
Yeah.
I love going to thumpers and...
Ah!
You got alcohol.
It's good.
It won't be long now.
[mark] I know as mike could start running later.
He's the only one using the thumper.
Yeah, he has a whole lot farther to go.
[mark] right.
[mike] feeling pretty good right now.
I can smell it.
[mike] you thinking that's the one?
You smelling it?
It's coming out, buddy.
Let's go look.
Hour-and-a-half.
[leo] at any rate, it's pretty clear.
Every drip counts, leo.
Every single one of 'em.
Leo's baobab brandy,
you cannot buy this stuff anywhere in the country.
This could help us. This could hurt us.
How about a little smell there, peg?
Sure.
I'll let my partner take a smell.
Holy mackerel.
Getting better as the jars come out.
Oh, I'm telling you.
Wait till the third and fourth come out.
I don't know if I can stand it.
[digger] you know, I'm more than confident with peg leg.
I know what blue corn brings to the table
when it comes to liquor.
It's super sweet, super tasty.
I just hope these judges can see
how marketable this liquor is.
Well, like I would say, proof's in the pudding.
You taste my guy's pudding,
you're gonna throw yours out the window.
Well, when big mike brings that jar to the table,
all your hopes and dreams are gonna fly away.
I'm just glad that we got some
judges coming from outside
to really give us the true story here.
20 minutes, gentlemen.
[mark] you gonna get to what we need, big mike?
Yes, sir. I'm mixing the jar up right now.
[leo] whatever happens,
it's been an honor
being here, sitting with you guys.
I'm fine.
Yeah.
[leo] I think I'm ready.
The liquid was so clean,
it was just incredible.
[tim] that it, leo?
That's it.
[leo] I felt good dropping that jar.
Pretty clear liquor.
[leo] I'm very excited
finally to unveil to the world
what the baobab tastes like.
You'll never get anything like that.
That's what I'm talking about.
Head on back over to your station,
we got guest judges coming in
and then we're gonna get out of here.
All right.
Good luck, buddy.
Yep.
[peg leg] what I'm hoping the judges get from my spirit
is the smell,
the flavor and then the taste.
Delicious blue corn.
And, how it all combines together,
it's very mellow.
I think it's pretty good.
Boys.
[digger] there is the winning jar.
Good luck, peg.
Yes, sir.
[mike] I think that's the winning jar, right there.
Triple-grain with the honey and the sour mash,
it's hard to beat something that good.
Three, two, one.
[thuds]
[laughing]
[mark] there's my man
bringing in the winning jar.
[mike] that's right.
[mark] big mike says that his sour mash
is what makes his triple-grain whiskey
his best seller.
I've tasted this stuff.
It is incredible.
I hope the judges feel the same way.
But, I'll tell you what,
we got three guys,
two of them know about redemption.
One knows more about high dollar liquor,
than jack rabbit knows about rum.
So, we're gonna leave you in y'all's hands.
Good luck to every damn one of you.
-Yeah, let's go, guys. -Good luck, boys.
Peg, leo, big mike,
if it's possible, I'm rooting for all of you.
[whispering] especially you.
[inaudible]
oh, my god.
This is fantastic.
[laughing]
[tickle] how's it going, fellars?
All right.
My name is tickle.
Y'all have met me before.
There's one thing I know about in my life,
it's redemption.
I'm tim jones.
I've been fortunate enough to work on
some of the biggest and most sought after
american whiskeys.
I'm also a bar owner.
So, I'm looking at these spirits
and trynna figure out,
is this something bartenders can get excited about,
things like that.
I'm jb rader, the legend.
We have three judges.
We have jb rader, the legend.
Golden tounged tim jones.
Of course, there's tickle.
I don't think tickle's ever
met a jar of liquor he didn't like.
It's just incredible.
We are here to declare one winner.
So, with that being said,
we're gonna ask you all guys to leave.
All right.
-Good luck, guys. -Thank you.
All right, now there's only one thing to do,
which is taste them.
-You're right about that. -Yeah.
You seldom get a chance at redemption.
It's been really fun
and it's good to see all three of you guys again.
I wish the best for all of you.
All right, we got peg leg up here, first.
It looks good.
What do you reckon right here?
[jb] about 105.
That's what I was thinking.
You nervous?
Nah.
I'm steady as a rock here.
I see that.
It's good and clear. It's floral.
It is nice on the nose.
It's pretty smooth.
The rye is coming through pretty nicely.
It gives it that nice peppery punch.
[jones] yeah.
But, now, the blue corn,
I'm getting a sweet note from.
Oh, yeah.
I think it's pretty balanced.
It needed a good corn, too, out there.
-That's the thing, it's like... -Yeah.
-...If you know your corn whiskey... -Yeah.
...You know this is a great one.
-Yeah, it is. -Yes.
I think it's, like, general enough
to where you could use it
as a base in a bunch of cocktails.
-Yeah. -Good marketability.
Yeah.
[tickle] all right, fellars, leo.
He's close to 100.
I'm really anxious to taste this.
It's called a baobab.
We may be
some of the first people to ever taste this distill.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to this.
It's like the story is already there.
-We're already talking about it, you know. -The tree of life.
I mean, yeah.
This is something I've been working for a long time.
I'm probably the first guy to ever try this.
It's got a distinct aroma.
Definitely fruit forward.
You can tell it's forward brandy.
[tickle] almost a cross between a tangerine
and a pear.
It tastes good.
I'll tell you what,
that just over ice right there would be amazing.
It would be fantastic.
It would make a great cocktail, too.
It's very good to show this to the world,
what the baobab represents.
Big mike's.
-Maybe about 95. -Yeah.
-But, still great proof. -Oh, yeah.
And, a sour mash is gonna be your best liquor.
'cause you done already got
the first couple of real grainy runs
out of the way.
Whatever they say,
I'll be good with it
as long as you win.
Oh, I'll be good with it as long as I win, too.
As long as you win.
-Lot of honey. -Yeah.
It's almost a molasses
which is unique as well.
Got a little fire to it on my tongue, right now.
But on the tail end.
-I like the little finish on it. -Yes.
If it was just smooth and went away,
-I feel like I'd be disappointed. -[jones] yeah.
I'd drink it.
It's so honey forward,
you can mix it with anything
that has heavy simple syrup in it.
It would stand out.
If we win, I don't know how I'll feel.
Hell, I ain't never won, so.
-I haven't won either. -[both laugh]
we've got a tough decision here, fellars.
Tim.
Well, I gotta base my decision on marketability.
I think it comes down to that,
because taste and craftsmanship,
-they're all great. -Yeah.
This is definitely the hardest one I've judged. By far.
-Oh, yeah. -Yeah.
Hell, boys, this is redemption.
They all good.
They come out perfect
in their own flavors.
I can't agree more, jb.
Well, guys, I'm gonna tell you,
ain't nobody going home a loser,
but there's only gonna be one number one.
No doubt.
[narrator] coming up...
I've judged several of these
and this was definitely the hardest job I've had.
There was no easy decision here.
I feel very grateful for coming back here.
I'd be really honored
if you all would sign my leg.
Roll them up. Get those breeches legs up, we'll get with it.
[mark] match it off of there, boss.
[peg leg] I can't walk around without it.
[mike] well, that's why they call him 'peg leg'.
See that?
Oh, wee! It don't smell really bad.
No, it smells like beer, don't it?
Yeah.
I've had a lot of people drink out of that leg.
Well, they're desperate for a drink, huh?
Tickle and who else?
[all laughing]
I guess they use a long straw.
Are you gonna retire this leg, peg?
When they tell me I have to.
What do you got, still steel-toe boots in it?
[shushes]
it's a safety measure.
[mike] I've never signed nobody's leg before.
[peg leg] there's a first for everything.
That's exactly right.
-That's really... -[all laughing]
all right, fellars, I got 'em.
Six moonshine masters,
as far as I'm concerned, right there.
Yeah, exactly.
All right, fellars,
there was no easy decision here.
Y'all have all redeemed yourselves greatly.
We'll start off over here with peg leg.
Tell you what,
never tasted any liquor made with blue corn.
I could taste a huge difference.
The sweet notes coming off of that
combined with your grains that you put in there
was absolutely amazing.
Yeah, you've done yourself proud.
That blue corn is exceptional.
That rye come in peppery,
you've done a great job.
Thank you.
I agree, it's a great whiskey.
It was nice and sweet, but balanced.
I think our bartenders will be really excited to
have people try it.
You know, just an exceptional spirit.
-Great job. -Thank you.
That brings us here to leo.
I'll tell you what, leo,
first time you were here,
you never made it to make your signature run.
And I'll tell you what,
from what we've tasted today,
had you got to that point,
that would've been something amazing.
I expected more citrus out of it by the smell.
But it had this wonderful mild note to it.
All I can say is great job.
I've never heard of the fruit in my whole life till this,
and it's good on the palate.
You've done a real great job.
[leo] thank you.
[jones] I think it's really interesting.
It was, like, fruit forward brandy,
it's exactly what I was hoping for.
But I also think you can't just
market something or put something on the shelf
because it's interesting,
it's gotta be great.
-And, you've achieved both. -Thank you.
All right, well, that brings us to big mike.
Now, big mike,
when you get to your sour mash,
that brings the note that most everybody likes.
That was a smart move on your part.
And a lot of people have
head-busting liquor when it comes to honey.
I'll tell you what,
you whopped that dog before it ever got here.
All I can say is all around, great job.
Thank you.
That honeycomb, too.
It wasn't harsh,
and that was good and smooth.
And, you've done an excellent job, too.
Thank you.
Big mike, I tasted that whiskey
over and over and over,
it's really, really good.
It's nice and sweet, smooth.
When I think about
if I was gonna put that in the back of the bar,
or try to go to market with it,
honey's a really popular flavor.
-People really love a nice honey whiskey. -Thank you.
Excellent job.
Thank you.
All right, fellars,
not only did we have
three good moonshiners here making moonshine.
Y'all also had
a moonshine magician right beside you.
The combination of all that
really made this
one of the toughest decisions
I've honestly ever had to make in my life.
-And I believe these guys will agree with me. -Oh, yeah.
[tickle] that being said...
You want me to tell y'all today or tomorrow?
-[all laughing] -well, tomorrow'd be good.
Now that I got all of y'all smiling,
leo, you are the master distiller.
[all cheering]
[tim] way to go, leo!
Way to go, man.
I took the risk to go ahead
and see if the judge can find
the goodness of the baobab.
It was worth it to take that risk.
It felt absolutely amazing to share,
you know, a piece of me,
a piece of our history,
a piece of my country,
to the rest of the world.
I don't know what else to say.
It's just incredible.
I've judged several of these.
And, this was definitely the hardest job I've had.
But, leo, there's something there
that's, like, really interesting
that we can get behind and bring it to market.
I think it's great.
-Congratulations, everybody. -[all clapping]
thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
-Congratulations. -Thank you very much.
-Yes, sir. -Thank you.
Now, we tried, didn't we, boss?
Yeah, it kind of hurt my feelings
just a little bit,
you know, it ought to be about my turn.
But I don't consider myself and mike losers.
I'm very much a winner.
I got to do this with mike.
He just showed exquisite ability.
If I had this three here fellars,
I'd purchase all in it.
I'll tell y'all what, fellars,
this liquor is so damn good,
why don't we grab these three jars,
head out here to the bar
and all of us have a good drink together?
I'll coat these,
that way they don't get lost, all right?
I got your liquors.