[narrator] this time on master distiller...
[digger] carbonated liquor in a can.
See if we got any fizzy.
[narrator] a new beverage is revolutionizing the liquor business.
-Oh, yeah. -Now, we're talking.
[mark] you know carbonated alcoholic beverages, they're a rage right now.
[narrator] now, three accomplished distillers
Use backwoods traditions and raw ingredients...
[chip] going somewhere with that.
[narrator] to see who can make the ultimate sparkling spiri
Across the country, a handfu of amateur distillers
Are heirs to a centuries old tradition
Some operate on the legal side.
Others practice their craft beyond the reach of the law
Now, they'll face off to earn their place
In america's liquor making legacy.
Good god, it's getting warm in here already, boys.
-Oh, definitely got some alcohol. -[laughing]
[narrator] judged by three legendary moonshiners, and guest judge, josh owens.
-Okay, tickle. -Damn, was it good.
[narrator] they'll go head-to-head in a series of challenges.
Uh-oh. No go.
Houston, we have a problem.
[narrator] to determine who has what it takes...
Let's bust the top on this thing.
[can opens]
That had a little bit more pop to it.
[narrator] to be named master distiller
-[belching] -that's how we make the moonshine.
Wanna welcome y'all to master distiller.
We're fixing to put your all's skills to the test.
We're gonna see out of you three, which one truly is the master distiller.
Now, what you get with that, your bragging rights.
But beyond that, you get a limited run of your liquor at a major distillery.
Pretty big deal.
This competition's all about tiny bubbles. Carbonated liquor.
You're going to make us a high proof, great-tasting liquor
That then you're going to temper it down and carbonate it.
Carbonated liquor in a can.
It is the biggest trend going right now.
Myself, I have one in a can on the shelf.
But it is not easy.
You need to be very precise with your ph level and perfect with your proofing.
Tickle! Roll that beautiful "history of" footage.
I think we'd all agree that a little fizz and sparkle
Make a drink feel like a celebration.
In 1767, an english scientist named joseph priestley
Accidentally carbonated wate
When he dripped sulfuric aci on chalk over a bowl of wate
Now, I don't know what he was trying to accomplish, but here we are.
Until then, liquor had always been drank straight.
But when people started mixi carbonated water with their liquor,
It very quickly became everybody's favorite way to drink it.
Hard seltzer is once again the favorite of the liquor world.
Hard seltzer abv ranges from 4% to 6%, similar to most beers.
Ahh. Effervescent.
[digger] all right, guys. What we want is your best base liquor
For your carbonated beverage.
That's where we're gonna base our decision on your first run.
Come with me, we're gonna go build some mash.
All right, guys. Time to build your mash.
Stuff you've never been so proud of in your life.
You got one hour. Your time starts now. Good luck, guys.
[chip] think you're going down. [laughing]
-[lauren] oh, yeah? We shall see. -[chip] it's a good start.
[lauren laughing]
-Oh, [bleep], okay. -How you feeling down there, ryan?
I'm worried about this direct flame. Never done it.
-And outside. -Yeah.
Gonna be interesting.
My name is ryan "chip" rhoads, I'm from buffalo, new york.
I'm a distiller at a production brewery call albany distilling company.
It's weird how you can not intentionally stumble
Into something that you just love so much.
What I like about distilling?
You're making the spice of life.
You're making an elixir that everybody wants to have.
It's science, it's art, it's tasty.
At work, we have a 600 liter hybrid still. It's a beast.
So you can tell it gets kind of like, soupy and thick.
So what we're gonna do is add rye, make it thicker.
My experience with bubbles is we do rtds, ready to drink cocktails in cans.
Our cola canned cocktails are lightning.
Just such a good flavor.
If I win, I'm gonna take the distillery to the next level.
Chip, tell me about what you're doing here.
-I'm making a standard empire rye. -Mmm-hmm.
Using all new york state ingredients.
Recipe for the mash is 75% rye, 25% malted barle all grown in new york state
-You're all grain, no extra sugars? -Nope, nothing.
Well, in your end product, what are you looking at for your abv?
-I'm trying to hit between 5% and 8%. -All right.
We look forward to seeing how you gonna carbonate it.
I can't wait for you to taste it.
All right, good luck.
-Thank you, sir. -Yeah, man.
I don't think she... Hers is all the way on.
-You wanna turn your burner up? -[lauren] yeah, I am.
[chip] okay.
[jason] yeah, she's got a whole lot of fire going over and out.
You told me to turn it up, so I turned it up.
My name's lauren murphy. I'm from minneapolis, minnesota.
I have been head distiller at norseman for five years now.
Well, I really love the science behind it all.
We have cedar tips, some buckbean leaves.
Have not experimented with catnip, but that is next on my list.
I've had about a year or two of experience working with tiny bubbles.
It's definitely trial and error.
There's a lot of little thin
That you have to be conscious of when working with bubbles.
And you know, people tend to underestimate me most of the time,
Because it is such a male-dominated industry.
But I'm pretty confident in the work that I do.
[digger] lauren, tell me what your plan is here.
Liquor with a little bit of corn, little bit of malted barley,
And then I'm using a little bit of turbinado sugar,
Which is just raw, unrefined sugar.
Think that turbinado's gonna work out well for you?
I hope so.
This a recipe you've used before, or is this an experiment at this point?
No, this is a little bit of an experiment, yeah.
-Kind of bold. -That's why I'm here, though.
-You know, try something out. -You need anything, holler at me.
-I will. -Good luck.
You're just cool as a cucumber over there.
Trying not to show all the panic running through my veins.
[laughing]
My name is jason harl. I'm from louisville, kentucky.
I'm a coppersmith. I build moonshine stills.
And me and my little brothe just had, uh, the idea to start making liquor.
We started running in 2002.
My brother passed away in 2019 at 35, and it destroyed me.
I quit running for about a year.
And, uh... [clears throat]
I decided he wouldn't want me to quit running.
So I went full blast.
And that led to my still business.
13 stills. All family owned and operated.
And this year alone, we're gonna have
About 200 stills go out of this shop.
I sell a lotta liquor. People come from miles around to get my bourbon.
I sell the hell out of it. It's my life.
I know I'm gonna produce good liquor,
But I'm really worried about going down there and carbonating my drink.
I've only done carbonation a couple times.
And it was with dry ice.
I just take me a jug of liquor and I crack the lid
And throw a piece of dry ice in there.
My recipe comes from my little brother, tracy.
It's me and his recipe of corn and rye
That we worked on for about 15 years.
Hello, digger. How you doing, buddy?
I'm all right, how about you?
Uh, pretty good. A little busy trying to get some sugar in here,
And, uh, get mashed in.
A little rye, little corn.
That's, uh, my specialty.
-What's your abv for your final drink? -I have no idea.
I'm not really good with abv on the fly.
I don't care if it's 80 proof or 90 proof.
I just want a really good, smooth jar of liquor.
You realize you're carbonating a can, don't you?
-Yes, sir. -See, that's what you gotta be concerned with.
If you go in there with 80 proof trying to get it to carbonate,
You're dead in the water, bro.
You need to be way less than 10 usually before you can get anything.
10 abv, not 10 proof.
So that's your easy rule of thumb.
Appreciate every word of advice you can give me, sir.
I'm absolutely nervous about my competitors,
Because they both come from big distillery backgrounds.
[digger] guys, ten minutes.
It's drawing short.
[lauren] is your sugar dissolved?
-[jason] yes, ma'am. -All right.
[jason] turned out pretty good so far.
We'll see here in five days.
How you doing over there?
[lauren] good. Got a little bit of sweetness, but not there yet.
-How's the taste? -Good. Dead on.
Getting some sweet notes.
[digger] five minutes, boys and girls.
Better be getting that mash in them barrels.
[jason speaking]
[chip speaking]
[lauren speaking]
Guys, you got two minutes. Looks like you're done.
Why don't y'all head on out? We'll keep an eye on them. Good luck, guys.
-[chip] thank you. -[jason] thank you.
Welcome back, guys. It's your first run.
Time for y'all to get that liquor out of that mash for your carbonated beverage.
What you got at stake, though, is who goes to the still parts house first.
If you get in there first, you're guaranteed to get a thumper if you need one.
You got four hours.
Your time starts now.
Good luck, guys.
-[digger] pretty mash right there. -[mark] yeah. Sure is.
She's triple filtering.
[mark] she's got a strainer inside a basket inside a strainer.
That liquor will be called houdini if it gets out of there, won't it?
[laughing]
-Jason's already got fire under his still. -[digger] yup.
[tim] looks like we cooking.
Yeah, there's fire.
-[lauren] what do you think about my flame? -[jason] give it more.
-[lauren] yeah, you think so? -[jason] [bleep] yeah.
[lauren] I haven't worked a lot with pot stills
So jason did help me with running the still.
[lauren] all right, jason. We're doing this.
[lauren] we all helped each other out.
The biggest challenge for me is to go up against these two guys
That I really do truly admire.
-Appreciate it, thank you. -Yes, ma'am. Anything you need just let me know.
[lauren] thanks, man.
[chip speaking]
Chip's having a whole lot of problems with his mash. He got a lot of thick grain.
[digger] well, boys and girls, you've burned 45 minutes of your time left.
-How much did you put in your pot, jason? -About eight gallons.
Gonna use everything else for the thumper for the next round.
Assuming that you come out in time to get a thumper.
I don't assume. I'm gonna get my first pick.
Everything is gonna really depend on that thumper.
Lauren, do you feel like your fermentation's where you need it to be?
So it looks like my fermentation's still going a little bit.
Could use a few more days, so I only used a little bit of mash.
And then I'll take that reserve mash and then put that into the thumper
And try to flavor it elsewhere.
With turbinado sugar, it sometimes dies
Right when your fermentation gets started.
Oh, boy.
Well, she's gotta win this first competition, guys, to get the thumper.
-There might not be two thumpers in there. -We shall see.
Good god, it's getting warm in here already, boys.
Gotta win this first competition, guys, to get the thumper.
Oh, that there will be coming out any minute.
Ah, dang. There we go.
-[lauren] coming out? -[jason] yes, sir.
[chip] I'm running.
-[jason] she's running, too. -[chip] you running, too?
[lauren] mmm-hmm. Yeah, it just started.
Two hours, guys.
[jason] what proof you think it is?
Thinking, like, 130.
Concerned about the proof.
Never just used my, you know, senses as far as taste, smell.
It would be a lot easier if I had a hydrometer, though.
[tim] yeah, y'all wouldn't make it in the woods.
-I can tell you that right now. -[laughing]
[digger] one hour left, guys.
Oh, my god.
It smells a little bit off.
[sighs]
It has such a weird flavor off the bottom.
How can I do this safely?
[tim] what are you trying to do?
[chip] redistill the mash.
I wanna see if I can put more mash into the still as fast as possible.
Dude...
-[chip] don't-- -there's not enough time.
[chip] [bleep] it, I'm doing it.
This is what I'm doing now. I have no option.
[mark] what the hell?
-[chip groans] -[lauren] what's the game plan?
[chip] I'm just gonna re-pitch in. See what I can get out.
[lauren] throw it all back in?
[chip] yeah, I'm just gonna do a second run straight through.
[lauren] well, [bleep] try it.
I mean, you're taking a ballsy leap right now doing what you're doing.
If you really feel like you're behind the ball, what do you got to lose?
You're gonna bring up your proof,
It's gonna give you a bunch more notes of flavors,
And if it works it's gonna be cool.
[lauren] about to find out.
We've had a lot of risk-takers in the past.
Didn't pay off for some of them.
Some of them it did.
[chip] actually, if I could grab a hand from you.
Either it's gonna work really well or really bad.
[digger] oh, we're getting tight now, guys.
30 minutes left in your run.
[jason] I try not to let my nerves get to me.
I have a lot of personal reasons for being here.
I carry my little brother with me.
This is his ashes in this ja
He is with me everywhere I g
[chip] oh, [bleep]. That one's tastes exactly like I make it at home.
-[tim] amazing -[chip] I'm very happy with that.
After I re-pitched halfway through,
The jar had the flavor I needed.
It's tasty. It's spicy. It's good.
15 minutes left.
-You bringing it in, jason? -Yes, sir. I think this is the jar I wanna turn in.
Thank you, guys.
I bet your brother's real proud of you for that jar.
Thank you. Means a lot.
[digger] good luck, buddy.
[lauren] I'm concerned about the proof.
I tend to overthink things,
But I thought the jar that I had there
Was probably the best that I could present.
I was happy with it.
I love the flavor, the taste. It was really smooth.
All right, you guys.
-[mark] is that the one? -Here is my jar. Thank you.
-[digger] thank you. Good luck. -[mark] good luck, lauren.
[digger] two minutes, chip. Time is drawing nigh.
Bring it in here, boss.
Best jar I got. Chip 2.0. It's me, but better.
-Thank you. -[mark] good luck, chip.
Let's do a little taste.
Chip 2.0.
[tim] well, he's looking pretty high.
He's looking about a 108, right there.
What do you think your final proof was?
I'm kind of confident. 120-ish, maybe?
Whoa.
Mmm. Different smell, ain't it?
-Mmm, earthy. -Yeah. That's all that malt.
-Gotta good smell, really. -[digger] and it's rye.
[tim] little spicy.
Yeah, it burns your tongue, where you can't differentiate between those flavors.
I think it could be better if it was a little lower.
-Pour us another one, tim. -All right.
This is lauren's.
[digger] that is lauren's.
That's a 100 proof right there.
My mash wasn't fully fermented,
Uh, but I'm pretty happy with the results.
-Oh, that smells good. -[mark] yeah.
That's got a really, really good floral, citrusy note on it.
I think she's spot-on on flavor.
She's got a fruity note.
That would build a real nice carbonated cocktail the way it is right there.
-She done good. -[tim] moving on.
-Jason. -The backwoods guy.
-[tim] uh-oh. -[digger] oh.
Oh, he's a little low.
[tim] I mean, he's in the 80s.
Uh-oh.
[tim] I don't know what he's got there, but it ain't no alcohol in it.
Hmm, a little different smell there.
Of course, he's rye heavy.
-[tim] rye and corn. -[digger] got that earthy, grainy nose.
Wow. Yeah, he's got a good taste, though.
Yeah, he needs to bring that proof up.
It's got some power.
Yeah, 80, 90.
And once it's carbonated, high-proof alcohol would mask your flavor.
Low proof alcohol won't bring it to the table.
I for one am as nervous as a man can be.
I'm hoping to get a thumper.
-All right, you good? -[digger] I'm good.
-I'm gonna go fetch them. -[mark] go get them, cuz.
[digger] all right, guys.
Now, we tasted three incredible jars of liquor.
Now, chip, your flavor's spot on.
Just what I would expect out of an all-grain.
It was really, really good.
Your taste profile was like chocolate ice cream.
You know, it has a real rich, deep flavor.
[mark] flavor would even be better if the proof wasn't so high.
-But a damn fine job. Congratulations. -Thank you, sir.
Jason, your rye liquor, brother.
It was spot on for flavor.
Messed up just a tiny bit.
Your proof was a little bit low.
-That being said, you did a damn fine job. -Thank you.
Lauren, your flavor profile's spot on.
Uh, you used flaked corn--
-Yep. -...And to me, it's got an unique flavor in itself.
Your proof is 100. Great job on that.
[mark] and nobody's going home here, guys.
This is just for still parts.
Give y'all a pecking order to pick your still parts.
Lauren, you're number one.
Jason, you're number two.
And unfortunately, chip, you're pulling the caboose.
So, that being said, get y'all out there
And let you pick your still parts.
Tickle!
What do we got going on here today?
[tim] well, we need some more still parts.
All right, y'all, come on with me.
We'll get y'all hooked up.
-Good luck. -[lauren] thank you.
[mark] good job, guys!
We're doing something a little different with this still house pick.
I hid a snake in there.
All right? But don't worry. He's friendly.
[all laugh]
We're here to pick your still parts.
You're gonna have three minutes inside there.
Lauren, you're up first.
Your three minutes starts now.
-You better get up. -[lauren] let's get in there.
-You only got three minutes. -[lauren] all right.
There was a sense of urgency to be first in the still house.
Definitely wanted the traditional pot thumper.
Uh, you know, warm condenser
-Okay, well, I see a pot. All right. -[lauren] yes.
Have you run across the snake yet?
[all laugh]
[tickle] he's a big one.
[lauren] a lot of the equipment that, you know, is here toda
I have never had any experience running.
One and a half minutes.
-[tickle] it goes quicker than you think. -[lauren] it sure does.
She is coming out with more stuff.
All right. We have got a thumper.
You're down to five seconds, lauren.
Four, three, two, one.
-The rest of those parts are mine. -All right.
Tell you what, she does got a box full of stuff now.
All right, jason.
Your time starts now.
Everything is gonna really depend on that thumper.
[tickle] well, are you finding everything you need in there?
[jason] open her up, tickle. Open her up.
Oh, yeah, open it up? Okay.
We have got a condenser and a thumper.
[chip] I'm worried if I'm gonna have anything left.
[tickle] and three, two, one.
-Okay, have you got everything you need? -I don't know.
[tickle] make sure. Make sure.
And we will let chip have a go at what is left.
Are you ready? You have got three minutes starting now.
I ain't gonna lie to you, chip.
I believe I'd grab every damn thing that's in there. All that's left.
It's kind of disappointing coming in third for the still house,
But I'm gonna grab whatever else is left.
I'm gonna work with any equipment I can grab.
We've got a pot and a condenser.
You've got 30 seconds left.
Seems like forever when you're microwaving a burrito.
But, uh, it's not too long picking still parts.
[all laugh]
[chip] what the [bleep]? Grab it all!
Grab it all.
[tickle] this last 30 seconds goes by real quick, chip.
[chip whispering] oh, my god.
This last 30 seconds goes by real quick, chip.
[chip whispering] oh, my god.
It goes by so fast, you've only got 15 seconds left.
[chip] I think I have enough.
-[tickle] are you done? -[chip] uh...
[tickle] well, you are now.
-[lauren laughs] -[jason laughs] he's done now.
Now that y'all got all your all's still parts,
Let's roll back the way we came.
-We made it back. -Oh.
[tickle] yeah, well, you know, I told them
I hid a snake up in the still house,
-But didn't none of them find it. -[chuckles]
[tickle] uh, I reckon, uh, they got plenty of still parts.
-[digger] you be good. -[tickle] I'm gonna try.
So, hopefully, everybody's got everything they need.
You got one hour to put our stills together.
Your time starts now.
Good luck guys and get with it.
[chip] oh, [bleep].
I don't know how I'm gonna do this.
Oh, come on now!
Well, everybody's moving with a sense of urgency,
-As you say. -[mark] yep. Chip's going a little different route.
Yes, he's a little bit, uh, high rise over there,
But, you know, his problem is connecting that condenser.
[chip] oh, come on now!
Houston, we have a problem.
[lauren] uh-oh. No go.
I needed a thump post, but I don't have a thump post.
One of your buddies may have picked one up that you need inadvertently.
You never know.
-Is it a thump post? -Yeah, that's what your buddies are for.
-They'll help you. -That's why I love you.
A little still house love.
It's almost like his arm coming in is too long.
[jason] oh, yeah. I see it ain't sitting square.
Still ain't setting down in the burner just right.
[digger] there you go.
That's headed in the right direction.
[mark] maybe this might be a new record time.
Not even ten minutes ticked off yet.
All right, guys, you all are done.
That was a damn impressive time.
-[mark] you guys are on it. -We're looking at 14 minutes that lapsed.
Your next step is flavoring your liquor.
Do it in your spirit run, infuse a little flavor in it.
Your going to use that as a base
For your flavored carbonated beverage.
But somebody's going home on this one, so make it count.
You're gonna have four hours.
We wanna see your best.
Your time starts now. Get with it.
[mark] good luck.
Bam!
Oh, yeah.
[mark] that's damn flavor central right there.
So, what are you over there beating on?
Your, uh... Blackberries or...
Blackberries, some pineapple,
And then, I have a little bit of pineapple juice in there.
Nice.
[lauren] a game plan with the pineapple and the blackberries
Is to heat it up on the top of the pot of the still
To try to cook it a little bit,
And then I'll put that back in the thumper.
Chip's got great mash, he really does.
I wanna see what he puts in that gin basket.
[chip] because I didn't get a thumper,
I'm gonna approach flavor completely differentl
Get some of these botanicals,
Put them right into this gin basket,
And let it vapor infuse.
I've got straw, flower, clove, menthol, cinnamon stick,
Jamaican chew stick, orange ginger, and cane sugar.
The drink is sweet, spicy, earthy.
It's got a really floral punch to it
It's like sweet and spicy chicken,
But it's just a really fantastic cocktail.
All different kind of flavors going on here.
Bet y'all be coming out any minute.
-It's how we make the moonshine! -[chuckling]
[chip] damn, jason.
The rye and oak come through really good.
So, jason, do you typically put tape around the bends?
-[jason] is it leaking? -Yeah.
Know how to do that? Oatmeal paste?
Make it a little thicker than a biscuit.
I'm from minnesota. We don't typically make biscuits.
-What do you make then? -Pies.
-A little less as thick as pie crust. -[lauren] okay.
-I like the way y'all are doing business here. -[lauren] oh, yeah.
[mimics minnesotan accent] oh, yeah.
[lauren laughs]
Halfway through, guys. Two hours burnt, two hours left.
[chip] two hours.
[jason] it's getting warm in here.
-Yeah, it's running. -[chip] getting something finally.
-[lauren] guys, what jar are you on? -Three full ones.
-[chip] one. -I have not collected yet.
Hey, it's... It's not a race.
[lauren softly] there.
Oh, now we're cruising!
Anything go in your thump keg other than your mash?
Straight cherries for now.
For my flavor run,
I'm shooting for a cherry lemonade.
I've got some cherries and then I got some concentrated lemonade.
Gonna pull that tamp back off of that thumper.
I'm gonna have some cherries.
And then get it charged with.
He's gonna stop and restart again with cherries.
That's a little bit of risky, it looked like to me.
It's a little unorthodox.
Let's charge the thumper with the cherries.
If I can get that cherry not in there,
I'm gonna start making my cuts.
And once we put the combination in it, it's gonna blow them away.
Is that what you're putting in your thumper?
[lauren] yeah. Pineapple and the blackberries.
-You gonna re-charge it or what are you doing? -Yeah.
I've never opened a still with a thump keg.
It can be dangerous. They can explode.
It's true. They can.
[chip] the flame's off. You're good.
Oh, I got it. Good.
Perfect.
Ow.
Because I was doing such high abvs beforehand,
I was waiting to fill those botanical jars to come off it.
I've got this access port, which I'm thinking
About just open that up, toss some extra stuff right in there.
That's a great idea.
Come on, baby. I need you to do something.
There's charge number three.
-[chip] are you putting more in? -[jason] yes, sir.
-[chip] nice. -[jason] put the heat to it, baby.
[digger] all right, guys. One hour.
It ended up being 30 to 45 minutes before it really started kicking.
[sighs]
But I'm very happy with that botanical note.
I'm going somewhere with that.
[jason] nice.
And how's your [bleep] coming along?
[lauren] I don't like it.
No, it's just a little hot. The pineapple's coming through a little rough.
[tim] what you working with? What you got there? Strawberry?
I put a little bit of pineapple juice in here,
And then I made a, uh, like a triple berry, uh, simple syrup,
So a little bit of blackberry, raspberry, strawberry
To make it mellow, kind of smooth it out so it's a nice tasting drink for y'all.
That's making me want to taste it.
Chip, looks like you're doing a little blending?
Just trying to get my flavor right.
Those red jars down there?
-[mark] yes, sir? -[chip] that's going to be my main flavor.
It's a sorrel punch. Smells like mulled wine.
It really, like, punches it up.
[mark] very, very interesting. Lauren?
-[lauren] hi. -What have you got going on over here?
Pineapple's coming off a little hot for me, so I have some charcoal going here
To try to temper that down so it's not so aggressive.
-[mark] you're still grinding, so... -[lauren] mmm-hmm.
You're probably good. Good luck, hon.
-Thank you. -Jason, how you doing?
My cherries didn't quite turn out like I wanted it to.
That cherry came out vanilla-y, it's... It's weird.
Well, you know, you get it where you want it.
But the telltale sign's in the tongue.
Good luck, jason.
-Thank you very much. -Yes, sir.
30 minutes, guys.
I still think it's too freaking hot.
Ah, this fudging proof has got me jacked.
I don't know if I can do anything else with this [bleep] jar.
[jason] I don't know if I can do anything else with this [bleep] jar.
-[lauren] come on, jas. -[jason] ah, this fudging proof has got me jacked.
Don't second guess yourself.
We're in mad scientist mode.
[digger] 15 minutes, folks.
Mine is a very deep, bold, complex jar.
But I wasn't prepared to do that much mixing.
[lauren] as we get closer, it's becoming more and more challenging and tough.
[jason] you know what? I think this is the jar, boys.
I've run for 17 and a half years with my little brother.
This other jar in the other hand is his ashes.
I put every ounce of my soul into this jar.
Your brother's very proud of you.
[jason] I guarantee you. Here it is.
[mark] good luck, buddy.
-[digger] good luck. -[jason] thank you, sirs.
-[digger] that's a touching story. -[mark] that's what I like.
One minute.
-[chip] thank you. -Good luck.
-Thanks, guys. -Head on out.
[digger] these are gonna be tempered down.
They've probably got a lot more alcohol
Than what we're gonna see in their finished product.
Once it's carbonated, it's gonna have a whole different, brighter flavor.
-All right, this is chip. -Looks good.
Man, it's rosy.
I get ginger.
[tim] different.
-Unique taste. -[digger] powerful.
-Yeah, I think it's a little too much ginger. -[tim] little bit bitter.
When you carbonate it, brightens it up.
I don't think it's a candidate for very much tempering down.
No, no alcohol.
Well, pour us up another one.
All right.
First time using pineapple and, uh,
You know, it definitely did come off hot.
Very colorful. Lauren.
It looks like strawberry.
[mark] she kept saying pineapple.
[tim] this could be interesting.
I can smell alcohol.
-Hmm. Pineapple. -Oh, I smell pineapple through and through there.
Now we're talking! Lotta flavor.
Damn. I'm missing the blackberry, but I'm getting the strawberry.
Ooh!
I think the game just changed.
That's real pineapples.
Gotta bring that alcohol down to carbonate it, and I hope that doesn't hurt her.
This is jason. Lemonade.
It was a really good idea,
But I... I was not at all confident about my proofing.
Ooh.
Looks like lemonade, smells like lemonade.
Smells like lemonade with a little bit of octane.
[mark] yeah, it's...
[tim] little bit different, though.
But he wanted a cherry lemonade.
I can't taste them.
[digger] I'm not a huge lemonade fan,
But I just like the way that that tastes.
I think if he's carbonated it just like it is and put it in a can.
If it will carbonate at that proof,
-That's where it needs to be done. -Yeah.
-Are we locked in? -I'm good.
Well, I'm gonna go fetch them.
Welcome back.
You know, we had three fine jars of liquor.
Chip, you had a lot of botanicals in there.
Man, it was complex.
-You really had to dig in there to try to separate it. -Thank you.
I do feel like it's light on the alcohol.
-Jason, you said you put some cherries in there. -[jason] yes, sir.
I didn't get any cherries. I got lemonade.
You had plenty of alcohol in it, but damn fine job.
[jason] thank you very much.
Lauren, I'm picking up on that berry flavor, there.
-And, yes, pineapple. -Thank you.
And the alcohol flavor is there too.
I dranked a little bit of it and I can feel it.
I don't know if it...
If it has to be proofed down or not,
-To... To carbonate it. -Mmm-hmm.
Three fine jars of liquor, but somebody is going home on this.
It was a tough decision.
But, chip, your jar bounced you.
Take it home, brother.
[chip speaking]
I'm sad.
But, no matter what it is, this is the experience that...
I can't tell you how much it means to me.
It was an honor to judge you, my friend.
-[mark] thank you, chip. -Thank you.
That been said, you two are progressing forward.
So, don't get too cloudy about it.
Our next step is, you got to take what you got built,
And let's get you carbonating.
Head on out. We'll go get everything together.
-[lauren] easy, guys. -[tim] thank you, all.
-[jason] thank you, thank you. -[digger] good job.
[digger] welcome back, guys.
Here we go. Carbonation day.
You notice we got an extra face in here right now.
I'm going to hand it off to josh owens.
He is the king of chaos and carbonation.
Hey, y'all. I did this carbonation thing myself.
I know how tough it is.
We're putting co2 to it.
God almighty!
That thing done jumped 20 feet!
It's a pretty tough challenge and I'm excited to see what y'all do with it.
[narrator] to carbonate their moonshine,
Distillers will pour their spirits into a pressurized keg.
Then, using a co2 tank,
They'll force carbon dioxid into the keg,
Purging the oxygen and other inert gases,
Forcing carbon dioxide into their moonshine.
When reaching their desired carbonation level,
They'll release the pressur from the keg
And can their bubbly cocktai for the judges to taste.
Bring us two cans of your best carbonated alcoholic beverage
Within one hour.
Your time starts now.
Good luck, guys.
You pouring spring water in there?
[jason] yes, sir. I got to get that proof down.
It's up way too high for a good carbonated drink.
And I got to hit it right on, or it's not going to be right.
So, lauren, I've noticed you dumped about 10 different things in there.
What's all that stuff been?
Pineapple juice, lemon juice, a little bit of orange juice,
Fresh blackberries, and then fresh mint.
And just a little bit of rosemary that I'm just gonna bruise up,
See if it carries over any flavor.
I hear you. A lot of good flavors.
So, jason, what all did you put in yours?
I've got lemonade and a lemon oleo.
It was pretty much a homemade simple syrup.
I really want to get every bit of that lemon smell
-Just right in your nose. -[josh] okay.
Guys, you have used up 20 of your minutes.
You got 40 to go.
Oh, we're getting forced carbonation now, guys.
[josh] how many pounds of pressure you putting on there?
This is set at 45 right now.
I want it to be highly carbonated,
And just tingle real, real hard in your mouth.
I've studied about the ph levels holding the carbonation.
I'm really curious of how my drink's gonna turn out.
[whispers] you gotta fill that thing up about three times
To get nothing but pure co2.
Only, I hadn't seen him do that yet.
But I'm interested in seeing what she'll do.
[lauren] I think we're both gonna bring it.
Our competitive sides are coming out now.
It looks like jason is getting ready to put his in the can over there.
He's working on it.
It's not as easy as you think it is.
You think you're just putting it in a can.
But I'm cautioning you. I'd be careful.
Oh, come on, baby.
[machinery whirring]
That canning machine is awesome.
Check that out.
That's killer. Can I buy that thing?
I want to buy it. I need one.
[digger] of course, you do.
[jason] it's pretty neat.
Well, that is about a handy dandy gadget, ain't it?
[digger] yeah, you'll need to buy extra cans
'cause when you try to get one of those set up
You're going to kill a few cans.
It will mash, it will twist them up.
That would be a hell of a way for me to sell my seltzer.
[digger] yeah.
You getting close to being ready to carbonate?
Yeah. I'm almost done.
Now let's see your way of carbonation.
[whispers] now, if she purges you'll know she knows what she's doing.
The pressure is on.
There's a lot of different ways to carbonate cocktails.
Right and wrong.
[ice crackling]
[hissing]
I'm very nervous to see lauren doing a couple different things
For her forced carbonation.
He didn't purge his air out.
When he filled it up with co2,
-He just left it. -[tim] yeah.
I'm quite nervous. I will not lie.
[josh] I did this a few weeks ago in the woods.
Funny that I'm sitting here judging it this week.
And how did it turn out? Do you like it?
It turned out good.
I didn't see those, though. I had to make mine.
I took a 15 gallon beer keg, I drilled a hole in it.
Now, that would have saved me some headache.
You should have come seen me.
I'd have took care of you, buddy.
-You sell those? -[digger] yeah.
I didn't know that.
[digger] you'd be making your own red bull, josh.
Yeah. They say, "red bull gives you wings,
But moonshine gives you four-wheel drive."
Sometimes it puts you in the mud.
Ain't that right?
[all laugh]
[air hissing]
[digger] jason, I was noticing,
You didn't purge the air off of it and then, fill it back up again.
Were you not worried you wouldn't have enough
-Co2? -[jason] I didn't want to over foam it.
-That citrus is gonna take good to carbonation. -[digger] uh-huh.
I have very little to work with.
I didn't want to foam.
If I foam, it was over.
[lauren] a little bit of a foamy action here.
I think she foamed it up.
[lauren] having too many particles can cause foaming
And that's a nightmare to can anything
That has a lot of sediment in there.
Ooh, we got some fizzy fuzz in there.
[lauren] I thought there was more liquid on the bottom, but there's not.
I think she's going to make another batch.
[josh] yeah, it can't be just a touch light.
-Would you buy a half can? -[chuckles] right on.
10 minutes, boys and girls.
[lauren] definitely trial and error
With a different setup that I have never had any experience working with
But, excited to have them drink my canned cocktail
And I think they'll really enjoy it.
I'm ready.
[jason] all right.
-Good luck. -Good luck.
[jason] hope y'all enjoy these four cans here.
May the best can win.
Thanks, guys!
Let's bust the top on these things. I'm dying to taste it.
[tim] all right. Here we go.
See if we got any fizzy.
[can opens]
That's just like it's supposed to be.
Whose is it? Oh.
[tim] now, we know who that is.
Open lauren's other can, there, tim.
[can opens]
Oh, yeah.
[tim] yeah, all the suds.
It's good as hell.
That's almost orgasmic.
Tastes like a punch to me.
You can definitely tell there's a little bit of that oj in there.
-I get pineapple. -A lot of pineapple.
You definitely can taste the pineapple.
It could be a little bit more carbonated.
[burps] there's you carbonation.
-I put 17 years into that recipe. -Mmm-hmm.
But I'm really nervous about how it turned out.
[can opens]
That had a little bit more pop to it, it sounded like.
[josh] that's the lemonade in there.
[digger] though, we still have another can.
Hold on. Thanks, boss.
-[can opens] -[josh] all right, then.
[digger] it looks flat coming out.
[tim] it's really, really light carbonation.
[mark] yeah.
[tim] you get any on the tongue?
[mark] a little. Very little.
It's got a great flavor to it.
This [bleep] is good too.
It reminds me of my grandma's lemonade.
-With a kick. -[josh] yeah.
Hold on.
Okay, tickle.
[chuckles]
-Damn, is it good! -Yeah.
Oh, I'm getting a buzz.
-[digger] well, hell, you ought to. -Whoo!
He did a good job. I just think he lost a step of carbonation.
I do, too.
-Cheers. -Yeah.
-I love you. -Love you, too.
But I do want to beat you.
-[chuckles] -I want to beat you, too.
Everybody rock solid?
I'm with you.
[mark] I'm riding with you, bud.
[digger] well, I'm gonna go fetch them.
Welcome back, guys.
One of y'all will be named master distiller,
And win a limited run of your liquor
At sugarlands distilling company in gatlinburg, tennessee.
Jason, there wasn't so much carbonation on it.
But the flavor was perfect.
Amazing!
I can't believe you got that out of rinds of freaking lemons.
I've never heard of that before.
That's a first for me. Amazing job.
[mark] I promise you,
Your brother ain't any prouder of that jar than I am.
Thank you very much. It means a lot.
Lauren, your flavors was off the chain as well.
So, lauren, I saw you over there with this flavor, and that flavor,
And I'm thinking, "what in the world is going to happen with this?"
But it came out excellent.
You know, that pineapple that was in there,
It was just all over the place.
I mean, it was unreal.
But, unfortunately, both of you can't be master distiller.
And, uh...
Lauren, you're the next master distiller.
-Congratulations. -Thanks.
[clapping]
I'm [bleep] pumped! Like, I'm excited.
But, it's hard going against someone like jason,
Who you build these friendships with.
I think that's what really truly makes it so emotional.
One fell short on carbonation.
That's the only difference. Carbonation.
-[digger] yup. -I thank you all for your kind words.
You guys are awesome.
[lauren] the title of master distiller means to m
That I am capable and able to do this,
As a young woman in the distilling scene.
And the first thing I'm going to do when I get home
Is hit up, uh, jason and have him build me a nice copper moonshine still.
Here's to you guys. Good job, y'all.
She beat a good moonshiner and laid down some good liquor.
And she ought to be proud of that.
Get the hell out of here, both of you.
Quick, we're gonna start crying.
Love y'all.
All right, guys. Congratulations.
[mark] I'm too old for this much [bleep].
-[digger] yep. -[mark] god almighty!
[digger chuckles]