Narrator: This time on "master distiller"...
Tim: That does not taste like any kind of rum
I've ever tasted before.
Rum -- a colonial creation born from the sugar trade...
More like of a sailor rum.
...Becomes the first all-american spirit
to capture the taste buds of a budding nation.
What's this going in here -- a jar of honey?
Yeah, he ain't got no way to stir it.
And making it remains a paramount test
of a distiller's skill.
That's fixing to be a disaster.
Tim: Yep.
Narrator: Across the country, a handful of amateur distillers
are heirs to a centuries-old tradition.
Some operate on the legal side.
Others practice their craft beyond the reach of the law.
Now they'll face off to earn their place
in america's liquor-making legacy.
Tim: What are you doing?
I figure it's only fair I get to taste the results.
Judged by three legendary moonshiners
and america's most dedicated shine sampler,
they'll go head-to-head in a series of challenges...
Somebody bring me a turd to get this taste out of my mouth.
There's a liquor store.
...To determine who has what it takes...
We just need one jar.
Hell, I'm having fun right now.
...To be named master distiller.
[ crash ] herman: Oh, no.
You didn't lose all of it, did you?
All of it.
-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com
captions paid for by discovery communications
♪
men, I want to welcome y'all. I'm digger manes,
this is my friend tim smith, and my best buddy down there --
mark wayne ramsey.
We're here to find out which one of you all
is the master distiller.
We're gonna run a little rum today.
Before whiskey was king, america was ruled by rum.
In the 17th century,
resourceful distillers discovered that molasses,
a waste by-product from caribbean sugar production,
could be transformed into sweet, high-proof rum.
Rum soon became the largest
and most profitable industry in colonial america,
with americans drinking an estimated
4 gallons per person, per year.
In an attempt to cash in on this liquid gold,
britain enacted a tax on molasses in 1764,
which helped drive the freedom-seeking colonists
further down the path toward revolution.
Today, backwoods moonshiners
continue the centuries-old rum-making tradition
by distilling their own heritage recipes
of the classic colonial spirit.
Whoever's deemed master distiller,
you get your bragging rights, but that ain't the big deal.
Big deal is, you're gonna get a limited run
of your signature liquor
here at sugarlands distilling company.
This is how it's gonna work.
All of you have the same identical stills.
All of you have the same mash bill behind you
to make rums. Molasses-based mash bill.
Now, what's gonna differ here is the skills
that you bring to the table.
The good news is, none of you will go home after this round,
but there is rewards for the winner.
Whoever turns in the best jar that we name the winner --
you will get the first choice of still parts for the next round.
You've got four hours.
Lid on the jar, jar on the table.
And not four hours and one second.
Your time starts...Now.
Make some rum.
Narrator: Using the same equipment of molasses wash,
the distillers will have to showcase
their technical skills to deliver a clear,
high-proof rum that will be used as the base spirit
for the second spiced rum challenge.
Oop.
Damn, he getting bad points for messy.
This is slightly unfamiliar territory for me.
You give me any still, I can run it.
This wouldn't be my first choice.
I don't normally use a thumper.
The ones I normally run look a lot more like that.
Just an old-school alembic still.
Just a straight pot still.
♪
my name is matt spinoza. I'm from baltimore, maryland.
Yeah, so, this is a rotary evaporator.
I got into distilling first by drinking.
My first love. This is my baby.
Just wanted to better understand why the whiskey
I was drinking tasted the way it did.
It operates under high vacuum.
I have a lot of recipes for different beverages,
like tepache, lactic acid bacteria fermented root beer.
Learning the science behind brewing
and distilling opened my eyes to science as a whole.
A lot of the botanicals in here
do have proven ethnobotanical use.
Now I'm currently studying for a master's in biotechnology.
My ingredients come from all over the world.
The best bergamot comes from calabria.
Lapsang souchong has caffeine in it.
That's a stimulant, antipyretic. So that's fever-reducing.
Well, my supply chain is a royal pain in my ass.
I've literally had friends that just like,
"yeah, just kick him when you want him to stop
talking about chemistry or microbiology."
now, this doesn't have the concentration of cinchona
that would cure malaria.
I make good rum. I'm a one-man show.
Winning master distiller would be a big affirmation
of all the time and effort and devotion that I've put in.
Tim: Doesn't need to be 100% full.
Well, there's a difference in spilling a little bit
and just being sloppy.
Mark: Well, well, well.
Herman from kentucky.
Herman ain't spilled two drops.
Herman: The pot, the thumper, and the worm --
I mean, that's basically what I run all the time.
♪
my name is herman jr. I'm from beattyville, kentucky.
This is my main still. A 50-gallon pot.
I got into making a little bit at a time,
and then it just kind of snowballed,
and the more I made, the more people
wanted me to make it, and they enjoyed what I made.
I pump my water from a natural spring.
My great-uncles and stuff, they raised sugarcane,
and they made their own molasses,
so they would turn it into rum and then turn that into cash.
This is my small still. This is where I do my testing at.
Winning a master distiller could lead to me
being a legal distiller.
And our county just went wet,
so there are gonna be alcohol sales.
And then if we could possibly start
a small distillery in our little town
and bring the tourism into our community,
it would be a great help for everybody.
I think they're all just a little nervous.
Dustin from west virginia.
Dustin.
♪
oh, son of a [bleep]
♪
oh, don't you tell me this.
[ metal clanking ]
sounds like that's regulated.
♪
here's my little 10-gallon pot still here.
My name is dustin crowley. I'm from lerona, west virginia.
Works pretty good. I got a little thumper on and worm.
Two years ago, we was down there at horse camp,
and we was sitting there by the campfire,
and somebody passed around jar of liquor,
and I said, "oh, a little hot. I mean...
I got to be able to make something
a little better than this."
so I got back home there and did a little research
and got me a pot, and that's what really
got me started into it.
This is just a little 10-gallon. It's nothing major.
Some of them boy's got 50-, 100-gallon ones,
but this gets you about one good drinkable gallon out,
and I don't need more than that for myself.
When you're out here distilling and making moonshine,
especially in the woods, being the outlaw that you are,
there's always things you'll learn.
These three right here gonna follow me everywhere.
I love experimenting with flavors.
I've done a lot of different rum runs.
I really want to see what kind of liquor
I can make for the judges
and what they think of my liquor.
I mean, it's gonna be fun.
Tim: Matt's getting ready to light his up.
And here we go. Get ready.
I hope he does better than pouring in his mash.
He's got this [bleep]
yeah, all over the floor.
[ laughs ]
oh, there you are. There you go.
He got fire in the hole.
Herman's getting ready to light up.
♪
he's a little bit nervous still.
Hell, I've got this all the way up.
Yeah. There you go.
There we go.
Narrator: Once burners are lit,
distillers must carefully control the heat
as the molasses wash approaches 173 degrees
and the alcohol vapor is stripped
from the remaining liquid.
The vapor then travels to the thump keg, or doubler,
for a second distillation before arriving at the condenser,
where it's cooled into liquid rum.
Looking good? Stream's coming out of there.
Usually there's nobody around me.
This is my happy place.
When I'm running my liquor, it's tranquility.
I sing to my still.
Herman: I mean, I was nervous.
Out in the woods. I do this totally different.
I don't have concrete floor. If I need to go to the bathroom,
it's, like, the tree over here, the tree over there.
With the experience that's here, these young guys, man,
they're putting out some really good liquor,
and I'm just old school.
Getting nice and hot now.
You better crank that thing up.
No, it's filling up the parrot.
♪
there's a lot of copper salts in the condenser.
Hopefully I can clean that out with the heads.
Matt come in thinking he knew everything.
It's from this coil. This coil is filthy.
Dustin: His definition of shine was totally different than ours,
and he just kept being a smart aleck about everything.
Matt: If that condenser was not properly cleaned,
I might have carry-over flavor.
It'll taste like dirty copper.
I can run a still.
It's just a matter of figuring out the best way to use this.
Gentleman, you got two hours left in your run.
Oh, mine's good to go.
You ain't got to worry about me, buddy.
Narrator: As rum runs off the still,
distillers make cuts to separate the heads
containing the most volatile flavors and aromas
at the start of the run from the hearts,
the cleanest and most desirable,
until reaching the lower-proof tails,
containing some of the strongest,
funkiest flavors found at the end of the run.
Dustin: I'm gonna catch four shots, and I'm gonna catch a head.
In 10 gallon, I should get head,
so I know when about to start checking and getting my hearts.
So, we'll go run with,
and we'll give them the best jar I can give them.
Herman: I'm gonna try to run a medium heat on it,
bring my heat up, try not to scorch the mash out.
I charged my thumper with a little bit of the mash
and let it pick up a little bit of flavor
maybe on the way through.
[ thud ] oh!
Matt: These condensers are a pain to adjust.
That in valve is quite sensitive.
♪
how many jars you pulled off, herman?
Five. Oh, wow.
You're way ahead of me.
I'm only on my second.
See, now, dustin, I'm starting to surge a little bit now.
So I'm getting close to running out.
That's what I was hoping.
Come on, baby. Give me this one and one more.
I say that's a good one.
That's a good, nice 80-proof right there.
Still got a little bit of a sulfurous note in there
I'm not happy with. A little more time on the heads.
Very close to hearts, though.
This thumper is starting to raise up,
getting close to 200.
So I'm coming in on the tailings.
That last jar I pulled off there,
I can just about turn that in straight to the judges
without even touching it.
Without even touching it.
♪
make sure it settles, and that's the one they're getting.
Good-tasting jar, and I've drank about, eh,
maybe half pint of that anyway.
So I'm feeling good.
♪
[ laughs ] these guys say that they done.
We've got some good, drinkable jars here.
About a half a pint
out of that.
Did you write your names on them?
-Uh-huh. -I ain't got no cowboy.
-I hope you all enjoy. -Yep.
We run you off what we thought was drinkable.
Matt, you got about 45 minutes left.
Narrator: Coming up...
[ irish accent ] ♪ the deil came fiddling through the town ♪
♪ and danced awa with the exciseman ♪
...A lone distiller sings to the tune of his own rum.
♪ the deil's awa ♪
I don't know if I want to drink any of that or not.
It ain't that he don't want to bring that jar up here.
He just can't.
Narrator: Two outlaw shiners and one new age distiller
are competing to run the ultimate rum
for the title of master distiller.
This coil is filthy.
Narrator: Using the same molasses wash
and bare-bones equipment,
the moonshiners have put their best jars
of the classic colonial spirit on the judging table...
We got some good, drinkable jars here.
...While the remaining distiller is running out the clock.
Herman finished in about under 80 minutes,
and dustin wasn't far behind him.
At the end of the day, this is a competition,
and I'm trying to put my best foot forward.
The way I do that is by taking my time.
You better keep them land legs up and under you.
You might get wobbly here and not make it.
[ laughs ]
I'm gonna take that as a yes.
Rum is my muse. [ laughs ]
♪
just time to blend now.
♪
tim: Where you at, matt?
We just need one jar out of your 24 in the floor.
Yeah, but you want the best jar, right?
That's up to you.
Hell, I'm having fun right now. This is fun for me.
Because herman and dustin up here,
they already got their jars up here about three hours ago.
[ irish accent ] ♪ the deil came fiddling through the town ♪
♪ and danced awa with the exciseman ♪
♪ and ilka wife cried, "auld mahoun ♪
♪ I wish you luck of the prize, man" ♪
♪ the deil's awa, the deil's awa, the deil's awa ♪
it ain't that he don't want to bring that jar up here.
He just can't.
♪ we'll make our maut, and we'll brew our drink ♪
♪ we'll laugh, sing, and rejoice, man ♪
well...
♪ ...That danced awa with the exciseman ♪
♪ the deil's awa ♪
I don't know if I want to drink any of that or not.
♪ he's danced awa... ♪
well, every minute he stays there,
that's another drink.
Been nice knowing you.
I said, "I'm having fun. I'm in no rush."
I think the rum tastes better,
and I think I distill better when I'm singing.
Matt, you're at five minutes, brother.
Look at that. I'm done ahead of schedule.
We hope so.
-That is... -The one, huh?
-...Matt rum. -All right, good luck.
Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it.
-Herman. -Kentucky boy.
It's got a rum nose on it.
Mark: That's a good start.
Hmm. I think it's low proof.
Yeah, it's got a decent flavored front for me.
Gets a little floral, fruity,
but it kind of finishes like a back.
You didn't sneak a jar out with you this time, did you?
No, I did not.
It's not unpleasant.
Tim: No, it's pretty good.
I'm gonna hold a little reserve on that
until we've tasted these other ones a little bit.
Yeah. Try old cowboy out there.
Cowboy's not a bit stuck on himself, is he?
He got a picture on a sticker that's stuck on his lid.
I mean, he's already hollywood.
Sweet up front.
Pretty good, man. A little bit of floral.
15 proof, though.
Aftertaste isn't bad.
No. It's just tiny bit fiery on the back.
No, that's a good jar right there.
Slide over h.R. Pufnstuf down here.
That's a super-nice bead
on matt's liquor right there, digger.
That's as good as it gets.
I don't know how in the world he ever come up
with one jar with all the damn sipping and twisting.
I'm telling you, you need to go over there and see...
His configuration he's got over there.
That's amazing to me.
Honestly, I ain't getting a whole lot of difference.
Well, it's a little dryness taste, huh?
Yeah, dustin and matt,
right now, they're kind of neck and neck.
Only thing I'm seeing really separating is the bead.
Yeah. He's got pretty bead on it.
Well, matt's jar...
That one's got a good front-to-middle flavor.
On the back end's where he just kind
leaves me wishing for more.
Golly, this is gonna be difficult.
Why can't there be one of them that's really [bleep]
♪
boys, we've looked all over these things,
been in and out of them, and I'm telling you,
it's a pretty tough choice.
Dustin, you got a pretty good-tasting jar of liquor.
Thank you.
What proof was you shooting for?
I was about 80.
Well, you missed your mark a little bit, I believe.
-I thought so, too. -You were way over 100.
Dustin: Oh, I was?
Maybe 110. Ooh!
-Finished a little hot. -Yep.
I don't know. You know, good, solid jar of liquor.
-Pretty jar of liquor. -Thank you.
And, matt, you got a good bead on your liquor.
Good, sweet beginning on your drink.
Finishes out with those fruity notes.
Doesn't finish too fiery hot.
Thank you, sir.
I was shooting for just over 100.
You're in the right neighborhood.
-You're real close. -Thank you.
Now, herman, what were you shooting for with your proof?
-About 90. -I think you're a little low.
Tim: You're at 80. About 80?
Digger: You're in the ballpark.
Had a good, sweet start on yours.
Finish that real well with the fruity notes
in the middle. You know, good drink.
It finished a little flat for us.
I think that's because you had to water down a lot.
-Yeah. -You know, both y'all
come out of the gate like you
were the only ones in the race,
and matt took his time.
There's a lot of good right here, boys.
There really ain't a lot of bad.
But unfortunately, matt, you're the number-one jar.
Thank you, sir.
Now, what this got you,
you get to go to the still pile first,
pick out what you want.
If you want to change your still in any way, feel free.
If you're happy with what you got,
leave it the way it is.
Herman. -All right.
Congratulations.
Dustin, you're gonna be the last man to the pile.
I understand. Thank you.
We look forward to your next run.
I'm in charge of the still stage house,
so if yinz will follow me.
-Copper. -Good job, men.
Every damn one of you. -Thank you.
Narrator: For this next challenge, distillers must build the still
that they'll use to infuse additional flavors
into the distill that they collected from the first round
to create a one-of-a-kind spiced rum.
Okay, gentlemen, what's gonna happen here,
you guys go in and pick your stills,
build them however you choose.
Matt, five minutes beginning...Now.
If I see something I like, I'm 100% gonna take that
and incorporate it into my setup.
♪
okay, matt, you good to go?
Yep. Okay, herman.
Herman: I'm not gonna change a thing on my still.
I'm gonna use same pot, same thumper, same worm.
Missing some gaskets.
Done the old-fashioned way, traditional.
Everything the same.
30 seconds, herman.
I'm good. You good?
I'm good. Got everything you need?
Yes, sir. All right, dustin.
I got everything but my lid.
I don't see another one over here.
What do you want me to do about that?
Just... Yes, sir.
...Get what you can get.
10, 9, 8...
7, 6, 5...
4, 3, 2...
I'm not going home. I'm gonna make it onto
the finals, is what I'm hoping.
You good? Yes, sir.
All right. I hope you got the parts you need.
Y'all got all your parts?
-Yep. -Yes, sir.
You got plenty of time on this one.
One hour should get you where you need to be
with a little time left over.
Get with it, get those stills assembled, boys.
Yes, sir.
Tim: He puts that thing on, he isn't gonna need to have
all that stuff stacked up on that thing.
I don't know that he's got what he needs here.
Digger: I don't think we've got enough connections to go
from that cap down.
If he puts his cap on top of that,
he can't reach to his thumper.
He's got to raise everything else up.
He may use that little table over there.
Maybe.
I need a cap. Anybody got a extra thumper --
I think I got an extra one over here.
Thank you. Mm-hmm.
That's what I was wanting to see.
I like to see yinz working together.
♪
digger: That's gonna be too high.
Maybe.
Yeah, he's figured it out. He's taking it loose.
I know what he's trying to do. I just don't know that --
I don't know that there's even a fitting out there to do that.
No.
I feel like I'm watching a big, old game of jenga.
The two boys on the end, herman and dustin,
didn't change anything.
And they're damn near done.
Tim: Well, just start hooking up stuff, matt.
Just connect stuff.
I could make a still out of a frying pan and a pot.
You're not in baltimore.
You had a perfectly good, working still when you started.
I can still go back.
All I got to do is take that piece off.
Herman over here, he's hooking up his still
like he's in the backwoods.
He about ready to put his mash in and turn the fire on.
Dustin, did you come up with enough stuff over there?
Yes, sir.
Boys, you've got 15 minutes left.
Matt's got something that we've not solved yet.
That hat.
[ laughter ]
that is not the right-size fitting.
I'd call it unorthodox at the best,
his approach getting to this.
Matt: Do you have any flour?
Digger: Mm...
Seal something up? Nope.
'cause I got a problem. These fittings don't line up.
And whose fault's that?
Mine. Is there any flour?
No.
Dustin: How you feeling, herman?
Simple, basic pot. Mine too.
Shrunk-down version of home.
[ laughs ]
he picked up two thumper lids,
and he knew he was gonna screw me when he done that.
Gentlemen, got five minutes.
That won't work either. Two different fittings.
When I seen he grabbed that wrong pipe,
he missed the right connection for it
to go from his thumper to his worm.
I knew it wasn't gonna work.
I needed my thumper lid, so I figured I'd grab the pipe,
and then we'd work out some kind of deal.
Hey, matt, see if this fits you.
I had this laying over there I picked up.
Thank you. See if that works.
You might be my hero.
Yeah. Hell, you got me the cap.
Thank you.
It helps when you get the right partner.
Digger: You're good to your neighbor, you'll always
get it back to you threefold, won't you, herman?
Always comes back.
Come in here, boy.
Tickle: How you all doing? Narrator: Coming up...
I can't ride with him if he's driving. Good lord.
...A guest judge takes the distillers on a wild ride.
There's a liquor store down here.
Tickle, you're the man. Where you want me to stop?
Well, he's got that son of a [bleep] hooked up over there.
Narrator: Two backwoods shiners and one big-city distiller
are battening down the hatches on their custom stills
for a run of spiced rum that will take them
one step closer to becoming the next master distiller.
This is a new setup to us, though.
I like seeing new [bleep]
but before they can re-distill their rum
from the first challenge with new flavors,
they'll have to select their ingredients.
Two of you were satisfied with what you had the first time.
Dustin: Yes, sir.
Matt, you kind of got a little flamboyant there, didn't you?
All right, guys. It's time for your pantry run
to get your ingredients for your flavoring.
I can't actually take you, so I got a buddy that's gonna --
you sure he showed up?
Yeah, he's here. Come in here, boy.
How you all doing?
Tim: Tickle can't drive your truck.
I think I'm sick.
I can't ride with him if he's driving. Good lord.
[ laughter ]
he knows where that you have to go.
But I got a big, old dodge truck,
and he can't reach the pedals.
Can any of you guys drive a --
I can. I can drive a stick.
Whatever you do, don't make no detours with this man.
No matter how much he says
he's got a cough or a tickle in his throat,
he needs a little liquor, do not stop.
There's a liquor store down here.
We need to make a pit stop?
Think they'll notice if we stop?
Tickle can tell me where to go.
Yeah, tickle's navigating.
There's one up here on your right.
-Yes, sir. -You gonna drive there?
Tickle, you're the man. Where you want me to stop?
Stop.
Ah [bleep] that. Tickle told me to stop.
Go, sir.
I'm not arguing with tickle. I'm not arguing with nobody.
Hell no.
Yes, sir.
[ laughs ]
I snatched the first thing that I walked
through the door and could snatch up.
What's that -- jack rye?
No, apple. Apple. That's apple.
Oh.
♪
we're here at our roadside fruit stand.
You've got five minutes
to get what you need to infuse your rum.
Whatever your heart desires.
Let's get it. Five minutes.
Ooh, we got a papaya.
Pineapple. Mangoes.
Mmm-mmm.
Are you doing peach?
Yeah, I was thinking about it.
I'll do some apple, then. I ain't gonna do it on top of you.
Apple butter. Peach jam.
Okay.
Ooh, I didn't see these tamarinds over here.
Almonds over here.
Let's see if these are sour or sweet tamarinds.
[ sucks ]
we have got two minutes left. Let's go.
10 seconds.
Get your ingredients, whatever.
Might put that in yours.
I'll take two. There we go.
9...
You get what you got in your basket and go.
7, 6, 5..
4...
2...
1.
There was no 3, damn it.
[ laughs ]
y'all got y'all's baskets?
-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.
Okay. Let's go.
Narrator: Spiced rum has a history as old as the spirit itself.
While royal navy sailors diluted their daily rations of harsh,
unaged rum with water, lime juice,
and spices to make grog,
caribbean islanders took it a step further.
By adding local fruits and aromatics
during the distillation process, they created their own recipes
that distinguished them from the hordes of other distillers.
Following in this tradition,
contestants will have to distill their own unique
spiced rum that can be enjoyed on its own or in a cocktail.
I mean, they need a lot of jars.
I don't think herman really realized that on his first run
because he didn't keep hardly any liquor.
He just finished where he thought he had the best jar,
and he stopped.
Excuse me, matt.
Hey, dustin, have you got a couple extra jars?
I've got seven.
Let me see what I got here. That's empty.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
I got it. Here. Here's your good jar here.
All right. Good deal. Thank you.
You're welcome.
It's not like dustin couldn't use it himself.
Digger: Exactly.
And here he is forfeiting a jar to herman.
Dustin: Herman needed an extra bottle there, so I slipped him
a bottle of heads. It'll help him out.
I'm digging what I'm seeing with these guys.
It's interesting.
They're in a contest here to win.
Whether he wins this contest or not, that makes him a winner.
♪
I've got to run real low and slow,
or I'll scorch the dog hide off of it.
I put a little water in my thumper
'cause I was afraid I was gonna scorch it.
I just want enough to push across it.
I'm not gonna have that much liquor.
♪
ah.
Something on the bottom of that pot.
What's this going in here -- a jar of honey?
Digger: That's fixing to be a disaster.
'cause if you don't agitate the hell out of that honey,
it ain't gonna mix up,
and it's gonna lay there and scorch.
Tim: Yeah, but he ain't got no way to stir it.
That's some nice apple cider.
Some cinnamon, put some apple butter in here.
I've done that before, and it turned out really nice.
Usually I put some stuff from my actual runs in my mash,
but when we're just rerunning alcohol, no point.
Herman: Trying to make a peach cobbler.
I got a peach apple cider, and then I got peach preserves.
With a very small piece of cinnamon,
a little bit of nutmeg, and a little bit of ginger.
May take me a lot longer just to pull off one jar,
but that one jar will be the jar that will whup their ass.
Why ain't nobody got nothing turned on yet?
Herman ain't got a half gallon to heat up.
I think the only one at this point
that ain't done a little something wrong is matt
because he ain't done nothing yet.
That's so true. [ laughter ]
I don't know whether he's a damn moonshiner
or a damn ginsu chef.
It's looking real interesting, guys.
It's completely three different deals.
♪
herman, can I use your cutting board?
Sure. Where is it?
Sitting against the wall over there.
Thank you.
Yeah, there you go.
♪
[ loud banging ]
[ laughs ] that didn't work.
I just need a little piece anyway.
♪
the almonds are stronger than the blocks.
Were those your cutting boards?
No. That's bad business, son.
I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here.
He knows what he's doing.
I don't know what he's doing.
♪
what's that thing there he's cutting up?
Is that a mango?
Digger: Yep. Yep.
He's got a mango.
He understands about that zest.
He's trying his best to get just the zest.
He's not getting any of the white meat that's under that.
And it don't take a lot of that zest.
No, it don't. That bitter comes in out of that meat behind it.
But up to this point, matt ain't put nothing nowhere...
Tim: Matt ain't did nothing. ...Except fruit in a bucket.
All he's been doing is cutting up fruit.
Dustin's cutting up some kind of fruit now, too.
Yeah, they've all got some fruit.
Crazy.
Dustin: Good luck with that.
I've had nothing but problems out of some of them peels.
Matt: So, I put a lot of different tropical fruits in there.
I got a papaya, a mango, a pineapple, some oranges.
Also got some tamarinds, some almonds,
nutmeg, ginger, and rustic additives.
The still I'm going with
is not the exact configuration that I was hoping for.
[ crash ] oh!
Herman: Aw, dustin. Trying to heat it up.
Oh, no. You didn't lose all of it, did you?
All of it.
♪
narrator: Two outlaw shiners and one eccentric craft distiller
are edging forward to make the best-tasting rum
and win the title of master distiller.
After a midnight pantry raid with former still-head tickle,
the contestants are running
their own original spiced rum recipes
that will determine which two set sail for the final round.
The still I'm going with is not the exact configuration
that I was hoping for.
[ crash ] dustin: Oh!
Herman: Aw, dustin. Trying to heat it up.
Oh, no. You didn't lose all of it, did you?
All of it.
Dustin: That bucket up there,
I had the apple cider and some apples,
and I was gonna kind of cook them up with some cinnamon,
and I was gonna put it in there to flavor it.
And I forgot about it, and [laughs]
she started shaking, about gave me a heart attack.
I'm gonna flavor on the fly now.
That's gonna be fun. [ laughs ]
was gonna do an apple pie kind of flavor.
Now the liquor's coming out.
Now I have to change the flavor up.
I think there's still about two hours left, something like that.
A good distiller's somebody who can work on the fly
when accidents like that right there happen.
Sometimes you don't have time to...
You kind of got to wing it sometimes.
Digger: Gentlemen, you got two hours left in your run.
I'm about to cut the thing soon.
I've got a jar full of tails I'm about to switch out.
I'm feeling good. I don't really have a whole lot
to do on the back end.
Herman: This is my last step here.
I'm at the end of the run.
And I'm just trying to get a good, smooth flavor.
[bleep] I'm about out of liquor.
You got your jar already done?
It's about done.
I've been trying to get my palate right.
I can't taste nothing after drinking all that...
You start sipping them back, and, boy, you don't know.
Herman loaned me a little bit of his honey to sweeten it up,
which I'm glad he did,
'cause I didn't have nothing sweet enough.
Cut up some apples, some cinnamon.
I'm gonna let this sit. I had some of the thumper
to actually try to pull some through.
It's coming through a little bit.
I think I'm gonna catch a little bit more in the tails
than I thought I was going to, so I'm gonna wait for it
and see how it comes out.
Under an hour left. I got two jars here.
I'm gonna make a last-minute decision
on which one to use, but this one's pretty clear
and whatnot, so we'll see what happens.
I think it's too bitter.
Taste it and tell me what you think.
I don't think it's worth a [bleep]
♪
no.
If you hadn't put that bucket up there,
let it fall, you'd have had you something
going, brother. Bad end?
Well, it's been fun.
Oh [bleep]
♪
I'd turn that right there in.
It ain't cloudy? You think I should try that, or...
It don't make no difference.
It's not cloudy because it's bad.
You put any cinnamon or anything in it?
No. I wouldn't do nothing.
Men, 25 minutes.
I'm pretty much done. I'm on tails.
Sounds good. I noticed you were pushing that awful hot.
This stuff boils pretty easily.
We already did a lot of the hard work, so...
Yeah.
There you go, fellas. Yes, sir.
Is that it, herman? That's it.
Guys, got you a good jar of liquor here.
Run off what I could. I hope you all enjoy it.
Good luck.
You've got 15 minutes.
My palate is getting tired.
Digger: Tick-tock, tick-tock. Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Mark: I hope that all this tasting, tasting, tasting
has not confused his palate.
His taste buds are getting numb by now.
One minute, matt.
See? I finished early.
Good for you.
You get 50 seconds to get it over here on this table.
-Good luck. -Thank you.
-Yes, sir. -All right.
All right, fellas, move on over.
Move down. What are you doing?
I feel it only fair to get to taste the results.
Well, since you put it that way...
What we got going on here? I don't know. It's a mixture.
This is old herman here.
Damn. I believe he's on the high end.
That does not taste like any kind of rum
I've ever tasted before.
Does that mean a good thing or a bad thing?
Herman: I used some ginger and some cinnamon and stuff,
but I just used a very, very little bit,
'cause I didn't want it to overpower.
It's definitely different.
-Sweet. -Mm-hmm.
Then it's got that liquor bite.
It kind of finishes with an apple cider kind of...
Almost, yeah. ...Aftertaste maybe.
I kind of like it.
Yeah. It's got layers.
Is it like green apple?
I taste the honey in it.
I get the honey, and then I get the apple,
with maybe a little hint of cinnamon in it.
Yeah. Finishing up with a sweet note.
But I'm gonna tell you, that would sell.
No doubt.
Green apple. -That is definitely green apple.
One of us is getting the boot. I mean...
I think a lot of it's gonna depend on
the judges' preference.
I mean, we have three very different products.
Tickle: That's got a good flavor to it. It's not too hot.
I was mixing and playing. I mixed two jars up.
And I was sitting there, debating on which one.
This was not the jar that dustin wanted to turn in.
No. This was his second choice.
Tickle: It's a good jar.
Dustin's been under the gun since he started.
He had one red apple
that would probably have brought a little more flavor.
He wanted to put the red apple in.
But he went with a sour apple.
Green apple. It's what he had.
It's a little weak, but the flavor's there.
Let's move along to matt.
The most inconspicuous man in the whole lot.
I wanted mine to still taste like rum.
It's got a good flavor up front, but too much citrus.
Did I see him cutting some peel?
Too much of that white pith. Yeah.
And he was trying not to. I'm certain of that.
The peel messed that up.
You get that same thing?
-Yeah. -I can smell it in the nose.
And it's nice on the nose.
It's just like biting into an orange.
But it's no good in that aftertaste.
I don't like it worth a damn.
Somebody bring me a turd to get this taste out of my mouth.
Damn.
Just lick tickle on his earlobe.
Yeah, here you go.
I mean, it's been run hot.
You can tell that, too. It's been run hot,
and he put a still together
that we've never, ever seen before.
Tim: He did a good job.
He was very ingenious at getting that thing to work.
He's got a lot of knowledge.
He does. He's real smart.
He's really energetic and making something.
We got to figure out which one's the worst here.
I've got an idea of the order I like them in.
I'm with you, tickle.
Fair enough.
Narrator: Coming up...
Elimination gets heated
as shiners fight for their place in the final round.
There was no pith in there.
Well, you used too much orange peel, then.
Mm-hmm.
I'd turn that right there in.
Narrator: Two backwoods shiners and one hipster distiller
have brought their best spiced rum to the table.
It's their last chance to impress the judges
and move on to the final round
to become the next master distiller.
I've got an idea of the order I like them in.
I'm with you, tickle.
Digger: Fair enough.
It's that time.
We gonna cut one of you out of the herd.
Herman, you had less distill than anybody around.
You did good with what you had.
You get to go on to the next round.
Thanks, sir.
Matt, you made a beautiful clear jar of liquor right there.
A little harsh for me, but that's okay.
I think you used a little bit too much of the pith
with your orange peel.
There was no pith in there.
Well, you use too much orange peel, then.
Mm-hmm.
This, you get a little apple on the front end.
You get a little bit of liquor bite in there.
But it goes flat kind of on the last.
Yes, sir.
If you'd have had the red apple...
The red apple would have been --
well, I had that hiccup, and I tried to work what I got.
All things taken in consideration.
Unfortunately, it'd be hard to make a cocktail out of that.
That's not what I make.
If you put just a touch less orange in there,
we might be having a whole different conversation.
How much orange do you guys think I used?
I'm not sure how much you used,
but it feels like it's a little much.
I saw you peel, completely peel, nearly one orange.
This is the flavor profile I was going for.
Okay. Well, unfortunately it didn't suit
what we were looking for. -It didn't fit us.
It's been an honor to work with all of yinz.
That being said, it's time to tell you
which one's gonna continue on to the other round.
And, matt, this jar bought a ticket home.
I'm awful sorry, buddy.
Matt: I have a very different style than
mark, tim, and digger.
My palate is different.
Citrus, to me, isn't even the dominant note in this.
I taste more papaya than I do citrus.
Dustin, you're getting to go onto the next round, my friend.
I tasted dustin and herman's jars.
They made something that's not in the same category
of spirit as what I made.
That's the end of that round. The next one coming up,
that's where we're gonna see your true colors.
Got your signature mash, gonna run it,
bring us your best jar.
We're gonna see what you made out of.
Narrator: To distill rum,
a wash is made by combining sugarcane juice
or molasses with water and heat, adding yeast,
and allowing it to ferment.
Using ingredients they brought from home,
the remaining shiners must create an original rum recipe
that can ferment in only five days.
Dustin: I'm adding a little dark brown sugar
to bring over some good molasses flavor here.
With my bread yeast, it should yield a 10%.
I'm putting caramel in the actual mash.
Then I'm gonna use vanilla and banana in the thumper
and have a vanilla banana rum.
Once I put a little bit more caramel
in the thumper and some cinnamon,
it should come out really nice rum at the very end
and be more like of a sailor rum, is what it'll actually be.
This is my favorite liquor right here.
For my mash, I'm just doing a basic molasses rum.
I put my molasses in my mash first.
Toward the end, I will do a sassafras spice.
It gives it a flavor close to root beer.
This recipe came from my wife.
A lot of my older family members drank a lot of sassafras tea
'cause they couldn't afford coffee,
and we incorporated that into the rum.
It's been a favorite.
A lot of my friends, they really love it,
especially around the holidays.
It makes a very good hot toddy.
♪
narrator: Once the yeast is added,
the wash will be allowed to ferment for five days.
During that time, if ingredients are right,
the yeast will break down the sugars in the wash,
converting it to alcohol.
Once the alcohol level reaches 10% to 20%, the yeast die off,
and it's ready to distill into high-proof rum.
Digger: Herman brought him a cooler of beer.
[ laughs ]
now's your time to shine.
One of you guys is gonna be the master distiller.
One of you will win the bragging rights,
and you'll also win a limited run
of your signature liquor at a major distillery.
The best jar that you got, lid on it, on this table,
in less than four hours.
And your time starts now.
Good luck. Yeah.
I like that. Them gentlemen.
Yeah, they're gentlemen.
♪
now, he's got a really dark mash, and...
Herman's looks like the more
traditional mash color, don't it?
Yeah. Dustin's is getting stopped up.
-Oh, there's solids in it? -Yeah.
Tim: What's going on there?
What you got going on over there, herman?
I'm gonna put a little spice in the thumper here
and try to get a little sassafras spiced rum.
Dustin's lit.
Tim: Herman needs to get some heat up in here.
And then adjust your air.
There it is. He's got it.
He is ignited. We're gonna make nanner pudding.
You got vanilla? Yeah.
Everything you need? Okay.
This boy right here, it's potent.
He's putting bananas and vanilla beans in his thumper.
Digger: I like his boldness there.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I just worry a little bit about herman
heating his up so slow,
but he's done it that way every time.
Dustin: I'm probably running a tiny bit more heat than you are.
You're going real slow, ain't you?
Yeah, I'm running real low heat.
I want to run it real slow and let it pick up all the flavor
it'll pick up coming out of that spice.
♪
oh.
And here we go.
You got liquor?
Oh, it smells like bananas.
I swear this [bleep] smells like bananas.
What all did you put in your thumper?
Just the spice, to carry the spice over.
Now, don't you keep coming up there. Damn it.
It'll come right out.
Narrator: Coming up...
Mark: I've never seen a rum look like that.
...The winning rum packs a punch
for the title of master distiller.
Man, one of us is gonna have a legal label.
Pretty good. Good, ain't it?
It's kind of hot.
Narrator: It's an outlaw rumrunners showdown,
as a seasoned old-timer faces off
against a young gun eager to make his name.
Water's good and cold.
Narrator: In the race to turn in their signature rum recipes,
only one can be master distiller.
Oh, god.
Boys, you got one hour.
See, it ain't running off fast enough.
Damn, that's not bad at all.
I'm gonna be lucky to get anything of this.
Maybe a gallon and a half.
I'm pouring out the liquor.
I don't think I'm gonna get 6 quarts.
Hell, all you need is one of them things you got,
and you'll be good to go, buddy.
♪
boys, 30 minutes.
I had enough final flavor to make two quarts out of it,
so I guess I got just enough.
I just hope it tastes better than it looks.
I don't know about that look.
I ain't never seen no rum look like that before.
Digger: Look like they're coming in.
-Fellers. -Fellers.
-Coming in in unison. -All right, boys.
-Thank you guys. -Yeah, man.
Thank you.
Mark: Looks like it's high-proof, don't it?
Tim: I have never seen a rum look like that.
It's not bad on nose. Smells a little weak.
Herman's mash, it tasted a little weak on the alcohol side.
Got a pretty good taste all 'round,
till you get to that clove finish, and it's a little bit...
Well, I'm a clove junkie.
That might hit me right in the crease.
[ sniffles ] made my nose run.
Dustin: You didn't heat it up too fast and burn it,
and that was a big difference. You had some smooth flavor.
I had to keep from scorching.
We can already figure where this one's gonna go.
It's got a big stalk of cinnamon right in the middle of it.
I saw him put banana in his thump keg.
Little fiery.
Yeah, it's about 130 proof.
But get a lot of banana on the mid-flavor,
cinnamon on the back,
but not hanging in there so bad that it's ridiculous.
Pretty good. Good, ain't it?
It's kind of hot.
Man, one of us is gonna have a legal label.
Could you imagine?
A legal livelihood. I could.
Herman's got the old-fashioned values
that we're kind of looking for.
Dustin, however, it might need kind of tweaked a little bit,
but, quite possibly, you could make a good cocktail out of it.
It's altogether different. Totally different taste profile.
The thing that I saw dustin put into his thumper came through.
Dustin, the proof is too high,
and then, herman, he's too hot on his sassafras.
♪
well, boys, time's come.
One of you's gonna get your heart broke.
One of you is gonna be deemed the next master distiller.
Herman, your flavor, it's up front,
but there's something on the nose.
You got a little bit
of a skunky, sulfury smell, didn't you?
Yes, sir, I did. It's faint, but it's there.
Yeah. Most everything,
I think, was pretty well right-on on it, don't y'all?
Yep.
Dustin, his nose right there,
I mean, when you smell that jar,
that nanner hits you right in the nose.
That's what I was hoping for.
Your vanilla bean, it's in there.
I mean, it's like smelling a banana split.
But that cinnamon stick,
I don't think you need it in there.
Now, you're shooting for 80 proof, as well.
You kind of overshot it. I think we're in agreement.
It was probably be about 100, wasn't it?
It's a pretty good, solid drink. I think you could even make
a mixed drink out of that if you had to.
-Thank you. -The color's good on it.
Herman, on yours, that color right there, I tell you...
It looks like apple juice.
Herman, I don't know how many years you've been distilling,
but it shows. You made a good cut.
I don't taste any heads in here.
But it's saturated with that sassafras and that clove,
and it's really strong.
Dustin? Yes, sir.
I'm mixed feelings about the cinnamon stick,
but that being said...
...It's a real pleasant spiced rum.
Thank you.
And at this point...
Dustin, you're the next master distiller, son.
Thank you, everyone. Congratulations.
I won before I got to the winners' circle.
Herman, thank you.
I had a great mentor -- herman.
You two have really grown on us,
and it's an honor for us to call you our friend.
I would not be standing right here in front of anybody
today if it hadn't been for that man right there.
It's been an honor to be judged by some of the top moonshiners.
I'm a winner all the way around.
We look forward to seeing bigger things out of each one.
Yes, sir.
Dustin: I've not had a lot of experience
with this growing up and kind of went with it,
and here I am now, master distiller.
Narrator: Next time on "master distiller"...
Digger: There are people that spend a lifetime
working in legal distilleries, trying to achieve this.
...American whiskey meets modern aging techniques.
You can't even see through it.
And contestants will pull out every trick for the top title.
A little evaporation, kind of like the egyptians used to do.