[siren blaring]
[narrator] This time on Master Distiller...
It's a firefighter showdown.
I'm always good at putting them out,
but I never was really good at starting them.
[narrator] America's first fire brigades doubled as social clubs,
and these hometown heroes have kept the tradition alive ever since.
Oh, yes. High proof.
Usually, firemen are trying to eliminate the heat.
[narrator] Now, they're putting their off duty distilling skills
to the ultimate test...
My peach has left the building.
That's insane.
[narrator] ...to find out who will reach the top of the ladder.
[Digger] We have to buy some of this liquor.
It's going to be about $750 a quart.
You got to pay for good stuff, right?
[narrator] And whose dreams get doused.
Y'all better come on. We ain't got so much time.
Old man's gonna catch you from behind.
[narrator] Across the country,
a handful of distillers are heirs to a centuries-old tradition.
It's a heritage shared by a long lineage of firefighters.
[Mike] Working like a magician.
Abracadabra.
[narrator] Now they'll face off to earn their place
in America's liquor making legacy.
[Digger] Mike's running liquor over there like a cow pissing on a flat rock.
[narrator] Judged by three legendary moonshiners...
[Mark] It's going to be the most expensive mash in history.
[narrator] ...they'll go head-to-head in a series of challenges.
[Gabe Cardenas] Is it running?
Yeah, he's running already.
When I go to bathroom in the morning, I go to win.
[narrator] ...to determine who has what it takes to be named Master Distiller.
He's a firefighter. He'll outta be able to handle the heat.
Brothers, welcome to Master Distiller: Firefighter Challenge.
As fellow firefighters, Tim and I are very excited about this.
We both were firefighters for a long time.
It was one of the best brotherhoods that I could have ever been part of.
It was a job that I dearly loved for 42 years.
A huge honor to serve the community.
Firefighting and running liquor have a lot in common, guys.
Race under pressure, high temperatures,
very unpredictable conditions you're working in.
So it's no surprise to me that there's plenty of us out there doing both.
Tickle, tell us all about it.
Benjamin Franklin founded the very first volunteer fire company,
nicknamed Franklin's Bucket Brigade in Philadelphia in 1736.
You know what else Ben Franklin did?
Made alcohol.
Fire companies were soon organized in other parts of colonial America,
and the list of volunteers reads like a who's who of founding fathers.
You've got George Washington,
who owned one of the biggest distilleries in colonial America.
You've got John Hancock,
who smuggled alcohol into the colonies to avoid paying taxes to the British.
And of course, you got Paul Revere,
the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets.
God bless that man.
Fire companies were also social organizations
that not only collected money for equipment, but also alcohol.
And some of them made that alcohol themselves.
These days, firefighting is more serious and professional
than it was back then.
But, you know, the camaraderie and the brotherhood,
that ain't never changed.
Let's raise a glass to those that not only belong to the firefighter brotherhood,
but the shiner brotherhood as well.
Ooh, that's got some heat.
Now, we've asked each one of you to bring your favorite liquor
that you enjoy with your comrades back home at the firehouse,
obviously off duty.
All right, guys, when it's all said and done here,
one of you all is going to be named the next Master Distiller.
Now, what goes along with that?
You get a limited run of that particular spirit
for Sugarlands Distilling Company.
And beyond that, it gets you unlimited rights for bragging back at the firehouse.
You're going to have one hour to build your signature mash.
Ain't gonna do it here, though.
We're going to take you out where the heat's really on.
Come with me and Mark.
Tim's gotta wait here on the table.
[Mark] Firefighter Challenge.
You have one hour to build us your finest mash, one of your favorites.
Your time starts now.
Good luck.
What are you working with? Is that blueberries?
Oh, yeah. 45 pound of pureed blueberries.
[bleep] That just cost about $750,000.
[Mark] It's going to be the most expensive mash in history.
I'm John Vince, 36-years-old, Middleport, Ohio.
I'm a volunteer firefighter.
Also a moonshiner.
Yeah. So I've been a firefighter for...
I'm right up to the 14-year mark.
I'm currently a lieutenant with our station.
My helmet here has actually been hand-painted by my daughter-in-law.
9/11. It says it right on the front, "Never Forget."
Means a lot.
I think we're at 14 members now.
Some of our members are a little older, can't do as much.
A lot of our members have day jobs.
We're not a paid department, so there's never a time off.
There's a lot of stress that comes with it.
And moonshine can, you know, really help.
It can relieve the stress out there making it.
I started distilling about 14 years ago.
I started with a buddy.
Got the camp still.
It was built just to play around with little flavors.
That one right there is a mango habanero that I worked on for a while.
Everything that we do, I feel there's a lot more character,
and a lot more, I guess, love going into our stuff.
[Gabe] I'm slowly getting to the temperature I want to be at.
I ain't sure I got the right flame.
I'm always good at putting them out,
but I never was really good at starting them.
My name is Mike Berlet. I'm 54 years old.
I'm from Barfield, Alabama, in Clay County.
I love telling people that I worked at the fire department.
I love it.
What was your favorite part?
Well, I pulled a lady out of a house one night.
Kinda made me feel good.
And I delivered two babies.
That was kind of wild.
Thirty-three years in the fire service,
and I was blessed to be the chief for the last eight years before I retired.
I make moonshine.
I have a legal brand in Birmingham.
Started from my grandfather.
My grandfather distilled during prohibition era,
and he distilled, not necessarily for the enjoyment or just to make it,
he fed a family.
Hundred-gallon still.
She's not real pretty, but she gets the job done.
There was no jobs.
He had to do something to provide for three kids.
It all started with him.
Now we got a 600-gallon still.
As you can see, the guys are piping it in.
We're getting the steam ready to roll.
And I just want to kinda carry on the legacy and the tradition.
What state are you from, Gabe?
[Gabe] I'm from Tennessee.
About an hour away from here.
We might be in trouble.
My name is Gabe Cardenas.
I'm 24-years-old, and I'm from Blount County, Tennessee.
What brought me into firefighting was,
when I was about 12 or 13-years-old,
my house burnt down about three days before Thanksgiving,
and lost everything.
There was support coming from every corner, every direction.
So, helping people is very important to me.
Distilling is a big part of East Tennessee in general,
and every hollow you go into, every cave you walk into,
there's going to be liquor in there.
[spits]
There's no tail when you burn liquor.
If it burns red, it means you're dead.
If we take a look at this flame,
and it's burning straight blue.
I've been distilling for five years,
and my favorite thing about distilling is taking a whole bunch of ingredients,
putting your little twist on it,
just seeing that smile on other people's faces
when they take a little swig of it.
It's a good feeling.
Men, you got 30 minutes left.
You're halfway there.
[Gabe] That's a pretty looking color on that.
[John] I've done some blueberries, do some sugar.
John, I can honestly say I have never seen a pot of mash so full.
I got about another inch here I could work with.
I'm bringing something a little bit... Well, a lot different.
It'll just be a clear blueberry brandy at first.
Once we get the flavor run...
-You're going to tweak it a little. -[John] Yeah.
[John] You're doing corn?
[Mike] Yeah, man. Straight corn.
My mash build is 28 pounds of corn,
30 pounds of sugar, 20 gallons of water.
-Corn, corn, corn. -[John] Corn, corn, corn.
If we get a shot to move on,
we're going to do a little something with some peaches.
That's really everybody's favorite.
I think this is gonna be the winning jar.
[Gabe] Battle of the peaches. That's what I'm doing.
Yeah. Me and you're gonna be going against each other.
I've done this recipe numerous times.
I'm pretty sure it's perfected.
I'm going to infuse peach in round two.
Simple,
and it's delicious to drink.
Men, 15 minutes.
Speaking for myself, I was a 42-year veteran of the fire department.
I'm excited particularly about this challenge.
[Gabe] I am full to the brim.
[Digger] If you all feel like you're done,
chase on out, get your little rest,
we'll take care of the rest.
[Mark] Skedaddle on in there.
[Digger] All right, guys. This run here is to get the pecking order.
One two, three that you go in the still house.
Do the best you can.
There are only two thump kegs in that still house.
You got four hours.
We want your best jar on that table.
Your time starts now.
I know moonshiners have a brotherhood and a code amongst each other,
but being that I'm running against other firemen,
it kind of throws an extra brotherhood in there.
How's your mash looking over there?
[Mike] Oh, man. I think we're in good shape, I really do.
To go against them, that's an honor for me.
But when I go the bathroom in the morning, I go to win.
I didn't come up here to finish second.
I come to win.
I took the lid of,
and it hit me right in the face like a good punch.
-Oh, it's got some alcohol in it. -Sure does.
[John] I'd say both of y'alls looks a little different than mine, don't it?
John has got 48 pounds of blueberries.
I think it is risky to go with something they're not used to.
Whoa! You've made some alcohol, too.
But what I'm bringing, it's going to stand out.
Usually, firemen are trying to eliminate the heat,
but these guys are bringing it.
I'm ready to rock and roll, fellas.
Waiting on the magic to happen now, man.
[Gabe] With us only having four hours to produce a product,
it's definitely pressuring.
I'm used to taking about 12 to 13 hours to run.
[Mike] Hey, Gabe, what temp you at?
I'm sitting at 100.
[Mark] Yeah, you probably have to give it a little more fuel.
Bumped mine up a little more.
Temperature is very important in the fire service.
And temperature is an important thing in distillation.
[John] What's your temp, Mike?
[Mike] 172.
Looking at marks, we're going to hit this,
we want to hit this, we want to hit that.
I'm running.
Is he dripping already?
[John] Yeah, we got a little drip.
He's running over here.
[Mike] Yeah, he's dripping.
I got a good little drip going there.
[Mike] There you go.
Mike and John, they're definitely going a little faster than I am.
A lot of alcohol in it.
-Huh? -There's a lot of alcohol in it.
Yeah, hopefully.
[Gabe] I could feel the heat coming up the arm down to the condenser.
But I don't have any alcohol coming out yet.
I got me leak in here.
[Tim] You got a whole lot of situation going on.
[Gabe] My damn cap's leaking now, too.
I noticed I had two leaks in my pot.
I'm leaking bad, bad, bad right there.
I got me a leak in here.
My damn cap's leaking now, too.
I noticed I have two leaks on my pot.
Now I'm leaking bad, bad, bad right there.
I'm a little nervous.
It's coming out right... Oh.
It's coming out of your gasket.
I didn't ask for help.
All I said was, "Oh, no, I got leaks."
And Mike and John are right there.
I'll hold, you turn.
It's a little warm.
[Gabe] Throw some paste on there just in case.
[John] Is that the paste that you brought from home?
[Gabe] Yeah. I just use wheat flour.
Sometimes I use oatmeal.
Working next to two other firemen,
if you have a problem, they're there to help you.
[John] Where are you at? You swap out again?
[Mike] Yeah. This is number three right here.
Ooh, yeah. That's high proof.
What gives me an advantage?
I think I'm older, I got more years.
You got you a charcoal and filter.
I learned something a year or two back from a good friend of mine.
To get that fusel oil out of there.
-Okay. -That's going to help with flavor, taste.
And I don't mean they're not worthy.
I don't mean that by no means.
I'm just saying I've had a little bit more time on this earth,
walking around, picking up stuff, and knowledge.
I'd probably say 150, 160 on that one.
[Mike] I'd say you're pretty close.
At home, I'm trying to get a high liquor content.
It's hot, but it's got that blueberry and a flower maybe.
Here, you're trying to hand in that one single jar,
and I'm just hoping it drops real fast.
Gabe, you good?
[Gabe] I'm rocking.
Mike and John, they're about four jars ahead of me.
I have one jar.
But I'm going to do what I know and take it low and slow.
Come try this.
I think when my temperature spiked up, got scorched a little bit.
I don't think it's that bad.
Don't smell scorched.
[John] I don't think it tastes scorched.
It has, like, a buttery taste.
This is a totally different ball game.
With a firehouse background, pressure is there, but I don't feel it.
Men, one hour left.
[Gabe] I think this is going to be the hardest part about the competition.
What?
Blending and finding that one jar.
Is that it?
Half that one and half that one. That's it.
My run, it did exactly what I wanted it to do.
I got mine. Mine's already marked up here.
Name on it and everything.
That's the one I'm turning in right there.
[John] That's one of those decisions, decisions.
All three taste good. All three are clear as could be.
I did end up blending to jar seven and eight,
which gave it nice alcohol plus a nice flavor.
Look at old Gabe over there. He's working like a magician.
Look at him shaking that bottle.
Abracadabra.
The liquor that's coming out of the worm is just perfect to me.
It's sweet, it's smooth, and it's crystal clear.
I'm gonna sleep good tonight after making this run of liquor.
Wore out or just too much to drink?
-[Mike] I'm older now! -[chuckles]
Damn.
-You'll be all right. -I'm older now.
I'll tell you what.
One, two, three, follow the rest of the three out.
We'll turn them in together.
Gabe. All right. Let's see what he's working with.
Looks good, don't it?
Good and clear.
All right. Let's see what proof he's at.
-Nice. -[Mark] Nice. Good looking proof. Yeah.
Hopefully I made them right by taste profile and what I smell on my nose.
Good nose.
-Oh, yeah. I like it. -[Mark] Smells really good.
[Mark] Yeah, boy.
If you like that smell, you're really going to like the taste.
That's corn, front to back.
I mean, that gets on your palate and your tongue.
And I'm telling you, it hits right in the crease.
He's not 100 proof, so he could improve on his proofing.
All right, Mike's from Alabama. Nice, clear jar.
Maybe just a dab clearer than Gabe's.
All right, here we go.
[Mark] Maybe kinda just lowered the proof.
I mean, I feel like I'm where I need to be
and doing what I need to be doing.
[Digger] It's got a real good flavor,
but I'm telling you, it's weaker than a baby's backbone.
Yeah, it ain't got no follow through.
Maybe he picked up the wrong jar.
Maybe so, but he's a firefighter.
He'd want to be able to handle the heat.
Let's move on.
JB. John.
It looks like a brandy bubble to me.
When you distill in fruit, you're making brandy,
and that bead is totally different than it is with grain,
'cause grain will sud up a little bit.
[John] I brought blueberry brandy,
and both of you guys brought corn liquors.
Kind of worried me just a little bit.
Smells like blueberries to me.
-Damn. -[Mark] Whoa.
It tastes like blueberries.
Oh, it tastes like blueberry is supposed to taste.
And at that 110, she got a bite to it.
I wouldn't change a thing.
It's obvious why these three are the favorites of their firehouse.
[Tim chuckles] I bet they are.
You know, I'm telling you.
Let's go get them back into the still house.
[Tim] There we go.
[Digger] All right, guys, welcome back.
We've had three fine liquor tastes right here, and I appreciate that.
Mike, it was corn, hell west and crooked.
I mean, top to bottom, sideways.
[Tim] Good job in corn whiskey.
Your proof, I'm going to give you 80.
Up the proof, but do not mess with the flavor.
The flavor is delicious.
Thank you. Thank you, Mark.
John, damn fine job running that blueberry brandy.
Thank you.
[Digger] I've tasted a lot of brandy over the years,
but that right there has got more flavor from a distillate
than I've ever seen in my career.
You know, the fact that you can get that to ferment as successfully as you did,
shows a lot of moxie.
Gabe, but you got plenty of corn flavor.
No really bad harsh after bite.
It didn't fall off weak anywhere.
That's what corn liquor is supposed to be,
and we wouldn't expect anything less from a Tennessee boy.
[Gabe] Thank you.
Gabe, you got an outstanding jar right there in your hand.
We're about 95 proof, good, true corn liquor.
[Digger] It's outstanding.
But going forward, like I said, you got to keep them gloves up.
Don't let your guard down, any of you.
So, that being said, the order you all are going to go in...
By and large, you got three fantastic jars of liquor.
That being said, the order y'all are going to go in.
John, you're going in first.
Gabe, you're going in second.
Mike, you're going in third.
Right in the caboose,
that proof kind of puts you back toward the end of the bus.
Timmy.
Tickle!
Well, how's it going there, fellas?
We're doing great.
We got three firefighters here.
Did nobody burn nothing down, did you?
[Tim] Nobody burn nothing down, but it was on fire.
Y'all leave your jars here and come on with me.
We are here to pick your still parts.
You're going to have three minutes in there.
John, you're up first, right?
Your time starts now.
[John] I'm very proud of myself,
but my competition, both of them is firefighters.
You can't ever underestimate a firefighter.
Minute-and-a-half is over.
[John] So I want just a traditional pot, thumper, condenser.
That's it.
[Tickle] All right.
All right, Gabe, you are up next, and your time starts now.
All right, Gabe's coming out running. All right.
He's got a pot out already, but that won't make liquor.
All right. He's got a cap out.
My strategy for the still house is go to what I know.
We have got a thumper.
Me getting second place, I don't have to worry about that.
Grab my pot, thumping my worm, and I'll be good.
-[Tickle] Have you got everything you need? -I think so.
[Tickle] Mike, it is now your turn.
And your time starts now.
Tell me what you got in there.
All right. There we go.
We've got a pot out there. All right.
And we have got a condenser out there.
I finished third.
We know the still house only had two thumpers.
So one and two is getting a thumper.
[Tickle] I know you firemen work better under pressure, and I'm just trying to help.
[Mike] Make some adjustments without a thumper.
Take it as a challenge.
I'll be damned.
That's a box of copper.
All right, fellas, now that y'all got y'all still parts,
they ain't doing us no good out here.
Let's head on back in, so y'all can put these stills together.
[Digger] All right, guys, welcome back.
You got your still parts, gonna have one hour.
Put your still together in a manner it'll function and function safely.
All right, guys, your one hour starts now.
Good luck. Get with it.
Gabe, is that basically the same kind of outfit you're used to?
It's pretty close, just minus the gaskets.
You're the paced up kind of guy.
These are a little tricky if you don't really play with them all the time.
They are.
[Gabe] For round one, I had a little bit of a leak.
Hopefully, round two, I don't have a leak and the same problems.
Alright, guys, I'm built out.
Anybody need anything?
-[Mark] John? -[John] Yes, sir.
[Mark] Looks like you got yours together in record time.
Exactly what I run at home.
Mike, you all buttoned up?
[Mike] Yes, sir.
[Mark] Do you think it'll function?
Yes, sir.
[Mark] Next step is your flavor run.
[Digger] We're going to go right into that run.
You've got four hours to get your mash and your pouch pot lit.
Get all your liquor in.
Bring us a jar up here on the table four hours and one second past.
Your four hour starts now.
Good luck guys and get with it.
[Mike] I got to up my game.
I'm going to show them who's the chief.
[Digger] Look at him, he's making a screwdriver.
[Tim] I don't know what he's putting in there.
It looks almost like an orange juice.
We're going to start mixing some fruit into the equation here.
[Tim] Look at it. He's got something else.
That look like apple juice.
[Digger] Here comes peaches.
[Mark] Them's fresh peaches.
He has to hang on that lid.
-He ain't got no thumper. -He got no thumper.
[Mike] As far as getting the flavor to come through without a thumper,
you seen me hang peaches from a cap.
That's just to put that flavor in that vapor trail
to be able to pull those flavors through.
-Hey, Mike. -[Mike] Yes, sir?
We noticed you were pulling some other ingredients in your still there.
[Mike] No, it was all one fruit.
Everything was peaches.
I think he's got peach puree or something over there.
I'm very excited to be running the same thing as Mike is,
because you never know, everyone's peaches might be different,
they might be the same.
[Digger] That right there is a rich looking concoction.
He's putting a lot in that thumper.
Did he put any peach ingredients in his pot or all in his thumper?
No, I think he put it all in his thumper.
In my thumper I added peach puree, South Carolina peaches,
a little bit of peach juice,
and a little bit of, like, a peach paste kind of deal.
Wow.
But you know what's going to happen?
A lot of flavor.
[Tim] Mike's going to have a whole lot of flavor in his.
[Mark] Yeah, Gabe's going to have it on the nose.
Gabe's going to have a whole lot on the nose.
I know what John's got.
-[Mark] Blueberry. -[Digger] Blueberry.
Peach brandy is known, you know, in the area.
Corn whiskey is everywhere.
So when I started doing a blueberry brandy,
it did make me doubt it a little bit,
but then I just stepped back and remembered that's what I do at home,
so that's what I'm doing here.
Some blueberry juice ground up with about four tubs of blueberries also.
You're up to about 75 pounds of blueberries now from what you initially started from.
I might be close to that.
[Digger] So if we have to buy some of his liquor,
it's going to be about $750 a quart.
-[Mark chuckles] -Well, you got to pay for good stuff, right?
Oh, you're spitting already.
[Gabe] Is he running?
Yeah, he's running already.
[Digger] Mike's running liquor over there like a cow pissing on a flat rock.
That'll light your fire.
It couldn't have been any better for me,
because it comes straight out.
You're comfortable? A little still work to suit you.
Oh, yeah.
Under the circumstances,
I was kind of a little bit down and out 'cause I didn't get a thumper,
but it may have been a blessing in disguise.
All right, guys, I know you all got a thumper, but y'all better come on.
We ain't got so much time.
Old man's gonna catch you from behind.
[John] Oh, yeah.
[Gabe] Little drip drip?
It's how it was last time. Mike was first, you, second, me third.
There she goes, boys.
She's going.
How are you doing, Mike?
Wow, the peach is coming out.
I think we got it close to the proof.
I think everything's going to work out.
[John] I'm getting blueberry through.
I'm starting to drop in proof.
Hopefully I get it down about 100 proof,
that flavor will come out a little bit more.
[Gabe] Where are you at now?
About number two.
You getting to the proof you're after?
Tell you what, my peach has left the building.
[Mike] It left the building?
I got straight corn taste and smell. No peach.
My peach isn't coming through that strong.
I didn't add anything to my pot.
I relied on the thumper.
That's the problem with thumpers.
I mean, it brings the nose sometimes.
It sometimes trips flavor.
So I'm just going to do some good blending,
and hopefully get some flavor and aromas out of my tails.
[Mike] I'm getting it down to the final one.
Like I said. I just hope we don't spit it out.
You got peach on the front, peach on the back,
peach in the middle, peach on the end.
John's really got to mess something up.
He's the man to beat, in my opinion, right now.
At my station, I am Vince 137.
And that's my jar.
I'm a little nervous, I'm not gonna lie.
But trust your palate, trust your senses, and pick that number one jar.
Good luck.
[Mark] Oh, I like that.
I like that a lot, guys.
All right, gentlemen.
We're going to take these jars and we're going to sample and deliberate.
We reach the decision, we'll be back.
Unfortunately, one of you comrades is going to go home on this one.
Firefighters, let's see what we got.
[Tim] Looks like John.
That is a super clear jar.
[John] I had the flavor, I had the proof.
I think it was the best that I could do today.
[Mark] Really loud on the nose, ain't it?
But it's heavy on taste.
-That tastes like brandy's supposed to taste. -Yep.
That little sparkly dance of fire across your tongue,
and then finish up them sweet blueberries.
That's probably about as good a blueberry brandy that I've ever tasted
that's not been post flavored.
I agree on that.
All right, Gabe.
-Pretty. Pretty jar there. -[Digger] That is.
[Tim] About 90.
[Gabe] I'm feeling good on proof.
Smell was phenomenal. I had peach in there.
But the only thing I'm worried about is the taste.
[Digger] That's peach.
When you hit that nose, that fuzz will tickle you.
But it ain't finishing with any fire on the tail.
It's not unpleasant.
It just... It's on the palate, but it falls off really, really fast.
Well, enough of that.
Let's move on.
[Tim] Mike from Alabama.
It's looking good.
[Mike] With the equipment I had to work with,
I think I hit the spot dead on where I was trying to get.
He's not benchmark high proof, but he's--
[Mark] 95 maybe.
I don't get a lot of peach.
[Digger] Don't give me peach on the nose.
He didn't have that thumper.
I guess hanging it didn't get anything.
Oh, I get it on the palate.
That finishes off in a way that a peach brandy ought to.
It's got a sweet finish.
Yeah, he turned corn liquor into peach brandy.
[Mark] Here we are again,
with three outstanding jars.
We got two guys that chose the same flavor-profile to run on.
My vote, my opinion, one of the peaches has to go home.
All right.
[Digger] Guys, I'm going to tell you.
We had the opportunity to taste three fine liquors right here.
I tip my hat to every one of you.
Mike, peach, you brought it.
Proof, spot on.
You went into the still house last,
but you put the peaches into the pot,
and you changed that corn liquor to peach brandy there, which was outstanding.
[Digger] Your peach was good and strong right up front,
came straight across,
was never mean or fiery, and finished right off sweet.
Good job.
Thanks.
[Digger] John.
Nothing less than what we expected.
Today, you're right on the money.
-Good clean jar. -Thank you.
You really improved your proof.
You brought it down.
You know, it's a really good brandy proof.
Flashes off nice.
Gabe, you brought the peach, too.
Came out strong with the peach.
Didn't really get any sweet meddling,
and then finished off with the dry finish, kinda like a gin would.
More heavy on the nose than it does, as say, in the flavor profile.
You know, if you'd have dropped it back into the pot,
I think you got a little bit more depth into your taste profile.
If you was anything as fireman like you are a distiller, you've got it going on.
Thank you.
I want you to all feel proud.
Your brethren as firefighters came through with shining colors.
Your moonshining brethren came through with shining colors.
And I hate to say it, one of the peaches has to go home.
Gabe, you have to go home.
-Understood. -Good job.
[Gabe] Thank you.
I'm a little bummed out.
Thank you, guys.
Damn fine job, young man.
That just sets a fire in me.
I'm just going to keep working and working and working on it.
And Mike and John, you have to stay and fight the heat.
Yes, sir.
You brought us two fantastic jars.
We want you to make them way past fantastic.
Your 30 minutes starts now.
Good luck, guys, and get with it.
-Good luck. -Good luck.
It's down to me and John now.
And at the end of the day, I believe in keeping it simple.
[Mark] Mike's just simply blending.
That's what it looks like.
Maybe he's just changing the proof on it or something.
[Mike] All I'm going to do is sit there and blend.
Not a lot of moving parts.
I found out what tastes good for me, the buddies, the guys at the station.
Just a good, simple, peach brandy at about 90, 95 proof.
If something's not broke, you don't fix it.
[John] Mike, he's a legal distiller, and I know what he's bringing,
so it makes you a little nervous.
So, I'm turning blueberry brandy into a blueberry cobbler.
What's all these things he's putting in?
One of them is cinnamon.
That's blueberry pie filler.
Vanilla.
Blueberries and vanilla beans, a good combination.
Boy, it don't take a lot of them out.
It's probably going to be very good.
It's probably one of the most expensive jars of liquor we'll ever get to taste.
[Tim] Yeah, I will agree on that.
-Hey, John? -[John] Yes, sir.
[Tim] What's your plan here?
I see you changing colors on things here.
[John] Changing it up a little bit,
making a blueberry cobbler.
Lowers your proof down.
Lowers it down.
You got to put a good jar in there.
You got to have something high in it.
I think it is risky, but hopefully it'll stand out and stand on its own.
[Mark] John's going in a different direction.
That's insane.
Well, I have to say, he's come to win.
You'll hold a special place in mine and Tim's heart
just being in the firefighter profession.
Not only that, the moonshiner profession as well.
So you're kinda double special to us.
So I got each one of you a little something.
This is a patch from my department.
[John] Thank you.
[Mark] I'd be honored for you to have it.
I wish you all the luck.
I want you to have one too.
Good luck to you, sir.
-Be safe. -I appreciate it.
-You sure will. -[Mike] Thank you.
Good luck to all you guys.
[Tim] Firefighter Challenge.
All Mike's doing is trying to get his proof where he wanted it.
He had a great flavor.
John's going in a different direction.
Gentlemen, 15 minutes.
[Tim] It's almost like a poker game.
Both of them know they got a real good hand,
-but Mike over here, he's holding, he's fat. -He's fat.
[Mike] The peach flavor is on the front,
in the middle, on the back, on the nose.
Keep that proof up to somewhere around a hundred.
Now, John over here, he's mixing up some things,
and I believe Mike is just waiting to see, does he make a mistake.
[John] I've never done my recipe in 30 minutes.
it's going to be clear down to the wire.
He drunk that shot down like he's serious about it, didn't he?
You about ready to roll, Mike?
[Mike] We're going together?
[John] Yes, sir.
That's the way to do business.
-[Tim] Mm-hmm. -[Digger] There you go, gentlemen.
[Tim] One clear and one blue.
Don't panic.
We'll be back as soon as we can.
We're at total end of the spectrum here.
This one's still got a proofreading on,
this one, we ain't going to be able to.
No, sir.
We're not gonna know a thing,
until we get started tasting.
[Tim] Mike from Alabama.
It's good.
I'm saying he's right where he said he wanted to be, 90 to 95.
Well, I feel good.
I feel like the peaches come through.
The peaches did exactly what I wanted them to do.
Man, there's that peach.
It's impressive, to say the least.
[Tim] Goes right away.
Wow.
Yeah, it goes away pleasant.
That's about 95 proof, too. [chuckles]
Yeah, it's got a good backbone to it.
That's the peachiest corn liquor I've ever seen.
I've seen bona fide peach brandy that didn't taste that fruity.
Yeah, I'd buy it.
People don't need to walk past that without getting it.
Well, moving on.
Hi, John.
[Mark] Originally, John, he came with a blueberry brandy to start with,
but he told us his final desired outcome is blueberry cobbler.
[Mike] How do you feel about your run?
[John] I feel pretty good.
Blueberry cobbler, didn't get me a whole lot out of my comfort zone.
We'll know how good it is when we see if they come stumbling
through that door back here.
[scoffs]
[Mark] Wow.
I believe I'm getting just a tiny bit of the vanilla.
I'm getting none of the cinnamon.
Zero cinnamon on the nose.
-I don't get no vanilla. -No vanilla on the nose.
There's no bite whatsoever.
It's a wonderful drink.
I just think he's a little weak on liquor.
I don't believe he even made 50 proof.
He poured the alcohol in with the blueberries and stuff,
-and heated it up, cooked it. -[Tim] Yeah.
May have cooked the biggest part of his alcohol away.
If you bought that, at what price you'd have to with the blueberry content?
[Tim] Oh, yeah.
Then you're in a whole different ballgame.
And when they taste of it, and it's that light on alcohol,
-they're going to write that off the Christmas list. -[Tim] Yeah.
I mean, I could drink that whole jar of that.
I understand wholeheartedly why these guys brought these recipes.
But at the end of the day, marketability, flavor, proof,
it's all taken into consideration.
One rises way above the other.
Yeah, I think one's ready to go in the shop right now.
[Digger] I think we're all in agreement.
-All aboard. -Let's do it.
[Tim] Come on up and get your jars.
[Mike] Good luck, buddy.
[John] Thank you.
[Digger] All right, men. We're back.
Great job.
Mike, first and foremost, you amazed everybody.
I think what you did to get just a little more flavor out of it
than you had originally, it paid off really well.
Thank you.
Even though your beginning mash was not peaches,
you did put peaches into your still, so you did distill it.
A lot of times when you go into adding flavors to things,
flavor comes in, but your proof goes down.
But you kept it on the nose, you kept it on the taste, and you kept your proof.
Thank you.
[Digger] John.
Blueberry. I saw what you started with.
I saw how you'd done it.
I mean, I see where you went with it, and I'm really impressed.
Thank you.
It was good, clean, drank all the way across the palate.
But I think it's a little low on proof.
You were really weak on your alcohol.
I'm saying you're around the 40, 45 mark.
But other than that, you accentuated on what you brought the first time.
Thank you.
You have represented your departments very well.
You're exemplary distillers.
Came down to what we based our final criteria on was the marketability.
Mike, you're the next Master Distiller.
[John] My granddad made moonshine in prohibition days to feed a family,
and for me to be standing here and named Master Distiller,
it's just sending cold chills over my body right now.
Proud of both of you,
and I hope you both have a friendship and brotherhood for life.
I'm very proud of myself.
It's not going to be the end.
I'm going to keep making liquor and keep making more flavors.
Congratulations.
You all head on out and share in a drink.
-Right. -[Digger] Yes, sir.