MIKE: This is how we make the moonshine.
NARRATOR: As the icy shadow of winter
fades, and the last frost melts away, a spirit of renewal
fills the vast expanse of Appalachia.
And like generations before them,
moonshiners spring into action.
DIGGER: Here we are.
MARK: Make us a little more Tennessee "whikkey."
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
Oh, yeah, still around and pretty.
NARRATOR: In Cocke County, Tennessee, Mark and Digger
return to the limestone spring that makes their outlaw
Tennessee whiskey possible.
MARK: That's backed up a little.
Yep, let me get the shovel.
That'll bring it out of there once I shovel that sediment up.
OK.
Well, boy, getting older ain't for sissies, is it?
No, it ain't.
During the winter months, we rented a little warehouse
from a friend.
It's right next to one of the finest
limestone springs we know of.
Give this just a lick right over here.
So Mark and I got to develop this Tennessee whiskey.
Everybody's wanting it, so we're going to run hard with it.
Let's give that time to clear up, and let's go inside--
MARK: See what kind of mess we got inside to clean up.
You know, last year we cut our prices.
We were trying to help folks out.
We stuck with simple corn liquor and sold a lot of it.
Sure am spooky in here.
This year, things are better.
People are getting out, and they've got
their pockets full of money.
Everybody's wanting to spend that money on a premium liquor,
and we're at a fever pitch to make them some.
You hear anything?
You feel anything?
DIGGER: Nope.
MARK: Pretty good ways over here.
There you go.
We got to run this pump for a few minutes
to clear out the muddy sediment.
And once we get clean water, we make us little mash,
and get ready to start making a little bit of Tennessee
whiskey, Mark and Digger style.
That's still working.
MARK: Yeah.
DIGGER: Three more barrels filled up,
that ought to be about right, and rotate them coming
off three or four at a time.
That'd be good.
I mean, I ain't greedy, but this year is
a lot different than last year.
People's got a little money now.
Yeah, boy.
You know, last year was a whole different animal for us.
We were all about making cheap liquor to where
people could afford it.
This year, we're going to make top shelf liquor that we
can charge a premium price for.
Now it's ready to go, ain't it?
It didn't get no mildew or nothing.
We got enough grain here to make one run of mash,
you think?
With that barrel of white corn in my truck,
we're ready to rock and roll.
Let's get the pump and stuff first, get the hose out.
[DOOR OPENING]
Hello, fellers.
I tell you what, boy, if it wasn't for knowing how
to plant your own groceries, man would
starve to death last year.
NARRATOR: It's Sevier County, Tennessee.
After police paid a visit to his stash house last winter,
Mike is keeping a low profile to avoid getting
caught in a sting operation.
MIKE: We talking over 150 gallons
of alcohol in that barn.
When the law found our stash house, we went from wide open
to a dead stop.
It's them cops, bro.
Holy down.
Just drive by.
[BLEEP],, they going to get our asses for sure now.
That's our whole damn season gone to hell.
Ain't been back, ain't made another dollar,
ain't made no liquor, ain't sold nothing.
So what little bit of pocket change I had left over,
it's gone.
I've not even been back to my steel site.
I've been laying low, staying at home,
trying to can up canned goods.
We can a little bit of everything--
homemade barbecue sauces, pepper relish, whole tomatoes.
We just been relying on what we got at home to get by.
You know, me and Jerry, we hadn't made
or sold any liquor for months.
I'm broke as a joke right now.
[CAR HONKS]
Jerry.
JERRY: Mikey, Mikey, what's up, buddy?
MIKE: Been laying low. What about yourself?
I guarantee you, I know the feeling.
Good to see you.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get started.
We took a serious hit last season.
Yeah, we did, and I don't know if I'm about ready to get
back in the woods or not.
You haven't up at the steel house, have you?
Ain't been no damn where else, not to the steel site,
the stash house, nothing.
I say we go down there and take
it out, just scoop it out, and see what we can come up with.
You think it's been long enough?
JERRY: If they found anything, they've got it and gone,
and it's done and over with.
It's 150 gallons.
If it's still there, we got a damn good start to the season,
you know.
It's against my damn better judgment,
but if it is in that bowl, we'd have some money in our pocket.
But--
Damn right.
--I got a damn notion we ain't going
to find nothing over there.
I hope like hell that liquor is still there,
because if it is, we're pretty much where we left off,
you know.
We'll be in good shape.
But if the law was there, chances
are that liquor is gone, unless they're
just waiting for us to come back so they can bust our asses.
Ooh, boy, I don't like this damn idea.
We just need to sit here and scope
this place out a little bit.
Hope like hell there ain't nobody stirring around.
Should've brought a damn roll of toilet paper.
MIKE: We've got to go back to that stash house.
We've got to see for our own eyes
if anything's there or not.
But we're not just going to pull up in the front damn door
and walk in.
We're going to scope this place out.
We're looking for activity of any kind, whatsoever.
We got to watch for people who come by and see our asses.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm, hope there ain't nobody up on that damn bank up yonder.
I am a little paranoid, but you got to be if you're
going to be in this business.
[INAUDIBLE] just get out and just see what we can find out?
We will hug the edge of them bushes
right there by the creek, slipping in on the back side.
A little bit more incognito.
Might as well do it.
Do it too.
[DOORS OPEN]
MARK: Get over here a minute, Jerry.
It seems like there's nobody around here,
but they can be hoarded up inside that stash house waiting
for me to unlock the door.
JERRY: Just means someone's been cleaning up in there.
Somebody has done some cleaning up.
That whole hallway looks like it's cleared up, don't it?
JERRY: Yeah.
MIKE: Let's get on up there. JERRY: Let's go for it.
Yeah.
[SIGHS] OK, Jerry.
[PANTING] Nothing.
They took every damn bit of it, buddy, like I figured.
JERRY: Holy cow.
Nothing but dirt, son.
The cops got it.
Somebody got it.
It ain't here.
We can spend the low damn day long about who may have it,
but it's theirs now.
But we got our answer, and I don't
want to be here no damn longer.
No, me neither.
Let's go.
Damn.
JERRY: You know, I'll tell you what.
They're pretty hot on us here.
MIKE: Oh, tell me about it.
JERRY: Yeah, when you visit the steel site,
it may even be worse.
[CAR DOORS CLOSE]
We ain't been to the old steel site
since the whole law incident, but we've
left everything over there.
I hope everything's still there, but it won't
be our damn steel site no more.
That's for sure.
We'll go drop off this old truck, get in our others, and--
JERRY: Get her cleaned out and move on.
You know, a fresh start might be a better start.
MIKE: It may be a blessing in the damn skies.
Oh, nothing.
A little spring cleaning.
Uh, grain.
We don't know.
It was in here when we got here.
It must be some sort of water filter.
Yes, sir.
That's fair enough.
Son of a bitch.
This day didn't start like I wanted it to.
No, but thank the lord it ain't tomorrow.
DIGGER: If it had been tomorrow, baby boy,
we'd have had an allergic reaction.
We'd have broke out in handcuffs.
As far as making liquor goes right now,
there will be no liquor made inside the corporate city
limits in Newport.
Now are we going to stop altogether?
Quitters, they have to go to meetings.
We ain't quitters.
We're going to get the hell out of here,
and we ain't going to look back.
[MUSIC PLAYING]