Think the days of bootleggers, backwoods stills and "white lightning" are over? Not a chance! It's a multi-million dollar industry. But perhaps more importantly to the moonshiners, it's a tradition dating back hundreds of years, passed down to them from their forefathers. It's part of their history and culture. While this practice is surprisingly alive and well, it's not always legal. Discovery Channel's all-new series MOONSHINERS tells the story of those who brew their shine - often in the woods near their homes using camouflaged equipment - and the local authorities who try to keep them honest. Viewers will witness practices rarely, if ever, seen on television including the sacred rite of passage for a moonshiner - firing up the still for the first time. They will also meet legends, including notorious moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton.
Warning: the following content contains spoilers!
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Winter hot on their heels, shiners aim to cash in. A legendary partnership comes to a bittersweet end as Jeff, Mark and Lance head their separate ways. Tim gets to spend time with and old friend. Patti and David end their season with a boatload of shine.
The episode was rated 8.20 from 10 votes.
Mark and Digger search in an unlikely location for the ideal spot to sea-age their Tennessee Whiskey. A wrong turn earns Josh his next broken bone. When Jerry gets rushed to the ER, his partner is forced to figure out a complex recipe without him.
The episode was rated 8.19 from 54 votes.
As Tickle and the Laws start a massive rye run, a mysterious tip results in too much of a good thing. Jerry gets rushed to the hospital and Mike finds himself shorthanded. Tim innovates a backwoods process for his single-malt shine.
The episode was rated 8.15 from 60 votes.
Amanda joins Mark and Huck in an attempt to make shine from a rare corn.
The episode was rated 8.14 from 51 votes.
It's the dead of winter in Appalachia, and moonshine season is months away. Moonshiner Tim and his partner Tickle are planning a daring 100-mile bootleg run capped with a risky midday moonshine transfer - something Tim rarely does.
The episode was rated 8.12 from 26 votes.
With national supply chains disrupted, Mark and Digger unearth a ton of free ingredients; Tickle helps Josh build a submarine still farm; and Mike designs a first-ever backwoods column still, perfect for endless runs of high-quality low-cost liquor.
The episode was rated 8.11 from 65 votes.
When Digger scores a tank of fresh milk, he and Mark attempt to solve the mystery of turning milk into moonshine; Tickle and Josh ramp up underground operations at the Law's rental house; hunting dogs invade Mike and Jerry's mountain still site.
The episode was rated 8.09 from 47 votes.
Tickle and the Laws invent a new recipe with master distiller Richard Landry. Mark and Digger crack their thousand jar problem while mashing in their most profitable run in years. Tim and Howard make a ceramic still to rediscover a colonial whiskey.
The episode was rated 8.08 from 61 votes.
Ten years after Popcorn Sutton's death, his widow reveals a clue that could lead Mark and Digger to a hidden stash; Mike must gin up his brandy game to pay off his debt to Mark and Digger; Donnie and Teresa build a still site in a Kentucky cave.
The episode was rated 8.08 from 100 votes.
In a rare lapse of judgment, Richard implodes Daniel's $3,000 copper still. As the fire marshal ramps up his investigation, Josh makes a tough decision to flee the country. Tim's solution to a centuries-old still build is going to sting a bit for Howard.
The episode was rated 8.06 from 48 votes.
Tickle and the Laws infuse a batch of shine with anxiety-reducing CBD, Josh digs into a secret stash to cure his blues and a mystery bootlegger encroaches on Mike's turf.
The episode was rated 8.04 from 89 votes.
In the season finale, just as Mark and Digger undertake their large-scale bootleg to Nashville, the law makes an unwelcome return.
The episode was rated 8.04 from 67 votes.
Mark and Digger team up with Danielle Parton to run the first moonshine in decades on her legendary family property. Tim heads to the highlands of Jalisco to harvest blue agave to run Tequila. Richard invents a flammable recipe for a New Orleans chef.
The episode was rated 8.04 from 51 votes.
Moonshiners share their tricks for running shine and how they avoid the long arm of the law. Tim reveals a visit with Tickle behind bars, and Mark & Digger reveal an unexpected twist in their search for Popcorn Sutton's shine, stashed a decade ago.
The episode was rated 8.04 from 53 votes.
Mark and Digger heads to Georgia to visit an old-time shiner and restore an important piece of Popcorn Sutton history; Tim and Tickle plan on how to sell their new shine; Mike finds out about a rival on his turf.
The episode was rated 8.04 from 80 votes.
It's the season 12 premiere and prices are going nuts. Mark and Digger discover they're under investigation by the law. Mike and Jerry recruit Popcorn Sutton's son and Josh goes into hiding when a fire marshal tracks the source of his house fire.
The episode was rated 8.04 from 82 votes.
After Mike asks the wrong shiner for help, Mark and Digger land a skilled new partner. On a mountain run, Mark and Huck nearly meet the barrel of a gun. Jerry attempts a comeback as a land sale forces him and Mike to abandon their column still site.
The episode was rated 8.02 from 59 votes.
Tickle asks Tim for help; Jeff, Mark and Jim Tom battle a swarm of yellow jackets; and Josh rescues Cutie Pie.
The episode was rated 8.01 from 72 votes.
Josh debuts his mobile still at a North Carolina biker rally. In the Great Smoky Mountains, Mike gets burned by a taste of his own medicine. There's a reason Franklin County, VA is the Moonshine Capital of America, and someone there is above the law.
The episode was rated 8.01 from 78 votes.
Tensions boil over in Tennessee as Mike must answer for blowing up Mark and Digger's still. With Tickle in jail, JT answers the call when two outlaw shiners show up looking for help in the woods. Josh faces more bad news in the form of a bear.
The episode was rated 8.00 from 89 votes.
Last updated: feb 10, 2023
