Best Episodes
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.
Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 10, 2023.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
When Josh finds an outlaw operation in Brazil, he gets a hands-on lesson in how quickly he can turn sugar cane into high-proof liquor. In Maggie Valley, Mike and Jerry prepare to fight back when Richard and Craig start a backwoods operation on their turf.
The episode was rated 7.56 from 48 votes.
Mark and Digger score ten tons of sugar only to find a tracking device on their truck. Richard and Daniel devise a rum recipe to dominate the outlaw market. Mike and Jerry hit the jackpot with sweet-smelling mimosa liquor but catch wind of a new rival.
The episode was rated 7.63 from 32 votes.
Fed up with canned food and hiding in the woods, Josh gets into trouble with Kenny Law. Popcorn's son proves as unpredictable as his notorious dad. Tim and Howard rediscover a lost recipe for log still whiskey invented by a Kentucky teenager in 1836.
The episode was rated 7.68 from 65 votes.
As the Maggie Valley moonshine market shifts in favor of Richard and Craig's recipes, Mike and Jerry devise a plot to push the newcomers out of town. Mark and Digger convince Killer Beaz to take on the riskiest parts of Mark's illicit activities.
The episode was rated 7.69 from 29 votes.
Josh feels the heat when a Brazilian moonshiner pressures him to attempt an illegal bootleg run far from home. Law enforcement ambushes Mark Ramsey in his own garage. In Maggie Valley, Mike and Jerry deploy a tracking device on their newfound competition.
The episode was rated 7.70 from 37 votes.
After losing their water source, Mark and Digger attempt to dig out a centuries-old spring. Confounded by lumber prices, Josh tells Tickle and the Laws he can fell big timber for a 1000 gallon still. Richard and Daniel form a Master Distiller dream team.
The episode was rated 7.72 from 72 votes.
A police detective confronts Mark and Digger at the pump and doesn't mince words about his intent. Tickle and the Laws attempt to help as Josh's sanity erodes surviving in the woods. Tim and Howard construct a 19th century wood still from a giant log.
The episode was rated 7.72 from 47 votes.
Seeking advice from Mark and Digger, Richard attempts to salvage the $3,000 copper still he imploded before Daniel returns. On the run from the law, Josh motors deep into the Brazilian highlands in search of a new recipe for caffeinated cachaça moonshine.
The episode was rated 7.83 from 46 votes.
When weevils infest Mark and Digger's pricey grain, they must get rid of the bugs without killing their malt process. Tim and Howard fire up a log still with explosive consequences. Josh breaks out of his backwoods prison only to find himself up a creek.
The episode was rated 7.98 from 51 votes.
Evading the law, Mark and Digger attempt to make Scotch on a Popcorn Sutton-designed pot still. Amanda joins Mark and Huck in the hills only to find all their copper stolen. Richard and Daniel deploy game cameras to protect their own valuable stills.
The episode was rated 7.98 from 62 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.
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.
