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!
Moonshine season is on and the shiners must step it up to stay ahead of big liquor and the law. A 100mph wipeout puts Josh's operation in jeopardy, Tim takes a risk on rye, and Mark and Digger are hell-bent on backwoods justice after Mike's betrayal.
The episode was rated 7.72 from 111 votes.
Tracking down an old-time bootlegger, Mark and Digger uncover treasures Popcorn Sutton left behind. In debt, Mike and Daniel engineer a split pot still to upgrade their shine, and its price. Patti and David convert pontoons into a bayou still site.
The episode was rated 7.78 from 81 votes.
When Mark and Digger find a decade-old jar of Popcorn Sutton's shine, they vow to recreate their mentor's infamous last run. With help from old-timer JB Rader, they rebuild Popcorn's pot still and recount the antics of Appalachia's legendary outlaw.
The episode was rated 7.80 from 81 votes.
When their still site gets compromised, shiners Henry and Kenny enlist the help of bootlegging legend, Amos Law; to pay off his debt to Mark and Digger, Mike runs his still to the breaking point; Tim doubles down on JT and Tickle's double rye.
The episode was rated 7.82 from 82 votes.
Mark and Digger's first run of barrel-aged bourbon gets interrupted by a bear. Scaling up Tickle's double rye tests Tim's backwoods engineering. Mark Rogers builds a malt house to make corn whiskey. In Kentucky, Donnie and Theresa come up short.
The episode was rated 7.83 from 95 votes.
As Josh gets set to fire up his hidden mobile still at a biker rally, law enforcement gets wise to his illicit plan. Mark & Digger's backwoods potato vodka hits a sweet spot. Short on payback cash, Mike and Daniel invent a new way to get out of debt.
The episode was rated 7.83 from 96 votes.
Mark and Digger's new apprentice proves talent can't be taught. Josh tempts fate converting a new race car trailer into a mobile moonshining masterpiece. Mark Rogers enlists a retired lawman to bootleg 30 gallons of shine into a music festival.
The episode was rated 7.85 from 85 votes.
Mark and Digger build a hillbilly hack to save their handmade vodka. Pam may know more than she thinks about Popcorn's lost shine. Nothing but trouble for Josh running a still outside of the woods. Patti and David risk a seaplane bootleg on the bayou.
The episode was rated 7.87 from 90 votes.
Booted off his backwoods still site, Josh turns to his stock-car racing roots to invent a whole new way of making moonshine. Old-timer JB comes to the rescue as Mark and Digger fall short on a run. Mark Rogers faces a close encounter with the law.
The episode was rated 7.88 from 93 votes.
When a dead drop goes sideways, Mark Rogers deploys backwoods justice to straighten out a thief. Kelly's massive sorghum haul puts Mark and Digger's pot stills to the test. Mike & Daniel's clear apple pie has buyers calling from across county lines.
The episode was rated 7.88 from 43 votes.
Midway into the season, America's top moonshiners gather to deal with unfinished business. Mike tells his side of the Mark & Digger feud. Josh reveals scars from his checkered past, and the shiners put their skills to the test in a whiskey showdown.
The episode was rated 8.00 from 69 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.
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.
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.
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.
