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.

Hell-Bent Detective

Tim Smith

Jeremy Schwartz

Josh Owens

Rock Out While the Cop's Out

Long Arm of Kenny Law

Josh flees the law in the wake of a fire; Richard invades Mike's turf; Mark and Digger face a police detective who is hellbent on taking them down.

High Price Of Success

After losing their water source, Mark and Digger attempt to dig out a centuries-old spring; Josh tells Tickle and the Laws he can fell big timber for a 1,000 gallon still; Richard and Daniel form a Master Distiller dream team.

The Harder They Fall

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.

More Cops Less Copper

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.

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.

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 Weevils in the Details

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.

Still Imploder

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.

Caffeinated Moonshine

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.

Foreign Exchange

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.

Brazilian Bootleg

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.

Above the Law

When Josh encounters a mysterious moonshiner in Brazil, he learns a method for making liquor that breaks all the rules. Richard and Craig take precautions to protect their operation from bears. Mike and Jerry attempt elderberry shine and light sabotage.

Mystery Moonshiner

To beat inflation, Mark and Digger attempt an old-school run of liquor they can sell at a 1990s price. Danielle Parton teams up with Henry and Kenny to make legendary Franklin County moonshine. Richard and Craig discover a rival's stash house.

Party Like It's 1999

Facing time on the road, Tickle asks Tim to help convert a bus into a mobile moonshine rig. Digger and Beaz scramble to save a big sale for a rising country star who happens to be Willie Nelson's granddaughter. Richard and Craig abandon their still site.

On the Road Again

Josh returns from Brazil only to discover an emboldened fire marshal with pressing questions.

Hard Evidence

With permission from 95-year-old Cecil Love, Josh and the Laws recreate old time Franklin County moonshine with Love's hidden still. Craig and Richard find a fix for their still's missing arm.

Maggie Valley Mayhem

Digger pulls a disappearing act after a combat veteran helps him with a supernatural rye apple recipe. Richard and Craig keep their mash warm in cold weather while Jerry goes into winter with some backwoods tech.

Disappearing Act

Josh's special delivery has him convincing the Laws to try a speedy shine method he saw in Brazil. Digger and Killer Beaz cash in on a whole new market after a meeting with a Pittsburgh shiner. Mike catches wind of Richard's massive final run.

The Box from Brazil

In the season finale, when Killer Beaz closes a sixty-gallon sale, Digger opens the door to his partner's secret. Tickle completes his mobile still build only to learn the law will stop a school bus. Mike digs in his heels and possibly his own grave.

Shine for End Times

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. 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.

Hell-Bent Detective

Seasons16

Season 12 Episodes20

Cast3

Discussion

Episode Summary