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‘Moonshiners’ Brews Up More Drama With An Intoxicating New Season [Mild Spoilers]

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 04:48 PST, Nov 10, 2016

Moonshine, also known as white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, home-brew, and bathtub gin, are all familiar terms used to describe the high-proof, handcrafted liquor. Often produced illegally, changes are slowly coming as moonshine is becoming a product that is sought all around the world. Red Carpet Crash shared that on the new season, the moonshiners will revolutionize their craft with new artisan recipes, a larger network of contacts, and innovative distilling equipment.

Since the late 18th century, moonshine has always been an important part of the Appalachian history. First introduced by Scots-Irish immigrants, the settlers made their whiskey without aging it and this same basic moonshine recipe, which is a combination of corn, barley, and rye, is still used today. By the early 20th century, moonshiners were busy perfecting their recipes and the product became a main source of income for many families.

Although the term “moonshine” usually refers to liquor produced by illegal means, often using hidden stills for production, that term is now being used more and more as a marketing tool by moonshiners. By labeling the liquor as moonshine, this conveys to consumers that they are purchasing a product very similar to what is produced illegally.

There are some moonshiners like Tim Smith who have embraced the changes, and a preview video of this season of Moonshiners reveals that he will continue to work on expanding his international reach. Then there are the die-hard moonshiners, such as the legendary Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, who are determined to stick to the old ways, staying loyal to the history and tradition of producing moonshine while avoiding being caught by law enforcement.

Steven Ray Tickle, better known by fans as just “Tickle,” is a colorful character on Moonshiners. He will have to decide on this season of Moonshiners what he is going to do. In the preview clip, Tickle is sitting with his friends and tells them what he’s thinking in regard to doing any more bootlegging.

“I feel like I’ve been given a second chance,” Tickle says after Tim remarks that he thought Tickle was still in jail. “If I go back in the woods again, I’m probably gonna wind up in jail.”

That should be enough of a deterrent, but with Tickle, it remains to be seen if this moonshiner believes the risk outweighs the reward. Any time the moonshiners head out to their stills that are hidden in the woods, they are putting everything on the line in the chance that they can brew the very best liquor, and perhaps even strike it rich.

Producing a quality liquor that can propel them to new heights is the goal of every moonshiner. According to the Futon Critic, with the law seeming to lurk around every corner and other rival moonshiners vying for the same territory, just finding the perfect location can be a challenge in itself. Once a prime location has been found, the next step for the moonshiners is getting the necessary supplies in and their operation set up as they continually look over their shoulders.

The preview clip for Moonshiners goes on to show that as the moonshiners continue to hone their craft while they experiment with new recipes such as a new type of cranberry liquor, they must deal with additional issues as well. New locales and new clients are just a few of the challenges the moonshiners face as they continue to deal with bears, snakes, other moonshiners, and even Pokemon hunters while trying to produce some of the best whiskey around.

Moonshiners is produced by Magilla Entertainment for the Discovery Channel. Matthew Ostrom, Laura Palumbo Johnson, and Christopher Tetens are the executive producers, with Gerry Grzywacz serving as the co-executive producer for Magilla Entertainment. For the Discovery Channel, Mitchell Rosenbaum and Joseph Schneier are the executive producers of Moonshiners, and Max Micallef is the coordinating producer for Moonshiners.

Are you a fan of Moonshiners? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. Moonshiners premieres on Tuesday, November 15 at 9 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel.

[Featured Image by Discovery]

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