Welcome back, guys. Congratulations for making it to this round.
Now we're down to four.
At the end of this challenge...
two of you be gone.
[Tim] You started in the beginning where there was six of you.
There was three legal of you and there was three outlaws.
Now there's two legal
and two outlaws.
After this, there's only gonna be one of each.
[narrator] Across the country, a handful of distillers are
heirs to a centuries-old tradition.
Some operate on the legal side.
Others practice their craft beyond the reach of the law.
[Digger] They're beautiful clean mashes.
Rich-looking.
[narrator] Now veterans of the competition
from each side of the industry...
face off in an epic elimination tournament.
I'm scared of you.
[narrator] Two legal and two outlaw distillers remain,
but only one will have what it takes...
I made [bleep] sink down to the bottom.
[narrator] ...to earn the coveted title...
One thing's for sure, she's gonna strain it.
[narrator] ...of master distiller...
-Uh-oh. -[narrator] ...tournament.
I'm here to take the crown.
I love you all, but I also want to kick your asses.
For your first challenge, you're gonna be making
your own mash of straight corn liquor.
Now, we all know that corn liquor is
the favorite recipe of the backwoods,
but it also the base spirit for a lot of legal recipes as well.
Corn is cheap, plentiful, easy to get across the United States.
And in America, corn liquor is a benchmark for a distiller's skill,
no matter which side of the law you're on.
Now we get to see you work in the purest form
and, you know, corn is king.
Guys, what we're looking for here is
a high-proof corn liquor that can stand on its own
or also be at home in a ready-to-drink cocktail.
[Digger] Now, so far in this competition,
Tim has been coaching the legal side
and the outlaw side,
they've kind of been hanging out with yours truly.
Today is a different story.
Y'all are gonna mash in together.
But you're not gonna mash in here.
You're gonna have to go to the backwoods.
Come with me.
-[Digger] Good luck, guys. -[Tim] Going to the woods.
Hey, guys. We're in the backwoods mashing in now.
Corn liquor challenge, you want the mash in your corn.
You got one hour.
Time starts now.
Get to moving.
I got no fire!
[groans] Come on!
All right, there's a fire!
-[fire sparks] -[sighs] Love that sound.
-You need a hand? -Yeah.
Come on, come on. Let's do it.
Here, get this out of the way.
-All right. You ready? -Yeah.
One, two, three...
16, double, oatmeal.
That's gonna be great.
My name is Trent.
I'm 42 and I'm from San Diego, California.
I am a legal distiller,
as well as a psychiatric registered nurse.
By making liquor, it's really allowed me
to kind of maybe take my really crazy job that's at a 10
and maybe bring me down to, like, a four or five or a six.
Out in California, I work on about a 300-gallon still.
Here, it's quite a bit different.
But, in the end, I'm really good at what I do
when it comes to mashing and fermentation and distillation,
and I usually knock things out of the park
pretty good, to be quite honest.
And that's not being conceited.
I'm really good at my craft.
[Tim] What in the world are you doing?
[Trent] You know, I got some tricks up my sleeve.
I am making absolutely beautiful spirits.
I brought in some really beautiful organic cornmeal,
but my secret trick on this one is
I'm actually also using oatmeal.
Oatmeal, to me, always makes a very soft, kind of supple-style spirit.
I didn't use any sugar or adjuncts.
I'm using all grains and I'm ready to win this for the legal world.
Looks like it's made it thick from here.
Yeah, it is. It's thick, but it's pretty.
-It smells beautiful so far. -[Tim] It smells good over here.
Yeah, well, thank you.
[MyKala] I'm MyKala Stinson.
I'm the head distiller at Shine Distillery.
I dropped out of college because I didn't have a clear sense of direction.
When I decided to start distilling,
I really enjoyed the creative aspect,
the combination of art and science.
You know what you're putting into it.
You know what you should get out of it,
but there's so many factors where you have to make minute adjustments
and I think I am pretty confident
in my ability to also MacGyver something
that will achieve the flavors that I want.
I want to be recognized for my accomplishments as a distiller.
I did half sugar water and then this is Oaxacan honey
'cause this is almost a little smoky.
It's not a super-sweet honey. It's got some really nice bitter characters to it.
-[Tim] Mmm-hmm. -Since corn can be really sweet
and we're adding sugar to it too,
I wanted to try and balance that.
Not everyone uses honey in their corn liquor
and I decided to substitute for the Oaxacan honey.
Can't do everything traditional.
Working in a legal distillery, gonna throw a little bit of a curveball in there
and I'm hoping that the smokiness carries through.
So, you didn't put your cornmeal in the pot?
No. I put it in here with a little bit of cold water
so when I added the hot water,
I didn't have to fight it becoming doughy.
-[Tim] Okay. -So it started hydrating a little bit.
It's interesting. Sounds good.
-[MyKala] Thanks. -[Tim] All right, guys.
You're halfway there. You've been 30 minutes.
30 minutes to go.
-That's some dirty water you're drinking. -[Kelley] It's vodka.
[MyKala laughing]
My name is Kelley Tennille.
I live in Clark County, Kentucky.
I've been distilling for, like, a decade now.
This is nocino and this is still curing.
This is just unwrapping black walnuts.
You cut them into quarters, add lemon peels and spices,
and then let it sit for about six minutes.
I've got a whole lot of experience with different spirits
and I'm gonna do my darndest to win.
I'm going easy. I'm going backwoods.
I've got half malted and half regular heirloom corn.
So, I'm thinking half malted is gonna cut down my strike temperature
and help me get as much sugar as possible.
I'm also just gonna throw in four pounds of dextrose
for [bleep] and giggles.
As outlaws, we're used to working in more difficult conditions,
outside, having to adapt and overcome
and we're used to using the simplistic materials that we've been given.
No special honey from Mexico or nothing?
I'm going with what I know because right now is not the time for experimentation.
Outstanding. It is a competition.
I am here to take the crown.
I love you all, but I also want to kick your asses.
Oh, okay.
[panting]
-[Tim] Hey, Frank? -Yes, sir?
You're cooking your corn in the pot?
Cooked corn in the pot.
I'm backwoods. I keep it simple.
I'm Frank Hicks
and I'm from Pineywoods, East Texas.
I've been shining my entire life, fifth generation...
Bootleggers, pirates,
moonshiners all up and down through here.
...and I'm proud to say that I've got the sixth
and seventh generation in training, as we speak.
75% cornmeal that I just get from the feedstore.
Some ground red Texas wheat.
-Okay. -I put in there to kind of
take the fire out of it a little bit.
-Is this a malted wheat or just wheat? -[Frank] Just wheat.
This corn gives some of the sweetest
dadgum corn liquor I've ever run,
but it's just a little bit fiery.
-Okay. -I'm hoping that the wheat will kind of...
take some of that fire out of there
and just leave it a nice sweet corn.
Seems like moonshine season is in.
God.
-[groans] God! -[laughing]
I think I'm about done.
I just got to put this back in a bucket,
just drain it out and pitch yeast.
[Kelley] You are a beast.
I think my corn mash is too thin.
If I don't have enough sugar,
that could potentially ruin my mash completely.
-You out of sugar? -Yeah.
You want some?
If you will part with it.
It's a competition, sure!
But we come together. It's outlaw spirit.
You're my hero. I think you have just saved my ass.
-You're damn right. -My dude!
Ready?
[Tim] All right, guys. You've got 15 seconds here.
[Kelley] Somebody knows how to work under pressure, don't they?
-It's all I've done my whole life. -[chuckles]
[Tim] 10, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two,
one...
That's it. Done!
Step away from your barrels.
We'll let these cool down. We'll pitch the yeast later.
Let's get out of the woods.
[Digger] All right, guys. Welcome back.
Everybody built their signature corn mash...
and I can assure you, it's ready to run.
I've checked it myself.
You know, even though I work mostly with legal distillers,
I'm born and raised in eastern Kentucky.
I've had my fair share of backwoods corn liquor...
and both are always incredible.
So I'm looking forward to tasting it.
We're down to pure basics here.
Simple pot still with a thumper.
You're gonna have just three hours
to bring us your signature jar of corn liquor.
The winner will get first choice at ingredients
to make us a ready-to-drink cocktail.
All right, guys. Everybody clear on everything?
Good deal.
Now, guys, outlaws may have an advantage running those simple little stills,
but remember.
Overall, you're competing to make the best liquor for your side of the law
because at the end, we're gonna lose one legal and one outlaw distiller.
That being said...
you'll be running with your direct competition.
Kelley, Frank, you're going with me and Mark.
The rest of you, you're stuck with pair of Tims.
Good luck to everybody.
All right, guys. You know what to do.
Digger told you, you've got three hours.
Here we go, guys. Two outlaws leading two outlaws.
Your three hours starts...
-[Tim] Time starts now. -[Digger] ...now.
[Trent] Oh, beautiful!
The mash is done, the mash is fermented.
[sighs] Oh, that smells good.
It's sour, it's tangy.
It's corny. It's got this oatmeal, like, suppleness.
Poof!
I'm not gonna go full bar on this one, I don't think.
[Jones] You can tell they're pros, too.
-I mean, these two are pros. -Oh, yeah.
Coming from Oregon, corn liquor isn't the staple that it is out here.
[Trent] Oh, you're gonna filter yours?
-I still don't know what I'm doing yet. -[giggles]
But I know fermentation.
I know how to achieve the end spirit that I want.
But it's not something that I work with regularly,
so I am a little nervous.
I gotta see how this is gonna turn out.
[Frank] It's gonna be good.
[Kelley] Oh-hoo.
[Frank] That's the way to do business.
Is that getting pretty good, Frank?
It might not be my birthday, but I think this shine will run.
Lay it to it.
[Frank] First spirit I ever made was corn,
so I am very confident in my abilities
to make top-shelf corn liquor.
[Kelley] I'm super happy with my mash.
I don't smell anything that's wrong with it.
I don't see anything that's wrong with it.
[Digger] You know, I'm looking at them
and they're both beautiful clean mashes.
Rich-looking.
And it smells completely fermented out.
[Mark] This is where the river meets road here, you know?
They've still got an opportunity to screw it up.
[Digger] Yeah.
In the moonshine where and when I grew up,
it was nothing but corn liquor.
-[Jones] Right, yeah. -[Tim] That's all it was.
I mean, you never talked about nothing else
-other than making corn liquor. -Mmm-hmm.
You always can make corn liquor.
[Jones] Yeah, and I love a great corn whiskey.
I mean, I look at it and think, "Well, this is its purest form."
-You know? -Yeah.
So we really see what they can do as a distiller.
[Tim] You know, it all depends on how they strain it,
how full they fill the still,
-how much do they put into the thumper. -Right.
[Tim] And you're gonna see a difference...
-[groans] [bleep]. -[Tim] ...in what comes out into that jar.
Yeah, it really highlights who can do it and who can't.
[groans]
I made [bleep] sink down to the bottom and now I can't get it out.
Uh-oh.
-That's trouble. -Well, see...
I made [bleep] sink down to the bottom and now I can't get it out.
I wanted to filter out some of my mash
and I can't get it out of there.
One thing's for sure, she's gonna strain it pretty good.
She's gonna squeeze it out.
Yeah, she's gonna squeeze everything out of there.
I can see the side.
[MyKala] The only thing I could of just scoop it out of the bag
into another vessel
before I could finally break it free.
[Tim] Well, you see the difference here?
-What Trent did... -Yeah.
[Tim] ...you know, he put, like, this colander in there
and then put a strain on top of that.
They only have three hours.
So what are they doing? It's taking more time.
They losing time against the other legal distiller.
-This is gonna hurt right now to get through. -Yeah
She's got it. She's working it out now.
-She got it out. I told you. -There we go.
It's a boy.
"It's a boy," she said.
Even when you've been in the industry for a long time,
I still make mistakes and I think that's part of the art is
understanding how to make those adjustments as needed.
-I think she just added a little bit of flavor. -Yeah.
[both laughing]
All right, guys. You've got one hour and 30 minutes.
You're officially halfway there.
-[Mark] Oh, yeah. She's got liquor coming. -[Digger] She's got liquor.
Kelley, how much mash did you put in your pot to start with?
-Halfway? A little bit above halfway? -About here.
So I got to be careful. I didn't charge this too much.
I charged it just enough...
Frank, you got liquor yet, boss?
-Yes, sir. -[Mark] All right! Here we go.
[Digger] They're neck and neck.
We've got a competition a-going.
I hate to tell you, sweetheart, this is gonna be some good sweet liquor.
I'm scared of you.
[laughs] Most men are.
I'm tasting my liquor.
It tastes and smells delicious,
but Frank is a fifth-generation moonshiner.
So I've got to continue to bring my A-game even harder than I have.
[Frank] I done got them the good [bleep] now.
Let's make some liquor.
What was that?
I'm always a fan of adding things to the still.
I took a couple pieces of the charred oak.
I threw that in there for just, maybe,
a little hint of a little extra oat flavor to kind of come through
on an unaged moonshine.
I'm not running anything in the thumper.
I'm not like MyKala.
-And it just tastes soft, delicate and it's beautiful. -Great.
[Trent] I want the judges to see the skill
and the dedication and the different thought process
that I'm bringing into the spirits that I'm making.
Getting into my second... Well...
one and a half jars. [laughs]
I know you had to heat up your thumper, right?
I actually pulled hot mash off
and then used it to preheat that.
It's different techniques we see here,
even though both of y'all are legal distillers,
and that will change the flavor when it comes out.
[MyKala] I am a little nervous about getting the flavors that I wanted
without dropping my proof too much.
But I think was able to get it right around what I was looking for
and overall, I'm very happy with it.
[Trent] Lucky jar number six.
-I'm gonna call it 666. -[MyKala laughs]
[Trent] So, I got my final jar done.
The proof is dead-on. The flavors are all there.
I think it's a solid, solid jar.
I'm ready!
That's what I like doing as a legal distiller.
-That is the one. -All right, Trent.
All right, MyKala. You have about 10 minutes.
Well, I don't think I'm gonna need it.
[Tim] Got your name on it?
Yes, indeed, sir.
[Tim] Take a seat and clean up something.
I know you've got a mess over there.
[MyKala] Oh, just a little bit.
I think that is about as good as it gets.
Bring it on, boss.
[Frank] Love everything about it.
It's got a great smell.
Excellent clarity.
I'm gonna tell you what, that's one handsome jar of liquor right there.
From one handsome man, of course.
This is outlaw moonshine and it's got a flavor profile
that just keeps coming back and coming back and coming back.
I think I've got this perfect jar.
Bring it in here, Kell.
-Here you go. -That's another beautiful jar of liquor.
-[Mark] Yes, it is. -Thank you, fellas.
We're gonna head out and see if these other guys are ready
and bring you all back a verdict.
[Jones] No matter what side you're on, outlaw or legal,
it's really important to be consistent
and being able to replicate what you're doing.
Told these guys from the beginning,
corn is cheap, corn is available.
People love it on both sides...
whether they're outlaw distillers, legal distillers.
-And consumers love it. -[Tim] Yeah!
I mean, which is why, to succeed as an outlaw or legal distiller,
you have to have your own unique recipe and run it right.
We simply got to rank them one, two, three and four.
Let's taste them.
Let's start with the legal team, my team.
MyKala is the first one closest to me.
Nice clear jar.
Well, cheers, man. To a good run.
I'm looking forward to this one, so give me a double.
I was super happy with the flavor that I got towards the end,
so I think mixing that with some of my higher proof stuff,
I think I hit the flavor profile I was shooting for.
Man, that's awesome on the nose.
-I'm getting some of that smoothness of the honey. -[all] Yeah.
But there's still good bite there too.
It don't chew at you.
-I mean, it finishes a little caramelly. -[Jones] Yeah.
Looks great, smells great.
-[both] Tastes great. -Yeah?
Yes, very much so.
-You want to go on to Trent? -Yeah.
The corn, the oatmeal, turned out just beautiful.
-[Mark] Beautiful jar of liquor. -[Jones] Yeah, it is.
Trent's the only one that is just all grain.
No sugar.
I didn't want anything overly...
complicated that I would have to blend in with.
[Digger] Yeah, this is just plain old corn liquor,
which has got a really great nose on it.
He's not trying to hide it.
It gives him a perfect platform for the next challenge.
Yeah.
Our two legal distillers, their beautiful personalities
came through just as beautifully in this spirit.
And if our outlaw guys bring the same thing...
-Got a challenge. -...we got a challenge on our hands.
Well, here's Frank and he's got a nice, full, clean jar.
[Digger] Yes, he does.
[Mark] This hits Frank right in the crease.
He's outlaw, backwoods, Texas moonshiner.
Corn liquor? This is his wheelhouse.
That's a nice bead.
It is, huh?
Mine tastes a little bit warm,
but it shakes a little under 100.
It's a little funky.
It's a little aged cheese.
I just picked on a little, just a little, sour note
-that reminded me of parmesan. -[Jones] Totally.
On the palate, it's not as...
-Not as prominent, is it? -...funky.
It's not as prominent.
It's not all flavor, but you can tell it's there.
Hopefully, he can cover up the nose.
He'll save it.
Well, we got one more to go and I think
I haven't tasted the best one yet, I don't think.
A nice, clean, half jar, Kelley.
I added barely a capful of water at the end
because I think mines was just a little bit hot.
I'm gonna say she is in the neighborhood of 135, 140.
Good.
I like the flavor, though.
I smell pure corn.
It actually makes you want to come into it a little further.
That's corn liquor.
Damn fine corn liquor at that.
[Mark] My mind may have just got changed.
It's really good.
-It really is. -Yeah, liquor that smooth at that proof...
-Wow. -[Digger] She been whacked.
[Tim] That's about 130 proof.
To get proof that high with that much flavor is insane.
It's true.
And I have no doubt she can make that again.
-Easy. -Each one of them had their own taste profile.
They're all very distinct.
I know definitely where I'm at with one and four.
Yeah, I'm still sitting here caressing this rascal.
Now, two and three? I can go either direction.
I'm with you, Mark.
[Digger] I think you'll notice all your jars are really light.
We had to taste a lot.
Trent, now, you're a legal distiller.
All grain, everything was well-balanced.
I think you hit pretty close to 100 proof.
Fantastic job.
Thank you.
That jar is everything I hoped it would be.
Presentation was great.
Flavor, perfect.
It smelled great.
-Tastes great. -Oh, thank you.
MyKala...
I think we were really excited to taste something that's a little different.
You know, you have the honey.
On the nose, we picked up on it.
And then, on the finish, the honey really lingered and stuck around for a while.
So I think the balance that you were going for, you nailed it.
Thank you.
[Digger] Now let's move on to Team Outlaw.
Kelley, unless you really wanted a 130 proof...
-[laughs] -...you did it.
Oops All Berries!
But you did an outstanding job and make it taste like 90.
-That's a good job. -Phew.
So, you know what you're doing.
-[laughs] -Outstanding taste profile.
-Thank you, sir. -Frank.
I feel you had just a little something negative on the nose...
but it didn't really carry through on the palate.
Proof? Spot on, boss.
-[Frank] Thank you, sir. -Good job, Frank.
Thank you.
[Digger] So, now that we've got that squared away,
there's no losers in this fight.
We're simply getting the pecking order
that y'all get to go to the little cocktail bar
to get your ingredients for your next step.
As it stands...
right now...
Kelley, you're number one.
MyKala, you're number two.
Trent, you're number three
and, Frank, unfortunately, just because of that little nose,
you're number four, brother.
-Nothing short about you, I promise you. -I understand.
Don't you start.
-[sniffs] -[all chuckling]
Batten down your hatches, girl.
'Cause when you start, I start.
-Okay. -[Digger] And that's no bueno.
Don't y'all get sentimental about it.
Nobody's going home...
yet.
[Digger] Next challenge.
Ready to drink cocktails that's hot on the market right now?
Everybody wants their liquor easy to drink and on the go.
And whether you're legal or outlaw distiller,
the more people you can sell the same liquor in different ways, the better.
Tickle, tell us all about it.
RTDs are a huge and growing market on the legal side.
Even my favorite legal distiller Tim Smith is getting in on the action.
I got a bright idea.
Sweet tea and moonshine.
Aluminum can, high-end cocktail, ready to go.
Starting down here.
So, these are the 200ml cans.
So the finished product will look like that.
[Tim] Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
[Tickle] But RTDs are nothing new for outlaws.
Backwoods distillers have known for decades
that ready-made cocktails are a quick way to turn a very large profit.
After years of selling variations of flavored shine,
my buddy Josh Owens took backwoods RTDs to the next level.
[Josh] I built this CO2 system with this pressure cooker.
There it goes.
I'm gonna sell the hard seltzer for eight dollars a quart.
[Tickle] And even without fancy equipment,
backwoods shiners' ready-to-drink cocktails
bring a huge bang for the buck,
with 100 proof liquor tempered down to 50
to make classics like Apple Pie and Sweet Tea Moonshine.
[Digger] Next challenge.
Build us a ready-to-drink cocktail, RTD if you will.
Beautiful, tasty. We want as tough a challenge as we had the last time.
[Mark] This ready-to-drink cocktail is where we're gonna test
the versatility of your corn liquor.
This ain't bartending.
This has to be drink that is unique
and reproducible on a mass scale.
Essential skills for both legal and outlaw distillers.
Remember, guys, at the end of this competition...
one legal and one outlaw is going home.
Tickle!
I know y'all didn't think y'all was gonna do this without me, right?
Here's our challenge.
Y'all are gonna have two minutes
to get ingredients to make a ready-to-drink cocktail.
Now, if in two minutes you can't get the ingredients
to make a ready-to-drink cocktail...
I don't know what you're doing here.
Kelley, I believe you are up first.
And your time starts...
now!
[Kelley] I'm really excited to be able to pick first.
[Tickle] I see you got some rosemary.
It'll go really good with them baked beans right yonder.
[Kelley] I need some orange liqueur
because I don't want anybody else to have it.
[Tickle] You've got a minute and a half left, Kelley.
[Kelley] I think it's gonna go really well in my cocktail,
should I end up needing it.
Some turbinado sugar, some rosemary, some fresh ginger.
-[Tickle] Time is running out. -I'm done.
Being an outlaw distiller, even if I hadn't gotten first pick,
I would've come up with something that was just as good
because I'm used to just working with what I have.
[Tickle] Next up is you, MyKala.
And your time starts...
right now.
[MyKala] I was really hoping to get that orange liqueur that Kelley took...
but I did end up getting the bitters that I wanted.
So that was at least nice.
There's 45 seconds left.
[MyKala] Peach nectar, lemon juice...
cardamom pods, apple cider mix.
Time is ticking.
Five...
-I changed my mind on that. -...four...
three, two...
All right. Trent...
your two minutes starts...
now!
[Trent] I knew what I wanted to do
for my perfect ready-to-drink cocktail.
Trent has got the baked beans and the Viennas.
[Trent] I did pick up lemons. I picked up the lime juice.
Oh, and something to measure with.
Probably a good idea.
[Trent] Concord grape flavoring, powdered ginger
and I think it's gonna work out okay.
Blueberries, all right. Look...
The man's just hungry. He's up here grazing now.
Okay.
Frank, your time starts...
now.
[Frank] Cocktail bar was picked pretty clean
by the time I got up there...
[Tickle] What Trent missed was the cornstarch.
...but I was only looking for a few simple ingredients.
[Tickle] Come on, you're not getting the cornstarch.
Blueberry and lemon juice to overcome that smell.
I'm going to do it about like this.
[Tickle] Good luck.
We'll see y'all.
All right, ladies and gentlemen.
I hope you got everything you need to build us a ready-to-drink cocktail.
Outlaw side, we expect nothing more than a mason jar,
plain and simple.
Legal side, we want it in a sealed can.
Now, this is really the place
where even the best jar can be screwed up.
Be careful with it.
Two of you are going home after this.
This is the make or break.
Keep it simple. Let that spirit shine through.
Just make sure you're delivering something that's well-balanced,
just like you would a jar of spirits.
All right, guys.
You guys have 30 minutes to deliver
your ready-to-drink cocktail to our table.
Your time starts now.
Good luck, guys, and get with it.
I'm gonna make a drink called a Transfusion,
which is a grape and ginger drink.
The stuff that you were dipping out with the measure and spoon?
-Ginger powder. -[Mark] Ginger powder.
I actually wanted to use fresh ginger...
but there was no fresh ginger available.
Okay, ginger powder.
And I noticed you grabbed the ginger beer as well.
-Correct. -Ginger beer is a really hot item in cocktails
in today's market.
For the RTD competition, my Blueberry Pie.
I make it at home. It is very, very popular.
[Digger] I like the color of Frank's over there.
It's a very pretty color, ain't it?
[Frank] I figured it is simple enough.
It's new.
It's got a shot.
[Tim] He needs a little something extra in there
to mash that aroma.
-[laughs] -Tell me about the nose on this.
Okay, buddy.
[Frank] That smell got me.
[Kelley] Lotta ethanol,
but the blueberry's comin' through and your color is gorgeous.
[Frank] You're not catchin' any of that... that funk, are you?
[Kelley] I didn't catch it before.
[Frank] The smell is still there.
I don't know how to cut all that smell out
in my liquor, dammit.
I can still smell it.
[Frank] The smell is still there.
I'm think I'm gonna try to overcome that smell in my liquor
with more lemon juice in it than I normally would.
Hopefully it'll work.
Frank is pretty calm, cool, collected over there.
Frank said he'd don't cook ingredients, but he ain't got no ice
to cool them up and back down with.
I wondered about that.
[Frank] It ain't quite ready yet.
[MyKala] As a legal distiller,
I know recipes that people enjoy,
and made things that I knew would work.
I think that will benefit me in this.
I'm shooting for, like, a peach cobbler
kinda, like, citrus-y, sweet.
I think the bitterness from the honey,
and the sweetness from the peaches,
-playing off of that corn like I was doin' before, so... -[Tim] Mmm-hmm.
Stick with what you know.
Should be like sippin' on the bottom of a tray of, uh, peach cobbler.
She picked up the bitters...
...which is really important.
-Mmm-hmm. -'Cause you can't replicate bitters
with any of these other ingredients.
And it's usually a...
...big piece of a cocktail.
[clicking]
[Kelley] Can I get a time check?
Twenty-two minutes, Kelley.
Eight minutes in.
[Kelley] I am makin' a cocktail that I like to call "Sissy Sour".
It's named after my big sister.
Fresh blackberries, turbinado sugar,
a bit of water, rosemary,
a tiny bit of clove, a tiny bit of cinnamon,
and some fresh ginger.
It replicates some sort of pop on the palette.
She's puttin' a lot of ginger in that soup she's cookin' up.
That worries me 'cause you can overdo ginger.
Ginger's really easy to...
Oh, yeah. You mess up the top.
[Tim] Yeah, you mess up with that.
Are you guys ginger fans?
-Not really. -Yeah.
-[Tim] Kelley! -Hi.
I just know you had the highest proof on the table in the beginning.
So I'm just wondering if you're holdin' that proof,
or, you know, you're gonna go down a little bit.
Since you all seem to like it so much...
...I'm rollin' with what I got.
Y'all seem to like it, and I think that it will shine through.
-I like it, keepin' it kinda simple, backwoods. -Fingers crossed.
Nine minutes boys and girls.
I'm super happy with my taste, and it smells delicious.
I wanted to make an homage to girly drinks,
because women are a market in the liquor world,
and what they like deserves to be catered to.
[ice rattling]
I'm really happy with the flavors I was able to get.
And I'm hoping that it's a flavor that the judges really enjoy.
[Digger] Five minutes, guys.
If you ain't where you need to be, you better be movin' on.
Okay.
I think what I put out...
...is perfect for a ready to drink cocktail.
Carbonation's coming out, so I kinda need to do it, like, now.
It's carbonated, it's big, it's bold.
It's flamboyant.
I think a lotta people would like it.
I think it's totally marketable as an RTD
[Digger] Now you doin' business.
That should be complete.
Turn it upside down,
Put that... that pan on the floor, you know you're good.
Why wouldn't he kinda just tilt it to the side to see if it's gonna leak?
If you turn it upside down, hell, you lose it all.
Yeah, but you don't know if it leaks on that side if it's up.
All right.
[Digger] One minute!
One minute.
Pitchers are done.
[Kelley] I think I got it... got it.
[mixing blades chopping]
I did the best I could.
I think it is a very good Outlaw jar.
I think that's gonna work.
-Ah huh. -Frank's got a jar on the table.
-Here you go. -[Tim] There's one.
Ten, nine,
-eight... -[sighs]
[Digger] Seven,
-six, five, four... -[groans]
[Digger] ...three, two,
and you damn near missed it Kelley.
-[Kelley laughs] -Yeah, damn.
-[Kelley] Whee! -[MyKala sighs]
Good luck to all of you, we'll be back in a little bit.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Good luck, guys.
[whimpers]
[Mark] You know, the thing about it is, guys,
this ain't gonna taste nothin' like them wonderful spirits that we tasted earlier.
I'd say that the playing field has been evened.
Yeah.
[Digger] Let's open Trent up.
A legal distiller.
This is the only one that's carbonated,
-so this is important. -[Mark] Right.
[dull pop]
Hey.
Well, a little bit.
[Digger and Tim] A little bit.
[Trent] I think I did pretty good.
I think it's crushable...
...it's quaffable.
Easy to drink.
[Jones] It's risky to do a carbonated one...
...just because if it didn't stay carbonated...
-Then it's terrible. -[Jones] It's gonna be flat.
-[Mark] Yeah. -[Jones] It looks great, it smells great.
We'll see.
Tastes like grape too.
Yeah, I think it's a little lacking on alcohol.
Yeah, I mean his spirit's lost.
What he made prior to this isn't there anymore,
but it's good.
That ginger powder...
...not a sign of it in there anywhere.
That's very tasty.
-It is very good. -Very sweet.
And I think more fizz, more carbonation...
-A little more alcohol. -[Jones] ...would be great.
I think we move on to MyKala.
And I like peach!
It's really on there.
[Digger] You need somebody to help you open that rascal up.
-[Tim] Come on, get. -[Mark chuckles]
So this one's not carbonated.
Kinda tastes like a peach cobbler.
That's what I was goin' for anyways.
It's got a lot... it's baking spices.
-Yeah. -[Jones] You can say that.
-What I'm hoping it's not is-- -I think it's clove.
[Jones] Yeah.
-Might be a little heavy on it. -[Tim] Yeah.
-But she's got some alcohol in it. -She does.
You know the one thing she had was the bitters.
It's got some bitters.
And I think we're tasting that.
Think she might have brought something different now.
-[Mark] She did. -First you're taken back by those spices.
Yeah, but that balances out.
But if I think about a cocktail,
this is more what I would expect.
Yeah.
The alcohol is spot on on it.
And it's peach cobbler.
And I like it.
I like it a lot.
It's balanced really well.
It's not... not sweet.
It's nice and bitter.
It's sour.
Totally put me on my heels.
It's really good.
Yeah, and I think it's a ready to drink cocktail.
And we movin' on to Frank.
An outlaw distiller.
Rich color, blueberries.
Taste was good.
-That's nice... -It's a nice color.
It's not cloudy, it's not muddy, like some others.
It's nice and clean.
The big problem with my liquor was the smell.
[Tim] Kinda fruity.
-Kinda a fruit smell. -[Mark] It is good.
I hope... I hope that I was able to get rid of that odor.
No matter what happens, it has been an honor.
I'd shine with any of y'all any time.
It has been nice to be with you too, my friend.
[MyKala] Yeah, come in right.
You're my family.
I'mma call you every birthday.
Thank you.
This dude is the GOAT.
-[MyKala] Yup. -[Trent] Yeah.
Yeah, this is the GOAT.
Greatest of all time.
-Mmm-hmm, thank you so much. -I'm honored to have been here.
And I have learned from you, darling, I mean...
-I think we've all learned from each other. -[MyKala laughs]
-I-- -Me and Frank are gettin' married.
-[laughs] -No!
I'll officiate it.
[Trent] We're all gettin' married.
-Yeah, we can all get married. -It's a group marriage.
-[laughing] -[MyKala snorts]
[Trent laughs]
Movin' onto Frank.
[Mark] An outlaw distiller.
I still smell a little bit of funk.
-Yep. -It's still there.
You still smell it too?
1,000%.
It smells like, uh, blueberries and some...
...Swiss cheese on a... on board.
But it's equally balanced with the alcohol.
-[Digger] It is tasty. -It is tasty.
It's not too sweet.
I know Frank's a pro but, you know...
I can't get past the nose,
and I think it's on the palette.
It's a complex... It's a really strange drink.
Mmm-hmm. It is.
Y'all really wanna try the last one?
I was pretty happy with mine.
Thirty minutes is a pretty short period of time
to build a simple syrup.
It's a little different color.
Yeah, color's great.
But that's also a challenge that I gave myself.
You know, there was simple syrup up on the bar and I didn't take it.
-'cause it wasn't the kinda sugar that I wanted. -Smart.
I either dug my own grave, or I created my own pedestal.
She said it was gonna be a little viscous.
Mouth feels a good thing.
On the nose...
...I think the spirit's still there.
Yeah, that's porch sittin'.
It's good, I would like it if it was thinner.
But that's not a deal killer.
I'm telling ya it's still got alcohol in it,
and right smart.
There's no off-flavor there whatsoever.
Smell is spot on.
It's a great jar.
-So at right now, we have to decide... -[Jones] Mmm.
[Tim] One jar and one can.
One jar and one can, I have my pick.
[Mark] I know where I'm at.
I know exactly where I'm at.
One Outlaw, and one Legal Distiller goes on.
[Trent] Best of luck y'all, here we go.
I guess y'all noticed your jars and your cans
are a lot lighter than they once were.
That's our fault.
We really have to try hard and nitpick,
to come up with what we got to do to eliminate somebody,
and move somebody forward.
Trent...
when I was watchin' you work,
I was like, "I don't know about this.
There's... There's some room for error here."
But I think you delivered exactly what you told us you were going to.
I thought it was a nice, bright, grape ginger beer flavor.
Little light on the alcohol.
I would have liked to seen a little bit more alcohol myself.
I think you need to change your shirt,
you need to put grapes all over it.
[laughs brightly]
I... I don't know how you got so many grapes in that can.
I'm tellin' you, it is grape and it's great.
Thank you!
MyKala...
...you described it as if you'd scrapped the bottom
of the peach cobbler and then drank it.
You underestimated that.
It was beyond that.
Peachy? Yeah. Bitter? Yeah.
Everything was right there, perfectly balanced.
[Mark] I think you played your bitter hand very well.
That's a touchy, touchy line right there.
I didn't really get peach cobbler,
but I did get a peach sour.
And it was very pleasant.
Kelley...
...you said the "Sissy Sour."
I didn't see anything sissy about it...
...nor was it really sour.
It was just a good, flavorful fresh fruit drink front to back.
Nothin' missin' anywhere in between.
You still holding the record for the most alcohol in a jar.
You still puttin' it in there.
You didn't take too much out.
But you added a lot of flavor to it, it balanced out.
It's... It's smooth.
You can probably tell.
We wanted to drink more of it.
-Great. -So you brought that Outlaw out.
Thank you.
My man, Frank.
-Yes, sir. -[Mark] Blueberry...
-Pie. -[Mark] ...pie.
Blueberry very good.
Not overly sweet.
Your alcohol's still good, the level.
I think you may have introduced something...
...to a different market entirely.
And I don't think that was your goal.
But, you know, some of the best things in the world
often come about by accident.
Yes, sir.
What we started with with yours,
there was, like, an off note.
At first, I was like, "I don't... I don't know about this."
But it was something I'd never had.
I just respect the heck outta that.
You heard all we've got to say about all this.
I know in my eyes,
and I'm sure the rest of my cohorts up here feel the same way,
we don't have any losers here.
Just two people can only advance.
[Digger] Trent...
...Frank...
...yours all's cocktails bought you a ticket home.
I'm awful sorry,
we have to ask y'all to head on out.
[Trent] Hmm.
I'm a little bit shocked
that I'm going home for my cocktail,
because I made a really beautiful drink.
And I think I may even, you know,
look at turning my drink
into a legal drink at this point.
I came here to win it this time.
And unfortunately I didn't,
but I feel no shame whatsoever.
I'm comin' back.
[Digger] All right, ladies,
the whole world is starting to learn
what we've known for quite some time.
This is no longer a man's game.
I have worked really hard to get here.
As sad as its been to see my friends and competitors go home,
I came here to win.
MyKala, look over to your left.
Kelley, look to your right.
That's what's coming for you in the next challenge.
I'm really proud of myself so far.
I'm honored to be going against MyKala.
But I'm gonna do my damndest to win...
...'cause it feels real good to be queen.
Get ready, the next challenge is comin' up,
and we will name a Master Distiller at the end of that one.
It's fixin' to get real.
[narrator] Next time on Master Distiller Legal vs Outlaw tournament.
There's only two of ya left standing,
Outlaw versus Legal.
[man] Come on, get with it!
[Kelley] Whoo! This works so good.
Ten outta ten.
You're gonna bring us your version of grappa.
That's got a lot of alcohol in it.