Series synopsis
Moonshiners: Master Distiller is an American reality television series that premiered on Discovery on March 3, 2020.
America’s top legal and outlaw distillers go head-to-head in the ultimate booze-making competition to see who has what it takes to join the ranks of the greats and win the title of Master Distiller.
Premise
America’s top legal and outlaw distillers go head-to-head in the ultimate booze-making competition to see who has what it takes to join the ranks of the greats and win the title of Master Distiller.
Episodes
This series spans 9 seasons with 104 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 4 | October 27, 2021 | May 3, 2023 |
| Season 1 | 5 | March 3, 2020 | March 31, 2020 |
| Season 2 | 10 | December 29, 2020 | March 2, 2021 |
| Season 3 | 21 | November 7, 2021 | April 20, 2022 |
| Season 4 | 20 | April 27, 2022 | March 15, 2023 |
| Season 5 | 20 | November 2, 2022 | March 15, 2023 |
| Season 6 | 12 | January 16, 2024 | May 20, 2024 |
| Season 7 | 6 | January 14, 2025 | February 18, 2025 |
| Season 8 | 6 | January 27, 2026 | March 3, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Prohibition Edition Mark, Digger and Tim judge as Mark Rogers, Mike Cockrell and Jerry Benson compete to distill the best Prohibition-era moonshine; with help from historical cocktail expert Casey Fox, they must turn their liquor into cocktails from the Roaring 20s. |
October 27, 2021 |
| 2 |
Country Store Challenge Outlaw shiners Josh, Richard and Mike think they can turn almost any ingredient into top notch liquor. Now they’ll have to prove it by making spirits from everyday groceries found in a country store. Mark, Digger, Tim and Tickle judge the unusual results. |
December 15, 2021 |
| 3 |
Holiday Showdown In the spirit of Christmas, Tickle competes in Master Distiller for the first time. Facing Josh and Mike in a holiday showdown, all three shiners must run their own mash and a gift basket of secret ingredients as Mark, Digger and Tim savor the results. |
December 22, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rum Conundrum Mark, Digger and Tim judge as legal and outlaw distillers compete to make the best rum; constructing stills of their own design and mashing in their own raw ingredients, only one will survive elimination to earn the title of Master Distiller. |
March 3, 2020 |
| 2 |
American Whiskey Heritage grains meet charred oak as three amateur distillers compete to make the best American whiskey; judged by Mark, Digger and Tim, they go head to head in a series of challenges to determine who has what it takes to be Master Distiller. |
March 10, 2020 |
| 3 |
Moonshine of Mexico Mark, Digger and Tim judge as top amateur distillers from both sides of the law compete to make mezcal, the moonshine of Mexico; using agave mash, regional recipes and even meat. |
March 17, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
High Proof Cherry Bounce Legal and outlaw distillers compete to make a 300-year-old spirit called Cherry Bounce, a favorite drink of George Washington, nearly lost to time. Josh Owens, whose family kept the recipe alive for generations in the backwoods, joins as guest judge. |
December 29, 2020 |
| 2 |
Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Mark, Digger and Tim judge as three amateur distillers compete to make the world's most notorious spirit - absinthe. Building stills of their own design and mashing in from raw ingredients, only one will earn the title of Master Distiller. |
January 5, 2021 |
| 3 |
Navy Strength Rum Outlaw shiners and legal distillers compete to distill true Navy Strength Rum, but the bar for entry is 114-proof. With Tickle as honorary pirate and judged by shiners Mark, Digger and Tim, only one distiller can earn the title of Master Distiller. |
January 12, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
American as Applejack Skilled shiners compete using both freeze and heat distillation in a battle to make America's first liquor; Lisa Laird Dunn from America's oldest distillery joins Mark, Digger and Tim to judge whose applejack deserves the title of Master Distiller. |
November 7, 2021 |
| 2 |
Nuts on the Line Mark, Digger and Tim judge as a female distiller challenges an outlaw shiner and a pro distiller from Hawaii to make the best nut liquor; when one shiner deploys a unique process, Mark and Digger admit the results rival their own hazelnut rum. |
November 10, 2021 |
| 3 |
Battle of the Still Hands Legal and outlaw distillers compete to turn raw ingredients into the best high-proof spirits. Hosted by moonshine legends Mark, Digger, Tim, and Tickle along with top guest judges, they'll determine who has what it takes to be called Master Distiller. |
November 17, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Clash of the Champions Six top winners in Master Distiller history face off in a grand elimination tournament where they must design elaborate still builds and run backwoods liquors from raw ingredients. Popcorn Sutton’s spouse, Pam Sutton joins judges Mark, Digger and Tim. |
April 27, 2022 |
| 2 |
Backwoods Double Elimination The top legal and outlaw champions in the history of Master Distiller compete against still-hand champions in a grand elimination tournament. Competitors must design elaborate still builds and run four fan-favorite liquors from raw ingredients. |
May 4, 2022 |
| 3 |
Josh's Lucky Bounce Three Master Distiller champions remain in the grand elimination tournament, but only two will survive; with Josh as guest judge, Mark, Digger and Tim ramp up the stakes with one of the most challenging and legendary backwoods spirits, Cherry Bounce. |
May 11, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Prehistoric Shine Three self-taught distillers compete to make whiskey from ancient grains. |
November 2, 2022 |
| 2 |
Big Box Store Showdown When backwoods shiners and a professional distiller bring groundbreaking savory flavors to the competition, the judges are blown away by their original recipes for chocolate malt, loaded baked potato and Nashville hot chicken moonshine. |
November 9, 2022 |
| 3 |
Finger-Lickin' Shine When backwoods shiners and a professional distiller bring groundbreaking savory flavors to the competition, the judges are blown away by their original recipes for chocolate malt, loaded baked potato and Nashville hot chicken moonshine. |
November 16, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Reverse Engineering Showdown Three expert distillers blind-taste a mystery liquor, then compete to recreate it from raw ingredients. Using only their senses, they must reverse-engineer the flavors, texture and proof in a challenge that puts even the judges to the test. |
January 16, 2024 |
| 2 |
Zero Proof Spirits Mark, Digger and Tim judge as three expert distillers compete to run zero-proof spirits that taste as good as their high-proof benchmarks. Zero-proof is the fastest-growing segment in the adult beverage market. Naturally Tickle has his doubts. |
January 23, 2024 |
| 3 |
Free Is Me Three expert distillers forage free raw ingredients from nature and compete to turn them into tasty, high-proof spirits. But with backwoods legends Mark, Digger and Tim at the judging table, the price of failure far exceeds the low cost of entry. |
January 30, 2024 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Prison Shine Tickle, Tim and Henry serve as judge and jury while two outlaws and one legal distiller take on the hard-time challenge of turning prison commissary ingredients into high-proof contraband. |
January 14, 2025 |
| 2 |
Chef-Distiller Showdown Nobody knows more about flavor than professional chefs; guest judge Robert Irvine presides over a pressure cooker of competition as three experienced chefs battle to turn raw ingredients into high-proof, culinary-class spirits. |
January 21, 2025 |
| 3 |
Hot Liquor Moonshiners stars Richard Landry, Killer Beaz and Howard Thompson compete to turn spicy peppers into tasty, high-proof moonshine. But it takes a master moonshiner to run a balanced hot liquor, and every misstep comes at the price of sweat and tears. |
January 28, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ultimate Vodka Showdown this episode features both legal and outlaw distillers as they face off in a challenge to create the best pot-still vodka. With different raw ingredients at their disposal, the distillers will showcase their skills and creativity in crafting a unique spirit. |
January 27, 2026 |
| 2 |
Rye Whiskey, Rye Whiskey In this episode, the contestants will face the pressure of honoring Jim Tom’s legacy while showcasing their own skills in distilling. Each participant will bring their own techniques and creativity to the table, hoping to impress the judges with their renditions of the outlaw legend’s recipe. The competition will not only test their abilities but also their understanding of what made Jim Tom’s whiskey special. |
February 3, 2026 |
| 3 |
Mystery Can Moonshine Mark, Digger, and Tim judge as three former champions turn unlabeled canned goods into high-proof liquor. In a final-round twist, the judges take it full circle by challenging the finalists to transform their finished spirit back into a canned cocktail. |
February 10, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Discovery |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 3, 2020 |
| Last aired | March 3, 2026 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | continue |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 21:00:00 |