Moonshiners

About Moonshiners

Moonshiners is a docudrama television series that premiered in 2011 on Discovery Channel. The series portrays the life of people who produce illegal moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The show dramatizes the life of moonshiners, their craft, the risks they undertake, and the law enforcement tasked to keep them in check.

Making / Production

Moonshiners is produced by Magilla Entertainment. The series showcases the heritage of moonshining activity in these regions which allegedly persist in secret to this day. Using a blend of recreated and actual footage, the show offers an in-depth look into the world of moonshining.

Actors

• Tim Smith: He plays himself and is one of the most renowned moonshiners in the show. He started making moonshine when he was young, carrying forward his family tradition.
• Steven Ray Tickle: Famously known as 'Tickle', he is both popular and notorious for his moonshining activities and occasional scrapes with the law.
• Mark Rogers: A survivalist and moonshiner, Mark brings traditional techniques to his craft.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The show has spurred controversy over its legitimacy, with many critics and viewers questioning whether the depicted activities are real or staged.
• Moonshiner's Tim Smith legally launched his brand of moonshine, Climax, in 2013.
• The series spinoff, "Tickle", aired in 2013 focusing on the unpredictable life of Steven Ray Tickle.

Quotes

• "I can cook anywhere from a 50-gallon to a 500-gallon, no problem." - Tim Smith
• "The best part of making shine is the satisfaction of knowing I made a product people enjoy." - Mark Rogers
• "Moonshining's illegal, but it's a way of life." - Tickle

Music, Soundtrack

• The Moonshiners theme song is "Good Ol’ Boys Like Us" performed by country music artist J.J. Lawhorn.
• Music used in the series varies, typically involving bluegrass and country selections to match the Appalachian setting.