Our favorite backwood bad boys return! Season 4 of Moonshiners is looking pretty spirited with plenty of logistical problems (a water source is imperative) coupled with looming danger (yes, that’s a cop car right around the corner and, yes, Jim Thom is recognizable). The gang’s all back — Tim Smith, Tickle, Jim Tom, Roy, Josh, Bill, Chico, Tyler, Jeff and Mark. Discovery cameras return to Appalachia to film their day-to-day lives in the multimillion-dollar industry of illegal distilling. Season 4 of Moonshiners starts tonight (Tuesday, Nov. 4) with a one-hour special Secret Summit: The 
Kickoff at 8pmET followed by the premiere episode, Moonshiners: Shine On at 9pmET.
In the Secret Summit: The Kickoff (8pmET), Tim, Tickle, Josh, Bill, Jeff and Mark gather at a secret location to countdown the minutes to the new season premiere. Jim Tom surprises producers by making his debut at the roundtable (let’s hope it’s in time to get subtitles, as he seems to be getting harder to understand). Apparently it’s also a good time for some taste testing as the guys let the expert — Tim Smith — judge some moonshine. Tim, of course, did go legal with his moonshine earlier this year, and his Tim Smith’s Climax Moonshine is legally sold through Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper, Virginia.
Following the special is the Season 4 premiere of Moonshiners at 9pmET, where Tim is on the run after his operation was set on fire. Could arson be at play? This season also follows Tickle, Chico and Tyler as they try to move 60 gallons of moonshine into Virginia. For Tyler, moonshining is now a full-time job, as it appears he’s lost his job and now needs a big payout. But that, as we know, can lead to unwarranted risks. The guys have invested in a 100 gallon copper pot, which looks slick. The 100 percent copper could set their moonshine apart from others as it’s said to remove more sulfur, which results in a cleaner product.
Cameras also catch up with Josh and Bill who begin the season in debt, owing their moonshine source $6,000, where if they don’t bring in the money someone’s going to “whip their ass.” These two aren’t looking for a fight but the pressure could lead to some costly mistakes including throwing their agreed-upon rules of selling out the window, as we see them trying to make a sale in broad daylight (oh hello, cop cars are round the corner). Cue the overtones of danger.
Clips also hype Jeff and Mark’s struggles as they try to float their shine down river in what looks like 5-gallon plastic bright-blue pails roped together (I’m sure no one will notice that). And finally, we’ve got more Jim Tom, as he’s coming out of retirement and pairing up with Roy. He’s also “fixin to get himself a big bus” so he can tool around with the ladies. Belly up fans, this looks like a ridiculously fun season.
I have heard of cases in the illegal marijuana operations where a girlfriend, wife, brother,sister,rivals etc. destroyed crops or called and reported them to the law and getting them areested and put behind bars out of getting into an argument or not being fair in the partnership dividing profits equally.I am interested to find out who set Tim’s legal distillery on fire. I look forward to finding out in the upcoming Moonshiners episodes.
I’m sure the people involved with the show know who set Tim’s distillery fire. I’m just curious as to who they think or know did.
Difficult to tell. Sometimes it’s someone one would least suspect i.e. ; close friend,family member,co workers,rivals of the trade who could see it as a possible threat and increased risk for the illegal operations being pushed out by the legal operation and less profit due to taxes being charged for the legal operations versus the tax free illegal operations.