>> There is more than one way to leave a legacy.

For some, it means plaques, monuments, and halls of fame.

But for others, legacy comes from a place more simple.

>> Snip off the ends.

Okay, so we're building a tepee shape.

>> The Ford F-150, a proud supporter of "A Craftsman's Legacy."

♪♪♪ >> I don't think I had even heard of moonshine until I saw an old Burt Reynolds movie.

And it wasn't until my 30s that I started to appreciate whiskey.

Today I'm in Kentucky, and I'm going to go visit a still maker.

Chris Kelley has been building stills for a lot of these little micro-distilleries popping up all over the U.S.

He works with a ton of copper, and I think today is going to be a great day.

>> Eric.

>> How you doing, man?

>> Glad to meet you, brother.

>> Nice to meet you.

♪♪♪ A craftsman battles for perfection, never willing to give in or walk away.

I'm Eric Gorges.

I build custom motorcycles using skills passed on by countless generations before me.

I used to work 9:00 to 5:00, chasing money and titles, and it nearly broke me.

So I started over.

I decided to work with my hands to feed my soul.

Please join me on a quest to uncover the skills that built our society.

We'll discover what drives the men and women who I call my heroes.

We'll learn their craft and maybe even find some inspiration along the way.

There's a part of you in everything you create, your legacy... "A Craftsman's Legacy."

♪♪♪ >> How did you find your way into making stills for a living?

>> Actually, to tell you the truth, I started braising copper pipe, you know, for heat and air work.

>> For heat and air work?

>> Heat and air, HVAC work.

>> Uh-huh.

>> I have a Master's in Electrical Plumbing and HVAC.

I already had the equipment.

>> Uh-huh.

>> And a friend approached me one day, and he's like, "Hey, man, you know, this moonshine thing is sort of taking off, and we need to make a still and make a little moonshine."

And I was like, "Yeah, that sounds like a good little adventure," you know?

So it just basically began as a hobby.

>> Did you grow up in this area?

>> Yes.

I was born in Murray, Kentucky where Murray State University is, just down the road from here.

>> Moonshine seems to be, like, I don't know, synonymous with this area of the U.S. You know what I mean?

Kentucky, Tennessee.

Why is that?

Do you know, like, the history behind it?

>> No, you know, dude, it's pretty funny.

In everybody's mind, in my mind even, is a young child, you know, remembering the Mountain Dew bottles and the little hillbilly and the cork shooting up through the hat and all that kind of stuff.

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> I think sort of that perpetuated it, you know?

Everybody liked to kick around Kentucky for the longest time anyways, being sort of the bumpkin state.

>> Oh, I got you.

I got you.

>> You know?

So, yeah, you know, you do have your more impoverished people here, and so on and so forth.

And you've got to think about it.

If you have a community of really poor Appalachian people, and their only way to make a living is farming or raising livestock, obviously there wasn't enough money there to support the family.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> So what do you do?

You do something illegal, you know?

And these guys, they would make moonshine basically to supplement their income.

You know?

They probably used whatever materials they had.

I've even heard that back in the day, they would go to maybe an old barn and find a copper trough that was used as a feed trough at one time.

It's interesting.

>> Now, during the Prohibition times, a lot of whiskeys and bourbons came out of this area, right?

>> That's correct.

Yeah.

Golden Pond is the most famous in Western Kentucky.

>> Yeah?

>> Yeah.

That's the one that supplied Al Capone.

>> Oh, right on.

>> That's right.

>> Right on.

>> Who buys your stills?

Who do you make stills for?

>> Believe it or not, mainly micro-distilleries.

>> Yeah?

>> My niche market is a 200-gallon still.

>> Oh, okay.

>> I've sort of made that niche market.

It's too big and too complicated and probably too arduous for the average small country boy still maker to make without having the proper equipment.

And it's small enough to where I'm not competing with the big boys out of Louisville and Lexington, places like that that really make the big, big, big stuff you see in these large, large distilleries.

>> So you've got stills that are shipping all over the U.S. >> Yeah.

And I deliver the big ones.

>> Oh, you do?

>> Deliver and set up, yes.

>> How much of the still itself are you making?

>> We start from the bottom up.

We build everything.

We build the stands.

We build the controllers.

>> And do you need a different type of still for different things, or is it pretty much the same?

>> That's a great question to ask.

People every day will call me up, and they'll be like, "I want to buy a still."

>> Uh-huh.

>> "Really?

Okay.

What kind of still you want?"

They'll go, "Oh, I just wanted a regular old still."

It's like, "Well, that's like saying you want a car."

You know, you want a Volkswagen?

You want a Maserati?

>> You want four wheels.

>> You know what I mean?

So yeah, you know.

With most of these people that are really, really good distilleries and maybe gone through distillery courses, they already know what they want.

Typical bourbon, like, you know, I like to drink will be made from an open-pot still without all those plates and stuff because you're wanting to bring more of that grain flavor over.

You're wanting to taste, you know, everything that's been put in there, whether it'd be rye or corn or malted barley or whatever else like that.

You want to get those flavors, you know.

It's very essential to making a good bourbon.

>> That's pretty interesting.

And you know, you're talking and I'm thinking about how the stills are made, the shape of them, the size of them, the condensation that's going on, just everything and how it's working.

There's a ton of science involved with this, isn't there?

>> Yeah.

>> How come stills are mainly made out of copper?

>> Well, copper is porous unlike stainless steel.

You know, that's the blue ring you see, or the greenish-blue ring you see that's left behind whenever you finish a cook.

And you'll see that even on the outside, obviously.

But what it does is it helps remove the phosphates and sulfides that are in the process of distilling it.

>> Oh, okay.

>> And with stainless steel, it's slick and it'll just go right back down to the bottom and reboil again, come back up again.

>> I got you.

>> But it just sticks on the rim of that copper, and when you're done, you clean off that rim.

You're ready to go again.

>> How many stills do you think you've made over the years?

>> [ Sighs ] So many I can't count anymore.

I really lost count probably 3 or 4 years ago.

If I were to guess, I would say maybe 3,000 stills.

>> Get out of here!

>> Yeah, yeah.

Me and my son make a whole lot of stills, a whole lot.

>> You and your son do it together?

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> Wow.

>> Yeah, my son started at 11 years old.

And he was really proficient.

You know, I mean, I made him watch me for years.

I just wouldn't let him use a torch.

You know, I was worried that I would catch flack.

You know, "Oh, I can't believe he'd let a little 11-year-old kid..." Finally, I was like, "The heck with it," you know what I mean?

"Go ahead and do it, you've been watching long enough."

And he was amazingly good.

This is really hard work.

People think, oh, you just throw some stuff together.

The coppers I work with are usually so heavy by the sheet that my son has to help me even put them on the table.

And so it's really physically demanding, and at my age, it's even harder to keep up with that.

>> So passing down the skill set of a craftsman is important to you, obviously.

>> Yeah, I don't give my kids allowances.

They have to earn everything they do.

I know that sounds a little bit strict, but, I mean, I don't give them anything.

And I think they appreciate it more and they earn it.

And my son earns a really good living.

He gets to do whatever he wants on weekends.

He at least builds one still a week.

>> Really?

Good for him.

So do you think much about your legacy?

Is it important to you?

>> I believe it is, yes.

I feel like I'm going to leave a legacy behind, I really do.

>> How come?

>> Well, with the stills, I do feel like I am a true master.

I think I've hit a pinnacle to where I can teach others, and I think that's where you, you know, that's when you really are a master.

You have a legacy to take on.

And people will say, especially when they see the heads that I make, the pot heads like we're going to build, they see that head and they're like, "That's Rockypoint, you know.

I can tell that's Chris Kelley's work right there."

>> I think that's pretty neat.

>> Yeah.

>> So what are we going to make today, man?

>> We're going to make two 55-gallon cans, and if we have time, we'll go on through the whole process, make head and condenser and everything, but I do believe you can get it done.

>> Right on.

Right on.

I'm looking forward to it.

I enjoy working with copper, so... >> Yeah.

>> ...I'm really looking forward to it.

♪♪♪ The Scots-Irish settlers of the Appalachian frontier brought the craftsmanship and know-how to distill spirits with them when they arrived in the New World.

These skills allowed them to take their excess corn crop, which would have otherwise rotted, and turn it into whiskey, which they were then able to sell and supplement their income.

Shortly after the Revolutionary War, the very first tax was leveed on a domestic product.

It was on whiskey.

In 1794, tensions between the farmer distiller and the federal government exploded when hundreds of angry frontiersmen mounted the so-called Whiskey Rebellion.

Although President George Washington and his militiamen successfully put down the rebellion, making whiskey by the light of the moon, or moonshine, continued in the shadows throughout the southern United States.

Starting in the 1830s, the Temperance Movement began to push back against alcohol consumption, which eventually led to the complete federal prohibition on alcohol across the country in 1920.

Soon after, the illegal liquor trade became big business, and moonshiners began to work with mobsters like Al Capone to transport their product to illegal bars all over the country.

When Prohibition finally ended, many independent moonshiners lost their livelihood as alcohol production was shifted to large national corporations.

Today, there's been a shift back to smaller-batch distilled spirits, and Chris Kelley has found a growing market for his handcrafted copper stills.

>> So what kind of still are we going to make?

>> We're going to make an open-pot still.

>> Is that what that is?

>> That is what that is.

>> And why do they call it an open-pot still?

>> There's no obstruction from the can all the way out to the end there.

>> Well, can you explain to me how it works?

>> You would put your product that you've already fermented, the wash ferment, into the can and then heat that.

>> Okay, in the bottom there?

There in the bottom part.

That is correct.

It'll heat up and produce a vapor of water and alcohol mixture, but the lighter alcohol will rise above more so than the water and collect up there in the head.

>> Which is this part here?

>> That is correct.

>> And then it's going to be pushed out this tube here?

>> That is correct.

Yeah.

>> So you've put a little mason jar on the bottom of the end of that tube?

>> Yeah, to collect your moonshine.

>> Yeah?

>> That's right.

>> Now, what are these two spigots for?

>> That's an inlet and an outlet for your water to cool, to do the condensing.

>> Okay, so this is double-walled.

This tube goes all the way through, and then water comes in here, circulates around it to cool it, comes out the other end.

>> That's correct.

>> And we're making moonshine.

>> We're making good moonshine.

>> [ Laughs ] All right.

Cool.

And you've got a map here for us to follow.

>> Sure.

>> Can you walk me through it real fast?

>> We're taking a 3x8 sheet of copper... >> Okay.

>> ...and we're going to cut it in half.

>> That's this.

>> That's correct.

>> All right.

>> That'll give us approximately two 55-gallon cans.

>> And then what's going on over here?

>> You know, once we've made that can circumference, then we've got to use a little bit of math to find the diameter to put into the bottom of that can.

>> Ah, all right.

All right.

I got that.

And how are we going to make this top?

>> The top's a little bit more complicated.

We're still shooting for approximately the same diameter, but we're obviously going to have to start larger.

>> Okay.

>> Because we're going to cut a little piece of pie out of it.

>> Right.

That's what this is here.

>> That's what this design is here.

So what we're doing is we're going to take our original base, and we're going to add a quarter inch to each side for this little lip that we want to be able to attach our can to.

>> I got you.

All right.

>> So it gives us a new diameter of 31 and 1/8.

We're going to take that, and we're going to multiply that by Pi at this point in time to get a new circumference.

>> I got you.

>> This new circumference will be the circumference of the head that we want to cut from this piece over here.

So from this point all the way around to this point is 97 and 7/8, and we'll cut this small section out, and when we connect it all together, it'll be just slightly bigger than the base we had before.

>> All right, well, let's get started.

What's the first thing to do?

>> Well, we've got to roll some copper.

♪♪♪ >> All right.

So we've got these clamped together and tacked.

>> Good job tacking it, too, brother.

>> Thanks.

>> Looks good.

>> What's our next step?

>> Well, you know, you've already tacked, and you've seen the kind of approach you did with that.

You got your heat in there direct.

You were down right on it and got that quick heat in there so that the copper wouldn't spread apart on you.

>> Uh-huh.

>> Now we're going to try to seal it, but you don't want to use that same approach.

You want to use that torch more like a brush or a pen or a pencil.

>> Okay.

>> And we're going to push that silver instead of just letting it spread out everywhere.

We're going to give it some guidance.

So we'll get a really slanted angle towards that torch.

So there's a little preheat going on, and you're sort of following that preheat and pulling it towards you.

>> Okay.

All right.

All right.

>> Cool.

>> We're going to weld up the whole thing, or braise the whole thing.

>> Braise the whole thing up.

>> Okay!

>> We'll do it at the same time if you want to.

>> Yeah, cool!

♪♪♪ >> All right, well, I see you brought a rotary tool in.

>> Yeah, this is a Pexto tool, and it'll put a slight crease all the way in the rim of the can, giving it a little strength, but it's most vital to give us a place to start for that bottom, if we can tack it in there a little easy and not move on us.

>> All right.

Is that the next step?

>> Yeah, we need to cut up the bottom out and get it, make sure it's the right size, and then we'll go on from there, try to force it in.

>> All right, let's get to it, man!

>> Let's do it.

♪♪♪ You might want to do it a little bit deeper than that.

♪♪♪ That's it right there.

>> Yes.

>> That's good.

You're good!

That'll be for the bottom.

Do the other one just like it.

♪♪♪ Excellent job.

You're the best I've seen so far.

♪♪♪ >> You good?

>> Yeah.

Looks good.

Just lay that down.

♪♪♪ Just like this.

Brush it.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> It's sealing up really good because there's no flame coming through this other side.

>> Well, these bases look great, man.

>> They look really good.

>> So now we just got to make the tops?

>> Yes, we need to make the cape for it.

>> The cape.

>> Yes.

>> I like that.

How come you call it that?

>> I don't really know, to tell you the truth.

>> It just sounds good.

>> It sounds cool.

I think I've probably seen it written down somewhere before or read it.

A lot of people call it the cone, but I call it the cape.

>> I got you.

I got you.

So, do we know how much of a pie section we need to cut out of here in order to make that?

>> Yeah, we're going to measure the diameter of that can, and we found out that it was a little over 96 and 1/2.

>> Okay.

>> But we need that lip we were talking about, that quarter-inch on either side.

So we're going to add half-an-inch or so to that, so a little over 97.

>> All right, so, we're going to mark a starting point, measure 97 inches all the way around, mark an end point, and then draw our lines up to center and cut that piece out.

>> That's correct.

>> All right.

>> Then all we got to do is bring it together, braise it up, put it on.

>> And slap her on.

[ Both laugh ] That sounds good.

♪♪♪ >> Look, that really put some flex to it, you know?

That way, you know that you got it.

♪♪♪ >> You did it a little bit faster than I did.

>> [ Laughs ] That's all right.

Yeah, it's sort of hard to get down your first time there and then hold it and clamp it.

>> Yeah.

>> What a fight, huh?

Looks like a matador in there.

Come on.

Get that bull.

♪♪♪ >> Fit the back of my seam with yours, all right?

Really close.

All right.

It'll go right in it.

This will be a good-looking can.

Take your time with it.

You're going a little quick, and that's what's messing you up.

See here?

Watch the flash of it.

Stay out here and push it.

Here you go.

Looking good.

♪♪♪ >> Get back to where you were.

Looks sealed up here.

You got it sealed up?

>> Yeah.

I think so.

>> All right.

>> Well, what do you think, man?

>> I think it'll hold the alcohol.

[ Laughter ] >> Yeah, I believe they're sealed up well.

>> Yeah.

>> Hot, though!

>> It's hot.

We better leave this sucker to cool off a little bit and work on the head.

>> All right.

>> Sounds cool.

♪♪♪ >> Hey, Levi.

How's it going?

>> We just finished up our head here.

>> Awesome.

Hey, this is Eric.

>> How you doing, man?

>> Nice to meet you, Eric.

>> Nice to meet you.

Did you make that?

>> I sure did.

>> That's beautiful.

>> Can you help me put it up on the can here?

>> I think I can, yeah.

This is great, man.

You're pretty young, too.

>> Yeah, I'm only 15.

>> Look at you.

Oh, yeah.

And you've got a clamp?

>> Sure do.

>> Right on.

And what's that?

The condenser, right?

>> Yeah, that's the condenser.

>> There we go.

Let me check it out.

Man, that looks great.

Look at that!

It's like a work of art, man.

Thank you so much.

>> Thanks for coming.

We appreciate it.

>> That is beautiful work.

>> Looking good.

>> I had a great time with Chris, and I learned a lot.

Now we're checking out this Tennessee Thumper that his buddy made.

We decided to cut up some lemons, put it in there, and cook up a little lemonade, a perfect way to end a really fun trip.

♪♪♪ >> There is more than one way to leave a legacy.

For some, it means plaques, monuments, and halls of fame.

But for others, legacy comes from a place more simple.

>> Snip off the ends.

Okay, so we're building a tepee shape.

>> The Ford F-150, a proud supporter of "A Craftsman's Legacy."

♪♪♪ >> To discover more about "A Craftsman's Legacy" and the craftsmen we feature, please visit our website.

And you can also follow us on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.