Moonshiners’ Legends: The Untold Story of Digger Manes and Mark Ramsay’s Risky Liquor Legacy

Long before cameras rolled and millions tuned in, Digger Manes and Mark Ramsay were just two ordinary Tennesseans with an extraordinary secret hobby: making moonshine. Today, the pair are among the most recognizable faces of Discovery Channel’s hit series Moonshiners, a show that has blended controversy, folklore, and Appalachian tradition into must-watch TV since its premiere in 2011.

Digger, who grew up in the tiny Smoky Mountain town of Newport, took his first steps into moonshining at age 18, learning the craft from a local still builder with his father’s blessing. By day, he worked as a licensed embalmer in the family funeral parlor. By night, he perfected his craft — not for the money, he says, but out of pure respect for the old-timers who kept the art alive.

Mark Ramsay, meanwhile, was tinkering with stills deep in East Tennessee’s forests. Learning from seasoned distillers, he built a reputation as the “King of Tinkering” for his unique, custom-made stills — a skill he honed alongside the legendary Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, perhaps the most famous moonshiner in modern history.

When Moonshiners producers needed fresh faces to boost declining ratings, it was Mark who pushed Digger to join him. Though hesitant at first, Digger agreed, believing the show would fizzle out in a season. Instead, the pair quickly became fan favorites. By the time Season 5 aired, viewership had soared once more, and the duo’s creative operations — from using a funeral hearse as a liquor transport to hiding gallons of hooch in coffins — became TV legend.

Despite repeatedly flaunting illegal distilling, both men have dodged any real trouble with the law. Rumors of arrests surface regularly but have never held water. The secret? Many scenes are filmed months before airing, and most cast members today hold proper licenses or operate under carefully staged scenarios. In fact, Virginia’s Alcoholic Beverage Control once demanded disclaimers clarifying that the show is largely dramatized.

Still, the danger is real. As Digger once said, “The moment you light up a still, you’ve broken the law.” But with clever decoys, old-school tricks, and deep ties in Appalachian communities, they’ve stayed a step ahead for decades.

These days, the partners keep innovating — experimenting with cherry vanilla sipping cream and aging bourbon in oak barrels as a “legacy” for their families. They even helped Popcorn Sutton’s widow hunt for her late husband’s secret stash, rumored to be worth tens of thousands.

While Moonshiners fans continue to debate what’s real and what’s TV magic, for Digger and Mark, one truth stands: they’re preserving a centuries-old craft that remains as much a part of Appalachian identity as the mountains themselves.