‘Moonshiners’ Star Tim Smith Talks Leaving the Outlaw Life Behind After Going Legal (Exclusive)

Ask Moonshiners star Tim Smith if he misses the outlaw life since going legal with his Climax Moonshine line, he’ll answer you honestly — “Every day.” But the freedom and “excitement” of being on the other side of the law simply isn’t worth it in the long run, he explained to PopCulture.com ahead of Tuesday’s all-new episode of the hit Discovery series.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Oh, you miss the excitement of not being in the woods?’” he admitted to PopCulture. “There’s excitement, but there’s no fun, being in the woods with someone chasing after you and trying to put you in jail.”

Smith has definitely learned a lot about running a business since launching it publicly, but he does miss getting to be more “private” in his life back when he was running his distillery out of the backwoods.

“You don’t have a whole lot of people talking to you and asking you questions, no one is in your pocketbook. … The only thing you gotta worry about is if the weather changes and if someone’s gonna run up on you trying to arrest you,” he explained of the outlaw lifestyle. Smith added of his work now, “There’s more accountability. The eyes are on you 24 hours a day.”

The Smith distillery has a big boost this season with Tickle returning to help his longtime friend and business partner after serving out his time in jail. Smith couldn’t be happier to have his buddy working alongside him this season, but acknowledged to PopCulture that there are some challenges when it comes to partnering with Tickle.

“The challenge with Tickle is you have to keep him busy,” Smith explained. “He’ like a little kid, even though he’s a grown man.”

Having to keep Tickle busy isn’t a burden, however, when it comes to having friend back and doing well both mentally and physically.

“He’s out, he’s looking good, he’s doing really good,” Smith told PopCulture. “It’s been a great return to see the real deal Tickle. … He’s happy, his mental composure is together, and he’s perfuming good. He’s on the top of his game and we’re getting along good.”

That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of excitement and a fair share of cliffhangers awaiting Moonshiners fans this season.

“We’re gonna get you addicted to drinking moonshine and watching Moonshiners,” Smith joked.

Don’t miss an all-new episode of Moonshiners, airing on Discovery Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can watch the new season, as well as catch up on previous seasons, on Discovery GO.

Photo credit: Discovery