The story of Glynis and Rory Murphy,
and the history of Baldwin City Distillery and Orchard.
Our Founder’s Story
Our journey began in June 2009, when we purchased a little farm on the outskirts of the quaint, historic hamlet of Baldwin City, Kansas.
The farm became our refuge — a peaceful place to laugh and love, settle by the fireplace to read on snowy mornings, and delight in the smells of freshly mowed grass while nibbling wild blackberries we had happened upon along a summer stroll.
Discovering the Orchard
A quest to uncover what Mother Nature had hidden began when we pulled back her covers to reveal an old apple orchard treasure trove. Thrilled at our discovery, we reclaimed the unruly grove and tended the gnarled branches. From our passion, a dream was born — a vision to craft a truly authentic apple brandy, distilled from the fruits of our labor and the richness of the land.
Creating the Distillery
We threw ourselves into discovering obscure, vintage cider apple varietals that would grow in our little corner of the prairie and add nuance as we blended our unique apple brandy. As we grafted and tended our seedlings and young trees and perfected our recipes, we officially applied for a distiller’s license and the wheels were set into motion.
Our beloved old barn and its time-loved shop were revived back to life to house our micro-distillery, poised to transform the ruby and golden jewels gifted by our orchard into our exquisite creations.
The day our copper still arrived was an occasion to celebrate! And when we received our approval to distill, it was a momentous milestone. We were almost ready.
Our Shared Dream
And then, tragically, one of us was taken too early.
As if sensing the profound loss, the farm and the trees seemed to wrap the surviving partner in their embrace, overflowing with love and gratitude for what had been built together. Gazing at the stars one night, the beauty of what we had created was a powerful reminder that anything is possible if the intent is honest and pure. At that moment, a resolute decision was made to continue pursuing our shared dream.
We hope you enjoy tasting our small-batch spirits and our cherished apple brandies as much as we have loved nurturing our vision and crafting them for you.