Dry Run Spirits in Pendleton County enjoys forest farming traditions old and new.
It can take a lifetime to realize the forest farming potential of a place—generations, even. Jeff and Teresa Munn found a rich example at their Pendleton County farm.
Jeff Munn’s parents bought the mostly forested 200-acre property in the 1980s, and the couple inherited it in 2010. But from 1830 to the 1970s, it was owned by the John Propst family, then his grandson Ananias Pitsenbarger’s family. The homestead rooted deeply in the land over that century and a half, ultimately cultivating kitchen and herb gardens, row crops, and pasture and barnyard animals as well as fruit bushes and trees, ginseng and other forest herbs, and honey and maple syrup.
Researching the history of the property for a National Register of Historic Places nomination, the Munns learned from locals that Propst had been famous in the area as “Stiller John” for his apple jack and moonshine. The family had a still house, and the tradition was passed down into the 1960s. Making the connection between the gnarled old apple trees on the property and the farm’s storied moonshine history—plus the limestone spring water that bubbles right up out of the ground—longtime homebrewer Jeff Munn was drawn down the path to distillation. Dry Run Spirits was born.
Munn created an Apple Brandy that has a distinct apple aroma and mild sweetness and a lighter, sweeter Apple Pie liqueur that is an enjoyable after-dinner drink. Then, in a stroke of ingenuity, he tapped dozens of maple trees and started making Maple Syrup Moonshine—not by infusing corn liquor with maple flavor, as many do, but by fermenting his own maple sap and distilling that. His latest addition, Maple Nectar liqueur, rounds out the apple–maple quartet.
About five years ago, recognizing that their orchard could fail at any time, the Munns grafted cuttings from every one of their old apple trees—heirloom cider varieties, some of which haven’t yet been identified. In 2024, nearly all are ready to fruit for the first time.
And the couple is gradually deepening their own relationship with this land. They’ve slowly been transplanting ramps to the property to create a patch of their own, for example, and they harvest morel and chanterelle mushrooms for their own use.
The Munns welcome visitors, by appointment. “Give yourself a couple hours—bring a picnic lunch,” Munn says. “We have miles of hiking trails, a mountaintop pavilion with a 20-mile view to Monterey, Virginia, and two fishing ponds.” Ask for a tour of the 1845 log house, too. And don’t forget to sample the wares of Pendleton County’s Stiller Jeff. 3576 Dry Run Road, Franklin, @dryrunspirits on FB
Maple Mixology
Sugar, red, black, and silver maples aren’t the only trees that can produce syrup. The yield from other trees is lower and the flavors are often more subtle but, with coming maple blends, producers will be able to tap more diverse tree stands, extend their seasons, and create signature combinations—and diners will get to taste a whole new dimension of Central Appalachia.
MAPLEMORE A blend of maple and sycamore syrups that came out of experiments conducted by Future Generations University in Pocahontas County, maplemore follows the warm sweetness of maple with a molasses-like finish—or some liken the flavor of sycamore to butterscotch.
MAPLE NUT Combining maple and walnut syrups gives a classic rich maple base with nutty overtones. Is that a hint of licorice?
Beech and birch sap and hickory bark all produce syrups that West Virginia maple producers are interested in blending with. Keep your eyes open for these products!
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S SUMMER 2024 ISSUE
Read the other stories in our forest to fork feature
FOREST TO FORK
A SWEET LEGACY
SWITCHING TO SYRUP
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