A Dream Distilled: Apple Brandy in Baldwin City

From the moment Glynis and Rory Murphy spotted an apple peeking out from a bramble on their property, a dream of making apple brandy took hold.

They had bought a farm in Baldwin City and enjoyed exploring the grounds together.

“The previous owners had an orchard. When we first saw the property, we didn't know there were all these apple trees growing,” Glynis said. “The house was in good shape; the farm around wasn’t. There were so many vines and brush all around, and it was very dilapidated.”

They were cleaning the property when they discovered the apple trees. They began carefully clearing out the brush and growth to see what they could salvage.

“We tried to save as many trees as we could, but a lot of them were just done for. They'd been eaten up and rotted from inside,” Glynis said. “We were able to save three rows of old apple trees. We call them old sentinels.”

That leisurely stroll sparked a spirited project to reinvigorate the orchard.

“It was serious cleaning,” Glynis said. “We got a track loader, and my husband had to learn how to drive that thing. I had to learn how to handle a tractor. Our friends in Overland Park thought we were just crazy doing all this. But it was what we wanted to do. We wanted to work with our hands. We decided this was worthwhile.”

Cleaning up the orchard took them from 2009 to 2015. During that time, they devoured information about making apple brandy. Rory was a psychiatrist with a chemistry background, who became very excited by the idea.

“My husband did a lot of research into types of apples that were good to make brandy. They're called cider-specific apple trees, and a lot of them are very old,” Glynis said. “Our intent was to make a good apple brandy. So we did a lot of reading. We got a lot of books, read a lot of blogs. I continue to do that even today, because there's so much complexity to apple fruit.”

They grow 47 different varieties of apples on the farm, and 23 varieties went into making their first Baldwin City Distillery Apple Brandy. Each year, a different number of apple trees produce apples, so the brandy will vary from year to year.

“People can't envision so many apples of different varieties going to make this one apple brandy. And it's so unique. It's uniquely Kansas,” Glynis said. “This is different from the apple brandy that you find at the store.”

A Shared History

The couple met at the University of Kansas. Rory was a second-year medical student. Glynis, who was born in Africa and later moved to India, received a scholarship to study audiology and speech pathology in the U.S. She was deciding between going to Northwestern University and KU.

“The dean from KU, Dr. Galbraith, wrote me a note saying how nice it would be to have me join the program, whereas at Northwestern, it was just a rubber stamp. I thought, ‘Well, I'm going to go to KU.’ I moved here, met my husband. We got married, and the rest is history.”

While working toward their shared dream of opening a distillery, Rory died unexpectedly. Glynis had to decide whether to continue.

“We were married 39 years, and I just knew his vision for this place,” Glynis said. “I'm trying to kind of keep to it as best as I can.”

Because making apple brandy is a time-consuming process, Glynis knew if she were to continue, she’d need to hire a distiller and expand the product lines.

She currently works with Evan Wilder, a distiller who grew up in Hutchison and went to distilling school in North Carolina. Evan has worked in distilleries producing award-winning gins and bourbons. The distillery offers more than two dozen products, including rum, vodka, agave and, of course, apple brandy.

They face challenges. Distillers in Kansas can’t sell directly to restaurants or cocktail bars. Sales must go through distributors, which eats into profits — as much as 60 percent for craft distillers. Glynis is hoping to change that by advocating for small businesses like hers.

She’s also expanded how she engages with her customers by offering tastings and hosting events at their idyllic spot.

“We have a tailored approach to our events. It's not a cookie-cutter deal,” she said. “We have several little areas where people can sit and talk. And it's spread out, so if it's a big event, it doesn't feel like it's crowded. It seems to be very well received, and people are very happy with having their events here.”

The laid-back, friendly vibe carries through into her tasting room, where people can sample the different liquors in a relaxed setting, enjoy savory snacks and sit by a serene pond on the property.

Staying Connected

Glynis continues to walk the property herself to keep an eye on the apple trees.

“They are very finicky and require a lot of care compared to, say, Red Delicious,” she said. “You have to be very careful and take care of them. There could be some diseases that come in, and if you don't catch them early enough, they can take a whole tree. So I walk the orchard pretty much every evening.”

These walks also help her feel close to Rory.

“I’ve always felt his presence through this whole process, and I continue to do that,” she said. “He's very close by. He is present quite a bit in every decision that I make.”

Glynis has also found support from many corners: Baldwin City, fellow farmers, the Douglas County Extension Office, her church, Annunciation Catholic Church, and Rory’s friends.

“The community has just reached out and embraced me in a way I didn't really expect,” she said. “As a distillery and with this county having been dry for so long, I didn't know how well I would be received. And it's been crazy. It's been wonderful. Everyone's very supportive.”

Her next dream is to help put Baldwin City on the map.

“I've been involved in a lot of community efforts to promote Baldwin City, and I think it's mutually been very beneficial,” she said.

If you’re looking for a unique Kansas experience, put Baldwin City Distillery on your map and head that way to sample some spirits. For details, visit the website, and please drink responsibly.

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