Today we’d like to introduce you to Glynis Murphy.
Glynis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Baldwin City and the area around it have always been home to apple trees and grapes. When my late husband, Rory, and I bought the farm in 2009, it was overgrown and needed attention. In the process of cleaning the farm, we discovered neglected apple trees that we promptly referred to as the “sentinels.” Rory had a chemistry background and discussed revitalizing the orchards and planting cider-specific, vintage apple trees that could make a good apple brandy. We cleared out the land and planted around 1500 vintage apple trees. To date I have around 850 apple trees and 47 different varieties. We got our distiller’s license in 2020 and spent the following years perfecting our brandy. When Rory passed suddenly in 2023, I decided to fulfill the dream of making an apple brandy. Daryl Kleitz, a master distiller, and I, in the Fall of 2024, successfully created the first farm to table apple brandy in Kansas. This brandy has 23 (twenty-three) different apple varieties, and we have aged most of it in bourbon barrels for over a year. Our goal has been to make a craft apple brandy unique to this region and to Kansas. Apple brandy is popular in the northern states like Wisconsin and Michigan, and on both Coasts. I want to introduce a quality apple brandy to Kansas and hopefully, other states. More importantly, I want to make Baldwin City the birthplace of the first Farm to Bottle apple brandy in Kansas.
Because we have 47 different varieties and not all apple trees bear fruit each year, we anticipate having a different type of apple brandy each year. This is niche product and I am hopeful that it will grow in popularity based on the reviews we have received from our very first edition. I have received many requests to ship to other states and am in the process of getting that in place. This will really help to put Baldwin City on the map, and I am confident that the quality of our apple brandy will speak for itself and make it a desirable label to own. I am hopeful that restaurants and bars will want to carry the apple brandy on their menu and that will help with distribution.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the most difficult part of this journey was the loss of my husband just when we were ready to launch. This did not deter me from launching myself into the process of opening and running a distillery. I did a lot of research and evaluated the ability to fund this project on my own and concluded that it would be a challenge to take head on. Baldwin City Distillery celebrated its one-year anniversary on 21 November 2025. One of the biggest accomplishments was signing with a distributor and getting liquor stores in Kansas to carry our alcohol products. Kansas is a three-tier state where distilleries cannot sell directly to consumers outside the distillery without a distributor. Getting distribution is important to the growth of a distillery and usually takes over a year, and sometimes even more to achieve this milestone. I was able to sign with a distributor, Ad Astra Selections, within eight months of opening my distillery. This allows not only the public but also bars and restaurants to get access to our alcohol. We are currently in Lawrence (City Wine Market, Cork and Barrel, Mass Bev, On the Rocks, Happy Hour, Kansas Crown Discount, Buddy’s), Topeka (Barrel House and Devlin), Ottawa (Three Guys Liquor), Overland Park (Total Wine and Spirits and Kansas Fine Wine and Spirits), Leawood (Harry’s), Shawnee (Liquor House), and Kansas City (Northwood Liquor and Rogers Wholesale). We are heading to Derby and Wichita soon!! I have been actively talking to owners of restaurants and bars to see if they want to carry my products and the interest has been very encouraging. People want to support local, craft and woman owned distilleries. It is challenging work and takes time and effort, but I am encouraged by the Baldwin City community, who tell me on a weekly basis that I matter and that I can achieve my goals. So, it is important for me to prove they are right!!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Baldwin City Distillery?
Baldwin City Distillery has a tasting bar, where people can sample spirits and learn more about the process of distilling. There is also a cocktail bar that uses spirits made at the distillery in drinks that are enjoyed in outdoor spaces created specifically for this reason. Visitors can relax taking in the beautiful views of the farm and orchards while sipping on a delicious cocktail. The distillery opened with one outdoor space and now boasts of a new outdoor shelter built upon the foundation of the original farmhouse. It felt important to preserve the historic aspect of the farm and incorporate it into the history of the distillery. The plan is to grow native grasses and herbs around the new shelter to enhance the experience of being close to Nature.
The distillery currently has an active entertainment scene, where local musicians get to display their talent. Patrons enjoy live music while visiting with friends or making friends while at the distillery. It is a place to mingle and relax, to have fun and exchange stories. Besides musicians, the distillery plays host to scientists from the Stowers Institute, KU medical center, and Baker University, who present their innovative research to the public. This has led to lively discussions between these groups and often presents with interesting exchange of ideas. This was the vision of the distillery, and it unfolds slowly but steadily into a space that is welcoming and unusual in a good way!
The spirits handcrafted by our Master Distiller, Daryl Kleitz, ensure satisfaction with every taste. The emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. To date we have produced an amazing Apple Brandy, Apple Brandy liqueurs (Peach Vanilla Apple Brandy), Agave Spirits (Tequila), Rum, Vodka and a line of Bourbons. We also produce flavored varieties of Vodka, Rum and Agave Spirits and have some spirits aging in bourbon barrels for release later.
What matters most to you? Why?
We are constantly looking at new products depending on the season. Our strategy is to age Rum, Agave and Brandy in bourbon barrels to produce single barrel batches of product in each of those classes. These are our assets that add value to our business. Our vision is not for the present but for the future and investing in our future seems to pull the present with it. People who sign up for updates on our website are the first to know about our new products, and any specials we have running at any given time. They are informed of events happening at the distillery in advance of the public. I would highly recommend people sign up on our website www.baldwincitydistillery,com, to be in the know of what is going on at the distillery.
It was a great honor to be recognized by the Baldwin City Chamber as the “Best Newcomer Business.” I realized that the distillery is now an integral part of the community and I have a responsibility not only to the people I employ but for the community that supports me. I am humbled and forced to face a reality that even though I met all the goals I set out to meet in the first year of production, I had people who are dependent on my success. I have a responsibility to steer a ship through rough and calm waters because I care for all involved in this journey. I have grown to love the Baldwin City community and the people in it. So, it has meant a lot to me that the distillery won the award (not me, the people that help me run the distillery, including the community). I feel strongly that if the distillery can help put Baldwin City on the map (seems like a mantra!!), it will elevate the whole business community and in turn make our city thrive. This is not for Baldwin City Distillery but for Baldwin City.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.baldwincitydistillery.com
- Instagram: baldwincitydistillery
- Facebook: Baldwin City Distillery
