- MannCave Distillers has made liqueur from maple sap that it calls ambrosia
- They claimed that the 110 proof drink is the first in the world to be made from maple sap
- Now they want regulators to create a category for it so it can be marketed
A family-run distillery in West Virginia has revealed it has created a new type of spirit from maple sap.
MannCave Distilling, outside Clarksburg, came up with the idea after a chance conversation with Spruce Knob Maple representatives at a trade show.
Director Stephen Mann went to work and four months later he drank the first drops of the 110 proof spirit they called ambrosia.
“It's one of those things where you wonder, why hasn't this been done before,” he said.
“I wanted to try to make a product from maple sap, not the maple syrup but the actual sap of the tree,” he said. 'It's unrefined juice. It's a very interesting flavour.'
“It's a very interesting flavor,” says Stephen Mann, founder of MannCave and ambrosia inventor
the 110 proof liquor has taken its place on the shelf alongside the company's other award-winning products, but is still awaiting federal categorization
“If I were to compare it to the rum, there is less fermentation, and if I compare it to the corn that we ferment, it takes a lot longer,” says head distiller Eric Mann.
The company had to wait more than a year for their product while they waited for regulators to get their heads around a liqueur made from maple.
But they too have had difficulty describing a drink that is in a category of its own.
“Describing the taste of Ambrosia is where words fail us, just as we struggle to describe the color red to the blind.” it tells visitors to its website.
“Many customers say it's reminiscent of an American breakfast,” says Stephen's daughter Kelly, the company's marketing director.
“Typically, caramel and butterscotch, for example, tend to have very sweet flavors, and so many people expect something extremely sweet when they try the Ambrosia.”
Stephen opened his distillery in 2017 using water from a disused coal mine and has won numerous awards for its moonshine, whiskey and vodka.
But creating a liqueur made from maple came with its own challenges.
“It takes a lot longer,” says son Eric, who is in charge of the process.
“If I were to compare it to the rum, there's less fermentation, and if I compare it to the corn that we ferment, it takes a lot longer.
“The process requires a lot more waiting and a lot more patience.”
But they say they only have about 60 cases left because they have run out of maple sap supplies, and they want lawmakers to codify the product so they can roll it out to the American public.
“I believe it should be a federal law,” Stephen said fox8live.
The company is ready to roll out production, but is waiting for more maple sap to be delivered
“Many customers say it's reminiscent of an American breakfast,” says Stephen's daughter Kelly, the company's marketing director.
Stephen opened his distillery in 2017 using water from a disused coal mine and has won numerous awards for its moonshine, whiskey and vodka
“So one of our senators would introduce a bill for the TTB or the ATF and they create a new category.
“I think we could define it, and we have been working on a definition that we would like to have, which is that 51% or more maple sap is called Ambrosia, using West Virginia maple.
“Good luck with that.”
No word yet on whether the new drink will make drinkers hesitate, but it certainly seems like it will go well with a toast.