Washington State is home to one of the rarest maple syrups in the nation

Maple syrup is maple syrup, right? Yes and no, it turns out maple syrup is not a one size fits all condiment. That’s why Neil McLeod’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup is considered so rare, he’s making syrup from the trees we already have in our state.

To further clarify, McLeod uses bigleaf maples to produce his syrup, they’re less sugary than sugar maple which is the variety of maple normally used to produce the sweet stuff. Because of the lower sugar content, it takes around 120 gallons of bigleaf sap to make a gallon of syrup according to KING 5. While pricey at $3.50 an ounce, it means consumers are getting a true one-of-a-kind product.

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Not only that but it’s taken McLeod almost a decade to perfect the process taking it from a small hobby operation to a commercial one. His process has gone as far as to attract researchers from the University of Washington who are interested in the possible growth of bigleaf maple syrup production in western Washington.

Part of what makes this process extra cool is that it’s a way for landowners to leave their forests as is, instead of clearing and replanting they can work with the plants already present on the land in a non-invasive form of agroforestry.

If you consider yourself a maple syrup connoisseur then it might just be time to pick up some Neil’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup. You can learn more at their website.