Al Wood’s family has owned their land in Randolph, Vermont for five generations and is now working on the sixth. They have been making maple syrup for over 100 years, and it is not only a job for them, but it is a family tradition and a passion. The first generations of Al’s family were farmers, and like many other Vermonters in those days, they grew and processed all their own food from the land they lived on. Since then, things have changed a bit as has the farm that is used today. Al and his family operate their sugar maple farm on 54 acres of the original 1000 that once was.
As the years have passed, Al has gone from tapping 800 trees to more than 5200 trees in 2014. Al remembers when he was younger, 75 gallons of maple syrup was a good year. Now, Al and his family, are making more than 1,700 gallons of syrup yearly. Since this is a family run operation, Al’s father works in the sugarhouse, while Al spend most of my time in the woods maintaining the sap lines. Hi mother is always busy cooking up something good for anyone who’s at the house. Al’s wife and kids help as much and as often as they can, while his brother and sister along with their family’s come to help as well! Al has taken the timeless and iconic Vermont Maple Syrup and put his own twist on it. After he makes the maple syrup in his sugarhouse, he then ages it in authentic Rum and Bourbon Barrels.