Curated single-hive honey
Our Story
Located throughout Mercer County, West Virginia, the apiaries are named after Marvin L. "Shotgun" McClanahan. He received his nickname in the late 1930s after picking up his father's "unloaded" shotgun and blowing a hole through the roof. He was only about 5 or 6 at the time and the name stuck. "Shot" never kept bees, but his son inherited his adventurous spirit and figured bees were a little safer than guns and a good way to keep the memory of his father alive. The logo at left depicts a worker bee sitting on a shell in a 12 gauge single-shot shotgun. The single-shot shotgun sparked the idea: "Why not bottle honey from individual hives instead of blending them all together?" It's a lot of work and a lot of fun.
Curated Single-Hive Local Honey
Our honey is available for online ordering or at local festivals in and around Southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia. The honey is currently produced from three locations in West Virginia: Athens, Princeton, and Camp Creek. Each bottle provides a narrative with the queen's name, the hive's name, the location of the hive, the known sources of honey, and the total number of pounds produced by that hive. It is safe to say that our customers can never buy the same honey year after year. Each hive is a little different in taste, color, and nectar sources.
Ordering
We are a small operation and produce only a few hundred pounds each year. Everything from hive care to extraction and bottling is done by hand, and our honey sells fast after bottling. Sometimes we sell out online and at festivals before we can post our price list. If prices are not posted, please send us an email or call to inquire about availability. Give us a little time to respond because we all have day jobs and, after all, honey lasts forever.