If you’ve spent much time in downtown Mount Dora, chances are you know the house.

The original Sears catalog home on Alexander Street is filled with mason jars, a moonshine tasting counter, family history and some flavors you probably won’t find at your average bar.

It’s Maw’s Mountain Moonshine, and over the past four years, the family-owned business has become one of downtown Mount Dora’s most distinctive destinations.

This Saturday, August 22, Maw’s is celebrating its fourth anniversary with BOGO moonshine tastings, anniversary drink specials, face painting and seven straight hours of live music, capped off with bluegrass from The Freightliners.

It’s a big weekend for Maw’s — but the story inside that house goes back generations.

A Family Moonshine Story

Maw’s may have opened in Mount Dora four years ago, but moonshine certainly didn’t begin there for this family.

The family behind the business traces its roots to the Appalachian Mountains and generations of moonshiners in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Inside Maw’s, that history is literally on the wall.

Visitors can find a photograph showing three generations of the family’s moonshining relatives, a connection between the people making moonshine in the mountains generations ago and what’s being poured in Mount Dora today.

Even the name comes from the family. Maw’s says the distillery was named for one of its “sweetest spitfires,” and the business was built as a tribute to the people and traditions that came before it.

There might not be an Appalachian mountainside anywhere near Alexander Street, but the setting certainly helps tell the story.

Maw’s operates from an original Sears catalog house, giving the Mount Dora location a character that would be nearly impossible to recreate in a conventional storefront. Step inside and you’ll find the tasting counter, jars lining the shelves and family touches throughout the space; outside, the patio regularly becomes a gathering place for live music.

That combination has helped turn Maw’s into much more than a place to pick up a bottle of moonshine.

If You’ve Never Been, Start With the Tasting

One of the best ways to understand Maw’s is from a seat at the tasting counter.

For $9, guests can sample nine different moonshines, giving first-timers a guided introduction before deciding which flavors deserve a full pour or a jar to take home.

And Maw’s takes the word “flavor” seriously.

Its current lineup includes Blueberry Muffin, Peach Cobbler, Hot Apple Pie, Paw’s Lemon-Aid, Strawberry Jam and White Lightning. Blueberry Muffin is Maw’s No. 1 bestseller, Peach Cobbler has earned local-favorite status, and White Lightning brings things back toward the more traditional side of moonshine.

That range is part of the fun.

Someone who walks in expecting every sample to taste like straight, high-proof corn liquor may leave talking about Blueberry Muffin. Someone else may decide the sweeter stuff isn’t for them and head straight for White Lightning.

The tasting gives you a chance to figure that out for yourself — and to hear a little of the story behind what’s in the jars along the way.

Maw’s also turns its moonshines into cocktails, so the experience doesn’t necessarily end when the tasting does. Between the tasting counter, cocktails, retail shop and music outside, it’s easy to see why plenty of people stop in intending to stay for a few minutes and end up sticking around.

Four Years on Alexander Street

What began in that Sears house in Mount Dora has since grown beyond it.

Maw’s now has a second location at Old Town in Kissimmee, bringing its family recipes and Appalachian-inspired concept to another Central Florida destination.

But Mount Dora is where Maw’s built its following, and Saturday’s anniversary is very much a celebration of those first four years on Alexander Street.

The anniversary specials run throughout the day, including buy-one-get-one-free moonshine tastings and special anniversary drinks.

There will also be face painting for families and live music stretching from the afternoon through closing.

Jensey takes the stage from 3–6 p.m.

Then Maw’s turns toward its Appalachian roots for the evening as The Freightliners play live bluegrass from 6–10 p.m.

It’s a fitting way to celebrate a business built around family moonshine recipes, mountain traditions and the idea that a tasting room can also be a place to gather.

This Saturday Is a Good Day to Meet Maw’s

Maybe you already have a favorite jar at Maw’s.

Maybe you’ve spent a Saturday night listening to music on the patio.

Or maybe you’ve walked past that Sears house on Alexander Street dozens of times, wondered exactly what goes on inside and somehow still haven’t made it through the door.

Four years in, Saturday is a particularly good opportunity to find out.

Come for the tasting. Try something you didn’t expect to like. Grab a cocktail. Stay for Jensey. And when The Freightliners start playing bluegrass at 6, settle in for the evening.

Meet me in Mount Dora — at Maw’s Mountain Moonshine.