STATE COLLEGE — Erica Unruh isn’t someone who craves the spotlight. Sure, she loves her job, but she was caught off guard when she received an email about being on a national television show.
Unruh, who is the head distiller at Barrel 21 in State College, got an email more than a year ago about appearing on a show called “Moonshiners: Master Distiller.”
“It was really random,” Unruh explained.
“I was about two weeks on the job and I got a Facebook message from somebody saying that they were trying to recruit more female distillers for this show. I had never heard of the show and didn’t know anything about it.”
At first, Unruh said, she believed the message was spam.
“I didn’t respond for a while. Then I did a little bit of Googling and I was like, ‘This might actually be real.’ So I responded to the person,” Unruh said.
Once she responded, the wheels were in motion. She did a phone interview. That was followed by an audition over Zoom. She also had to send some video clips to prove that she actually works at a legitimate distillery.
When she didn’t hear back for almost a year, she assumed she had missed her chance to be on the show.
“I had forgotten about it,” Unruh said.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Last August, she heard back from the show’s producers via text message.
“They said they had chosen me for one of the episodes. They asked me if I could come film in two weeks,” Unruh said.
So, last November, Unruh packed a bag for a few weeks and flew to Tennessee to film the show, which airs on the Discovery Channel.
Of course, she would need some time off work.
“I talked to my bosses and we all agreed that this was a cool opportunity and it would bring some awareness to the business,” Unruh said.
She was selected for a spiced rum episode, so she had to pack up some equipment and ingredients for the show, which is a competition between three people — one professional distiller and two “moonshiners.”
“I had to bring all my ingredients with me … everything for the mash,” Unruh explained, “but I had to ship the molasses to Tennessee.”
She also watched the show to see how the competition worked. Essentially, those competing make spirits and judges pick a winner based on a myriad of factors.
Unruh is no stranger to spiced rum. Since Barrel 21 makes one, she opted to use that recipe.
She spent a total of two weeks in Tennessee. When she wasn’t filming, she was able to sneak in some sightseeing.
“We would film for a couple of days, then have a few days off and then film more. Some people go home, but I opted to stay there,” Unruh said.
The shooting schedule, she said, was a busy one.
Days began early and were often long. There are multiple sets for the show in a large facility. They also filmed outdoors for part of the episode.
While Unruh was anxious heading into filming, she quickly got the hang of things.
“It was a blast. It was nerve-wracking and surreal, but it really was a once-in-alifetime experience,” Unruh said. “I was pinching myself every single day.”
Some parts of the competition were extremely challenging, Unruh said.
“You had to build a moonshine still and run your spiced rum on the moonshine still. Then, they would judge based on that,” she said.
As the competition went on, contestants were eliminated, just like on any other reality TV show. Eventually, a winner was determined.
And while she is a local celebrity of sorts, Unruh joked that she won’t let fame and fortune go to her head.
“Everyone at work … we laugh about it because I’m not really a ‘center of attention’ kind of person. I don’t like being in the spotlight, so it was out of my comfort zone. But I’m also proud that I did it,” Unruh said.
Unruh is known for being Centre County’s first female head distiller. And now, she’s the first one to appear on a nationwide television show.
So how did Unruh fare? Well, she couldn’t reveal that.
“I can’t tell you what happened,” Unruh said with a laugh. “You’ll have to watch.”
Unruh’s appearance will air later this year. For more information about the show or to check out previous episodes, visit discovery.com.
