
South Carolina Laurel Honey: A Bold Southern Delight
Among the diverse and delicious honeys harvested in the Southeastern United States, South Carolina Laurel honey stands out as a complex, richly flavored variety that reflects the wild beauty of the state’s mountain and piedmont regions. Less common than clover or wildflower honey, laurel honey is a hidden gem with a deep, distinctive taste and a fascinating origin.
Here’s what makes this unique honey so special—and why it deserves a spot in every honey lover’s pantry.
Laurel honey is produced when bees forage on the nectar of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), a native shrub that blooms in late spring to early summer in the Appalachian foothills and uplands of South Carolina. Known for its clusters of pink or white blossoms and leathery evergreen leaves, mountain laurel is as beautiful as it is botanically intriguing.
Bees that collect nectar primarily from mountain laurel produce a honey that is dark amber to reddish in color, with a robust, slightly bitter flavor that’s earthy, herbal, and intensely aromatic. It’s not a honey for the faint of heart—but for those who enjoy bold, complex flavors, laurel honey is unforgettable.
Though mountain laurel grows throughout the Eastern U.S., South Carolina’s Blue Ridge region—a rugged landscape of hardwood forests and high elevation meadows—provides optimal conditions for the plant to thrive. The state’s wild, undeveloped mountain areas offer a relatively untouched nectar source, allowing beekeepers to produce pure, monofloral laurel honey in small, high-quality batches.
In these areas, sustainable and traditional beekeeping practices are still common, giving local honey producers a reputation for crafting raw, unfiltered honeys that retain all of their natural enzymes and flavors.
Laurel honey is not your typical sweet, golden syrup. Here's why it’s earning praise from chefs, herbalists, and honey enthusiasts:
Laurel honey offers a strong, slightly astringent taste, with notes of smoke, spice, and resin, followed by a subtle sweetness on the finish. Some describe it as having hints of molasses, tea, or chestnut. It pairs well with savory foods, sharp cheeses, or rustic breads—and adds depth to marinades and glazes.
Dark honeys like laurel are often higher in antioxidants than lighter varieties. This makes them not just flavorful, but also nutrient-dense, offering natural support for immune health, inflammation reduction, and digestion.
Most laurel honey from South Carolina is sold in its raw form—unpasteurized and unfiltered—preserving all its natural enzymes, pollens, and medicinal qualities. This is especially important to those using honey for holistic or immune-boosting purposes.
Laurel honey is relatively rare, making it a prized find among collectors and foodies. You’re most likely to come across it at:
Because of its distinctive flavor, it's often sold in smaller jars as a specialty or tasting honey.
South Carolina Laurel honey is a true expression of place: wild, intense, and full of character. With its bold flavor, deep color, and natural health benefits, it stands apart from sweeter, more commercial honeys. Whether you’re using it to elevate your cooking or simply savoring it by the spoonful, laurel honey offers a taste of South Carolina’s wilder side—and a rich reminder of nature’s complexity.
This honey has a very limited production each spring.
About our honey
Black Butterfly Honey is local spring wildflower honey that is collected from white holly, blackberry, clover and tulip poplar. The flavor depends on the Carolina wildflower blossoms and changes each year.
This bright golden dark honey is rich and luxurious. The honey has a very high sugar content and goes great with hot drinks, over yogurt or as a replacement for granulated sugar cane.
In 2020, following our owner’s near-death experience with Covid, Nick decided to get back into beekeeping.
Nick grew up with bees while living in Western New York, and beekeeping was something he always wanted to get back into. Like with all things in life, Nick couldn’t find the time to do this. After surviving Covid, he decided it was time to pull the trigger and get back into beekeeping. Nick reached out to area industry experts and started a new South Carolina honeybee apiary from scratch. The original apiary consisted of two packages of bees, which quickly blossomed into many more large hives with thousands of happy bees! Today, Nick spends his days loading, shooting, and checking on his apiary to provide you with the most delicious natural raw honey South Carolina can offer. Our 100% natural raw honey is produced and packaged accordingly to SC DHEC regulations here in South Carolina.
Our Company
Black Butterfly Ammunition, LLC was created to meet the needs of the discerning, specialty shooters who prefer quality over mass-produced, cheaper than dirt, factory ammunition. Our main company goal is to produce an excellent product that will operate efficiently and effectively in your firearm.
Black Butterfly Ammunition is your ultimate source for high-quality ammunition. We cater to discerning, specialty shooters who prefer quality over mass-produced, cheaper than dirt, factory ammunition. We focus on developing superb hunting and self-defense ammunition in specialty calibers that are not generally considered “mainstream” like .458 SOCOM ammo. Our ammunition suits the needs of both the weekend hobbyist and most avid hunter.
Our Products
Each round produced by Black Butterfly Ammunition is hand-manufactured and individually inspected by a loading expert, to insure we produce the finest quality ammunition available. This includes visual inspections and appropriate case gauge testing of each round produced. In addition, we randomly sample and shoot our production loads at our onsite range on a regular basis; this way we can ensure it will meet our stringent requirements, and will function properly in your firearm.
Black Butterfly Ammunition company warrants the original consumer purchase for 1 year from the date of purchase. At our discretion, we will replace or refund the original purchase price, provided a proper proof of purchase is submitted; this will be free of charge, except for any shipping charges that might be incurred by the customer to return their product to our facility. Of course, this warranty does not cover product abuse such as neglect, reloading, or any other issues caused by improper handling.