We’re excited to announce that the Sagamore Spirit Distillery has opened for business in Port Covington!
Joined by Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford and Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, Sagamore Spirit President, Brian Treacy and Co-Founder, Bill McDermond cut the ribbon officially opening the Distillery to the public.
Before Prohibition, Maryland was home to 44 distilleries, with at least 13 in downtown Baltimore. Even after Prohibition, Maryland was one of the country’s leading rye whiskey producers. By 1939, it held one-third of the nation’s rye whiskey supply.
When the US entered World War II, 100% of the distilleries turned to ethanol plants to support the war effort. After the war, very few of those ethanol plants converted back to rye whiskey distilleries and the rye whiskey industry in Maryland almost disappeared. The opening of this one-of-a-kind distillery highlights Sagamore Spirit’s goal to put Maryland back on the map as the premier distiller of Rye Whiskey.
Located on East Cromwell Street in Port Covington and overlooking the water, the five-acre Sagamore Spirit Distillery campus consists of three buildings: a Distillery Building, Processing Building, and restaurant, slated to open in Fall 2017.Tours and tastings are available daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about the Distillery and how to visit, Sagamorespirit.com.
