McClintock Distilling opened for business on December 3, 2016 in downtown Frederick on Carroll Creek. The distillery launched its first three products: Epiphany Vodka, Forager Gin and Maryland-Heritage White Whiskey.

Visit the distillery, taste and take a tour.

A couple years ago, as system engineers working in information technology, Brad Blackwell and Andy Debenham worked in a “dark and quiet” corner of an office basement in Howard County.

They became friends, and found themselves often discussing their interests outside of work. One topic in particular stuck.

“It didn’t take us very long to figure out that we liked to talk about home-brewing way better than we liked to talk about work,” Blackwell, 33, said recently.

Article by Wesley Case, The Baltimore Sun Midnight Sun blog. See the full piece.

Gray Wolf Craft Distilling, fostered by Lyon Distilling Company, is proud to announce the release of their premier spirit, Lone Single Malt Vodka.

The Maryland distilling industry continues to expand with the launch of Gray Wolf Craft Distilling. In an unprecedented and innovative collaboration; Gray Wolf Craft Distilling has found their manufacturing home within the walls of Lyon Distilling Company on the Eastern Shore.

It was a fortuitous meeting and a shared dedication to true craft that brought these two distilleries together. “I consider myself an outside of the box, nontraditional distiller and I welcome the challenge of bucking industry traditions,” says R.B. Wolfensberger, lead distiller and co-founder of Gray Wolf Craft Distilling, when asked about this unique enterprise.

Lone Single Malt Vodka is the inaugural spirit launch from Gray Wolf Craft Distilling. Affirming their authenticity and passion for creativity, Lone is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled and bottled by hand. It is made from one hundred percent malted barley. “I know of only a handful of other distilleries in the world using a similar formula,” says R.B. Wolfensberger. The result is a clean, crisp neutral spirit that has the slightest hint of malt sweetness.

Lone Single Malt Vodka will be available at Lyon Distilling Company in Saint Michaels, MD and for distribution to Maryland based bars, restaurants and liquor stores beginning October 31, 2016. It will be available for distribution to Washington, DC in the weeks that follow.

Gray Wolf Craft Distilling was founded by husband and wife, R.B. Wolfensberger and Meghan Brown. Long time bartenders in DC and residents of Annapolis, MD they struggled to find the best site to actualize their newest venture. They are proud to be part of this unconventional partnership.

Lost Ark Distilling Co. is excited to announce their move to a new location. Due to unforeseen circumstances, beyond the control of the distillery ownership, the previous address of 9385 Washington Blvd. in North Laurel is no longer a viable location to open for business.

After more than 24 months of planning, Lost Ark Distilling Co. will finally be setting up to begin production at 9570 Berger Road, Suite L in Columbia, Maryland. Interior build out of the new location is set to tentatively begin in July 2016 and will take approximately 6 weeks to complete.

“Columbia offers some very unique opportunities for our type of business,” said co-owner Andy Debenham. “The expected growth in the coming years, as well as great support for agriculture and locally made products in this area, made it a natural fit for us.”

The owners, Brad Blackwell and Andy Debenham, say that the distillery will tentatively start production of spirits in August and are planning for a soft opening in early fall of 2016. The owners are embracing the Farm-to-Table and “Buy Local” movement with the crafting of their spirits. Their corn whiskey will be manufactured with 100% local corn and grains grown on Maryland farms. The two owners say that a majority of those grains will be purchased from Howard County farms, just a few miles from the distillery. They also plan to source most of their rum ingredients from Maryland companies as well.

“The distillery is fully funded and we have all our equipment in place to begin production as soon as construction is completed,” said co-owner, Brad Blackwell. “The early setbacks have only fueled our desire to bring a new flavor and industry to Howard County.”

Lost Ark Distilling Co. plans to launch with three products: Lady Anne White Rum, Terra Mariae Spiced Rum, and 1634 Corn Whiskey. Each product has a name rooted in Maryland history, along with a backstory that compliments the character of that spirit. After opening, the pair plans to begin barrel aging a Maryland Style Rye Whiskey and Bourbon. In addition, the distillery will offer seasonal products and a line of specialty liqueurs.

To stay up to date on the latest progress of the distillery, and to learn more about the company, please visit www.lostarkdistilling.com.

Mark McLaughlin and Arch Watkins, Baltimore residents and former Navy Reserve buddies, stepped away from their career paths in 2014 and set out to start making whiskey. This week, the risk paid off as Old Line Spirits American Single Malt Whiskey hit the shelves in and around Baltimore… read the full story in the Baltimore Business Journal.

It was a mostly hometown crowd of reporters that gathered Wednesday at City Garage to sip Sagamore Spirit’s Straight Rye Whiskey for the first time.

The initial impressions: pretty smooth work.

For years, Kevin Plank‘s Sagamore Spirit has bided its time, waiting for its facility to be built and, most importantly, its rye whiskey to age. The former is still under construction, but on May 13, the rye whiskey will finally hit the shelves of Baltimore-area bars and liquor stores, said company co-founder Bill McDermond. Read the full Baltimore Sun story.

Members of the Maryland Distillers Guild represented the state at the American Craft Spirits Association Convention in Chicago March 1-3. Attendees included Ben Lyon and Tyler of Lyon Distilling Co., RB Wolfensberger of Grey Wolf Craft Spirits, Max Lentz of The Baltimore Whiskey Company, Arch Watkins and Mark McLaughlin of Old Line Spirits, and Maryland Distillers Guild Executive Director Kevin Atticks

Check out this short video feature on MDG member The Baltimore Whiskey Company, who produces craft whiskey and spirits in the heart of Baltimore City.

Howard County’s first Craft Distillery gains county approval; set to begin production Summer 2015

Howard County, MD, March 20, 2015: Lost Ark Distilling, Co. is celebrating a big move forward as the company has signed a lease securing their location and is set to begin production in Summer 2015. The owners, Brad Blackwell and Andy Debenham have been planning the distillery for over a year. After working with the Howard County Economic Development Authority and receiving written approval from the Howard County Zoning and Planning department, the distillery now has plans to proceed. Lost Ark Distilling, Co. will be the first distillery in Howard County and one of the first distilleries in the state of Maryland since the end of Prohibition.

Lost Ark will launch with a product offering of a mixed variety of rums and whiskeys. The owners are embracing the Farm to Table and Buy Local movement with the crafting of their spirits. Each product offering will be manufactured with corn and grains grown on Maryland farms. The two owners say that a majority of their grains will be purchased from Howard County farms. “Bringing in fresh grain grown locally and hand crafting it into something special and unique is what this is all about”, said Brad Blackwell, Co-Owner of Lost Ark. “It’s the special touch, the attention to detail, and the passion of our craft that we feel will make a unique and flavorful spirit that can only be found right here in Central Maryland”. They plan to host tours and tastings upon opening later in the year.

Lost Ark Distilling, Co. is named after a significant part of Maryland history. They tell the story with an intriguing passion:

The name was chosen as a symbol of the beginnings of our Free State, Maryland. The first settlers from Europe arrived in Maryland in 1634. Their voyage started from London, England four months earlier in November 1633. They traveled on two ships, the Ark and the Dove. Their goal, ordered by Lord Baltimore, was to setup the first proprietary colony in America. The passengers were carefully chosen because of their skills and abilities to survive. Everything would have to be made, grown, and repaired by hand. Their livelihood hinged on their ability to adapt and craft a new life, with their own hands and with the gifts given to them from the Maryland countryside and the Chesapeake Bay. We believe the Ark may have been lost, but the spirit and emotion of the hard working first settlers is still alive in Maryland today.

“Today, we believe these skills, the ability to hand craft whatever may be needed, have been lost,” said owner, Andy Debenham. “It’s our goal at Lost Ark to get back to those roots and embrace the mindset and emotion of those first settlers.” The two say they plan to craft unique and creative craft spirits, and do so from the Maryland farmland, just like the first settlers would have.

For further information, please contact Brad Blackwell or Andy Debenham –

brad@lostarkdistilling.com – andy@lostarkdistilling.com

Maryland Is Fast Becoming A Place To Watch For Beer And Spirits
Food Republic, March 2, 2015

A look at the state’s many breweries, distilleries
By Kathy Wielech Patterson

[…]Additionally, after a several-decades-long drought, Maryland boasts a couple of brand-new liquor distilleries. The state of Maryland was once known for its production of rye whiskey. This was tobacco country, and farmers planted rye in the winter as a way to renourish the depleted soil. It made sense to use part of the rye crop to make whiskey. Labels like Wight’s Sherbrook, Mount Vernon, Ryebrook and Pikesville Maryland Rye were found in bars across the country. Eventually rye-based cocktails fell out of fashion, and the distillers disappeared (as did a number of tobacco growers).

St. Michael’s Lyon Distilling Company produces rye whiskey, corn whiskey and both light and dark rum.

Pikesville, named after an area in Baltimore County, is still Maryland’s most popular rye brand. Today, however, it’s known as Pikesville Supreme Rye, as it’s been made in Kentucky since the 1980s. So the state known for rye hadn’t produced the stuff for — well, for some folks — a lifetime. Until now. Lyon Distilling Company, in St. Michael’s on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, has come out with Maryland Free State Rye, the state’s first rye in four decades.

The state’s first new distillery makes Sloop Betty Vodka and rum and is working on a rye whiskey.

Lyon isn’t the first new distillery in Maryland. That distinction goes to Blackwater Distilling in Stevensville, also on the Eastern Shore, just over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. They’re also working on their own rye whiskey. The first batch of Mr. Haddaway’s Maryland Rye won’t be ready for a while, though. In the meantime, we’re enjoying the Sloop Betty Vodka, which comes in both traditional and honey flavors. Blackwater also has a brand-new rum product, Picaroon, which makes its debut this year. Distilled from raw cane syrup and a tropical sugarcane yeast, Picaroon has a sweet vanilla and cream flavor. A gold rum will be next in the pipeline. Lyon’s got rums, too: white, seasonal and barrel-aged, all of which are sold both at the distillery and at a handful of Maryland and D.C. stores, bars and restaurants.

Baltimore City boasts a new distillery as well, called Louthan. They’re making corn whiskey using Maryland-grown corn, some of which comes from a city farm garden down the street from the distillery. Down toward D.C., Twin Valley Distillers, in Rockville, is producing bourbon, vodka, rums and corn whiskey. They’re using grain from local farmers, which, when spent, goes back to them as animal feed.

It’s almost hard to believe that Maryland ranked fifth in U.S. alcohol production before Prohibition, but four distilleries (with a handful more in progress) is a pretty good start, we think. When you add in the number of breweries that have opened in Maryland, the booze boom over the last 10 years or so has been staggering (see what I did there?). Hopefully it won’t slow down anytime soon.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.foodrepublic.com/2015/03/02/maryland-fast-becoming-place-watch-beer-and-spirit