We now turn to the business of booze. Maryland has a rich history when it comes to rye whiskey, dating all the way back to the Civil War. After a brief hiccup during Prohibition, in the 1930s, Maryland led the nation in rye whiskey production.
However, after World War II, tastes started to change and people found blended whiskeys and bourbon more to their liking, weakening the status of straight rye whiskey. By 1982, Maryland rye production went down the drain. Recently, however, demand for this old-school drink has been surging, and new distilleries have been popping up all over. The first one in Baltimore in a long while to make this signature spirit is the Baltimore Whiskey Company, located in Baltimore’s Jones Falls corridor.
Baltimore Whiskey is owned and operated by Max Lents, Ian Newton and Eli Breitburg-Smith. They join Tom in the studio to talk about their start-up, their love for the craft of distilling spirits, and their big plans for the business in the next few years.
On Saturday, January 16th, The Walters Art Museum is hosting a cocktail party event “Rye Rocks At The Walters.” The event starts at 7. The party is celebrating the ongoing installation “From Rye To Raphael: The Walters Story” which shows how the signature drink launched the Walters family fortune.
