Epoch Reserve Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey

It just so happened that our first two samples in this lineup were also back-to-back stops on our Eastbound & Down…South roadtrip! Both of these distilleries are bringing back the rich Maryland Distilling culture to Baltimore, with Baltimore Spirits Company literally building their whole operation around recreating what might be the oldest type of whiskey made in our country: Maryland Rye. Founders Max and Eli have always had a complementary (and fun) set of skills, going all the way back to college, when their home-brewed beer served as fuel for many parties. Their shared “passion with a plan” was reignited by a desire to bring back Rye production to their home state. Many of our most popular rye brands today were historically from MD, but over time had transferred their distillation to other states. They knew this had to change, especially because, as Max says, “There’s only two whiskey geographies listed in federal code from back at the turn of the century: Kentucky Bourbon and Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey. So Maryland and Kentucky were the two kings of the two styles of American whiskey.” A lot of research and prep later and they were ready for spirit to start flowing in 2015, making them the “tip of the iceberg” for this new wave of craft distillers in America!

This Epoch Reserve is literally the whiskey they built the distillery to make. An authentic two pot still setup, open top douglas fir fermenters, 110 barrel entry proof, and even the inclusion of 25% malted rye into their 100% rye mash bill was done with intention and attention paid to how things used to be in the era, or “epoch”, of rye whiskey in our country. As Eli puts it, “Our system was set up to create a flavorful whiskey and faithfully get it into the barrel to get the most complexity out of it. That was our inspiration and why we took a historical lens when we designed our distillery.” You can taste the respect for history here, and when they guided us through their spirits last year, this Epoch Reserve jumped out of the glass to us as adding something unique and delicious to the category of American Rye. The heaviness of the spirit off the still sticks with you, with exotic wood and a delicious balance of spice and sweet fruit notes. This truly is, as Max says, “a returning of something that had been gone for a long time, a new moment of time bringing Rye back to the forefront of American whiskey culture.” And they’re not done yet! Their next era is both enterprising and revolutionary, with a new location planned that will allow them to seriously explore the interaction of distilling and food culture in a way that is modeled after European traditions. In conjunction with that, they are pulling back their distribution to only sell their whiskey on site at their tasting room, to provide the best possible experience and become a destination for their guests to see the identity, terroir, and culture around Maryland Rye. We’re grateful they allowed us to provide this Epoch Reserve to our members, so take advantage of having the full bottles available, as this is the last you’ll be able to get outside of visiting them (which we strongly encourage you to do, of course)!