When Kevin Plank, the assured founder of sports apparel powerhouse Under Armour, set his sights on whiskey back in 2012, it wasn’t just another bold business move—rather it was a love letter to his home state’s long forgotten rye heritage. Plank, along with partner Bill McDermott, wanted to invest in Maryland in a way that resonated with the region’s past. Their inspiration? The limestone-rich spring at Sagamore Farm, a thoroughbred horse racing estate Plank had purchased in 2007.

That spring water—long prized in whiskey-making—sparked research that led them to uncover Maryland’s once-booming rye industry. Before Prohibition, more than 40 distilleries thrived in the state, their spicy, full-bodied ryes renowned across the country. By the 1970s, they were all gone, casualties of war, changing tastes (aka the infamous whiskey crash) and consolidation. So Plank and McDermott saw a chance to resurrect rye in Charm City with Sagamore Spirits.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @boozeoftheday

The early days were about building a foundation. While they steadied themselves, and built their distillery in Baltimore’s Port Covington neighborhood, Sagamore Spirit initially sourced whiskey from Indiana’s MGP. One of the largest rye producers in America, renowned for their 95% rye / 5% malted barley mash bill, MGP’s recipe built labels like Templeton, Bulleit, High West and Redemption, while also being used by the likes of Angel’s Envy, Smooth Ambler, George Dickel and more. 

From the beginning, however, one of the ways Sagamore distinguished itself was utilizing a unique mash bill philosophy. Instead of leaning solely on MGP’s now-classic “high-rye” 95% rye, Sagamore uses two recipes—adding a “low rye” (52% rye, 43% corn, 5% malted barley) to the mix. By blending this other rye that hovers close to a bourbon in its high-corn grain bill, Sagamore creates a whiskey with rye’s spice but also a softer, sweeter profile. “We’re trying to educate the consumer,” Ryan Norwood, the brand’s Vice President of Operations, tells Maxim. “At the same time we’re trying to bring bourbon drinkers into rye.”

Those barrels gave the fledgling brand a foundation while their own Baltimore distillery took shape. In 2017, steel and copper finally met in Sagamore’s Patapsco River waterfront home, and the brand began laying down its own whiskey—mostly replicas of those twin MGP high- and low-rye whiskeys which built the Sagamore name. But the team made a deliberate choice: instead of flipping a switch, they slowly transitioned, blending their own whiskey into the MGP juice until Sagamore’s flagship Small Batch and Cask Strength expressions were fully Maryland-made—an achievement the former only achieved last year, and latter earlier this year.

That approach comes to full expression in Sagamore’s latest Reserve Series release: a 10-Year Rye, bottled at just over 110 proof (55.4% ABV). Made from some of the earliest MGP stock Sagamore ever purchased, the whiskey is both a farewell and a milestone—one of the last sourced barrels before the brand fully transitions to its own distillate. For Norwood, it’s a fitting capstone: “For me, rye kind of has that sweet spot between about six and ten years.”

Despite being sourced from Indiana, Maryland’s climate leaves its own fingerprint on the spirit. With humid summers and frigid winters, the state’s seasonal swings push whiskey deep into the oak barrels’ wood and back again, extracting flavor in bold strokes. Unlike Kentucky or Indiana, Norwood reveals Sagamore’s rickhouses often see proof rise during maturation, adding another layer of character. The result in the 10-Year is a whiskey the VP describes as “super balanced… with notes of peach crumble, roasted nuts, rye spice, with just enough sweetness to round it out.”

The 10-Year release is limited, and rye aficionados will likely snap it up for its SRP of $80. But for Sagamore it’s less about chasing hype than telling a story—about water and wood, about Maryland’s forgotten past, and about a decade-long gamble slowly paying off. Beyond being Sagamore Spirits oldest rye to date, the newest addition to its award-winning Reserve Series is also both an ending and a beginning, a tribute to the barrels that carried them this far, and a promise of what’s to come as more of their whiskey carries the unmistakable mark of Baltimore.

Follow our Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.

Guinness is dropping a limited edition, 10% ABV Stock Ale aged in bourbon barrels that’s a bracing blend of Baltimore-brewed Guinness Barleywine and a Guinness Imperial Stout.

The Irish stout standard-bearers recently opened a new brewery in Baltimore and they say the resulting ale aged in Bulleit Bourbon barrels is an intense, full-bodied brew that has flavors of “nutty chocolate, raisins, roasted barley and sweet dark fruit” and exudes aromas of “vanilla, coffee, stone fruit and ripe berries.”

“One of the really cool things about brewing a stock ale is that you actually get to brew two completely separate beers with unique traits and their own identities, and then blend them together to create a beer that takes on some of both, but also has a life of its own,” says Sean Brennan, senior brewer at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore. 

Guinness Stock Ale Aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels hits shelves at specialty beer stores across the U.S. in 4-packs of 11.2 ounce bottles for a limited time beginning Friday, November 15 for $19.99.

The brand is also offering a limited-edition Milk Stout for a limited time this month as well.

Guinness has unveiled a brand-new beer made in its new Baltimore brewery called Guinness Over The Moon Milk Stout.

The dark brew is a full-bodied stout with a creamy mouthfeel and notes of roasted malt, milk chocolate and rich coffee flavors. Packing an ABV of 5.3%, this Milk Stout harvests hints of roasted barley and hops, adding a warming bitterness that is offset with the cream-like sweetness from the milk sugars of the lactose used in brewing.

“Guinness Over The Moon Milk Stout was born from an idea to make a beer that could celebrate our stout brewing expertise, speak to a wide spectrum of beer drinkers, and also convey the creativity and versatility of our brewing team here in Baltimore,” said Hollie Stephenson, Head Brewer at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery. 

“The beer has notes of caramel, chocolate, and a light roastiness that might remind some people of our historic stouts, however it finishes with a sweetness characteristic of milk stouts, which we believe makes this beer very approachable and appealing to a wider audience.”

The inspiration for the Over The Moon Milk Stout’s sky-blue packaging and smiling moon artwork came from artist John Gilroy’s iconic advertisements of the 1930s and 1950s, depicting beer-loving zoo animals interacting with pints of Guinness. 

Guinness also notes that the Over The Moon Milk Stout goes well with all manner of meals, especially sweets:

Its roasted barley character pairs nicely with most grilled or roasted meats, while its subtle sweetness and notes of chocolate and coffee blend nicely with a wide range of desserts like pecan pie, chocolate chip cookies or even s’mores. 

Guinness Over The Moon Milk Stout can be found on shelves now in select areas including the Baltimore, Boston, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia metro areas. 

Beginning in November, the stout will also be available nationally for a limited time. It will be sold in six packs of 12 oz cans for a suggested price of $10.99.