What is a Hazmat Whiskey
What is a HAZMAT whiskey? There are a few words that will always perk up a whiskey lover’s ears: single barrel, cask strength, sherry bomb,…
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In the 1800s, Maryland Straight Rye was the most revered and sought-after whiskeys in America. Prohibition and the consolidation of American whiskey production nearly erased the style altogether. Baltimore Spirits Company created Epoch Rye to reclaim that history and carry it forward.
As the first rye whiskey distilled in Baltimore City in more than 75 years, Epoch marked the return of a tradition that had nearly disappeared. More than a decade later, it has become an award-winning expression of what Maryland Rye can be in the 21st century.

Maryland’s rye whiskey tradition was shaped by Scottish and Irish settlers who brought their distilling knowledge to the state in the colonial era. The resulting whiskey became known for its depth, character, and distinctly regional identity.
Epoch Rye is both a tribute to and a continuation of that tradition. Baltimore Spirits Company uses the methods and ideas that made Maryland Rye distinctive to create a whiskey entirely its own.
Like many traditional Maryland Ryes of the 1800s, Epoch is distilled in copper pot stills. The slower, inefficient process captures a broad range of grain, fruit, spice, and fermentation character, resulting in a richer and more complex style of rye whiskey.

Epoch Rye is made by a small team on a deliberately small scale. From fermentation and copper pot distillation to barrel selection and blending, production is limited by the time and attention required to each release its proper attention. Our approach has never been to make the most whiskey. It has always been to make the best whiskey.
That deliberate approach has earned recognition from some of the most respected names in American whiskey.

Five-Time Double Gold Medal Winner
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Fred Minnick’s Top 100 Whiskeys in America
Selected for one of the country’s most closely watched annual whiskey lists.
San Francisco World Spirits Competition Best-in-Category Finalist
Recognized among the competition’s highest-rated rye whiskeys.
How Epoch Rye Whiskey is Made

Every Epoch expression begins with 100% rye grain, including a substantial proportion of malted rye.
While Epoch was never designed as a clone of a historic whiskey, all-rye mash bills have deep roots in Maryland distilling. Historic bottles were sometimes labeled “Pure Rye,” signaling that the whiskey was made without adjunct grains.
Epoch carries that idea forward through a mash built entirely around rye and the range of flavors the grain can produce.

Epoch Rye is fermented with two different yeast strains: one traditional American whiskey yeast and one Belgian ale yeast.
Both are high ester-producing strains, creating layers of fruit and aromatic complexity during fermentation. Wooden, open-top fermentation increases that complexity. The copper pot-distillation process carries that fermentation character into the finished spirit.

After fermentation, the rye mash is distilled twice through two one-of-a-kind copper pot stills designed specifically for Baltimore Spirits Company.
These low-rectification stills are intentionally slow and inefficient. Rather than producing a highly neutral spirit as quickly as possible, they preserve more of the character created by the rye grain, malt, yeast, and fermentation.
The process takes longer. That’s the point.

Epoch Rye begins aging in new charred 53-gallon American white oak barrels. Baltimore Spirits Company uses two distinct barrel chars, giving the distilling team a broader range of flavors and maturation profiles to work with.
After years in the warehouse, each barrel is tasted and evaluated by the master distiller. Only then is it selected for a final blend, reserved for a special release, or left to continue aging.
Find Your Epoch

The Flagship Maryland Rye
Epoch Reserve is the signature expression of Baltimore Spirits Company’s modern Maryland Rye.
Aged over four years and bottled at 100 proof, it pairs the depth of pot-distilled rye with notes of cherry candy, cedar, ripe tropical fruit, and cinnamon. It is a beautiful sipping whiskey and outstanding introduction to the house style and the place to begin exploring the Epoch collection.
Specifications

Extended Aging and Bottled Straight from the Barrel
Maryland Epoch 6 Year Cask Strength Rye is aged for a minimum of 6 years before being bottled at Cask Strength, without any dilution or filtering. This is a pure and unadulterated expression of our spirit, and one sought after by true whiskey enthusiasts.
In 2026 it was a finalist for Best in Category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, placing it among the finest Rye Whiskeys in the world.
Specifications

A Rotating Cast of Exclusive Finishes
The distillery maintains a rotating release schedule of various barrel finishes in the Epoch Rye line-up. These Rye Whiskeys have endured a second aging period in a finishing barrel, altering and adding to the inherent flavor profile of Epoch Rye. Browse the online shop for current availability..
Past Releases

A Limited Exploration of the Epoch Warehouse
Beyond barrel finishes we often find unique barrels or even alternative whiskeys in the warehouse for special release. From HAZMAT barrels to alternative mash-bills, it is always worth keeping an eye out for hyper-limited releases.
Get Epoch Rye at the Source
What is a HAZMAT whiskey? There are a few words that will always perk up a whiskey lover’s ears: single barrel, cask strength, sherry bomb,…
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