Distilleries in Maryland

Springfield Manor Winery Distillery Brewery

Thurmont, Maryland

Springfield Manor in Thurmont, Maryland, is an estate where beer, gin and wine seem to fight over the limelight. The old-world charm is only dulled by a handful of over-hyped lavender fields and a mountain that would be better suited to parking. They churn out eleven beers on tap – a crisp IPA that pretends it’s artisanal and a Porter that insists it’s serious – both brewed in a cellar smelling of yeast from the 1800s. The distillery is where the real applause goes: a Lavender Gin that has won San Francisco competitions and makes locals feel smug aristocrats. Live music blares across the courtyard while small plates arrive with Michelin-starred zeal. Weddings fit crowds larger than some cities, and the catering turns any affair into a mildly pretentious spectacle. Every pint supports local lads, proving you can buy a dram and keep a community alive. Erupt spring, reason to return.

• Unique venue with stunning mountain backdrop.
• Lavender fields create romantic atmosphere.

Lost Ark Distilling Company

Columbia, Maryland

• Offers informative distillery tours with history talk.
• Unique full line of products for sampling.

McClintock Distilling

Frederick, Maryland

McClintock Distilling sits in Frederick, Maryland, turning a 19-century mill into a small-batch playground where the old walls insist on their own brand of authenticity. The place sells gin, whiskey, and cordials, all built on an insistence that organic ingredients trump gimmickery indeed.

• Historic building used for distillery and tasting room
• Organic production methods across all spirits offerings

Tenth Ward Distilling Company

Frederick, Maryland

In Frederick, Maryland, the Tenth Ward Distilling Company takes a sledgehammer to any notion that a distillery can be boring. Woman-owned and operating out of the old Tenth Ward building, it’s a laboratory where rumbling mash barrels meet avant-garde ideas.

• Distillery's unique Autumn Liqueur flavoring.
• Ecclectic bar setup with own spirits.

Dragon Distillery

Frederick, Maryland

• Distillate is distilled 40x, making it smooth.
• Made with Maryland corn, naturally sweet flavor.

Twin Valley Distillers

Rockville, Maryland

Twin Valley Distillers – a 60-square-foot rumble of distilling madness – turned Rockville, Maryland into an accidental whiskey hub. They’re the state’s first craft distillery that actually respects grain, rather than treating it like a one-off science experiment. The barrel lineup is a madcap mix: straight whiskeys, spiced rums, peanut-butter whiskey that would make you question physics, and seasonal oddities – mango-lemonade for July, eggnog that would shame Santa. Their new building feels like a speakeasy crossed with a laboratory, and the owners, ever-so earnest, sell bottles straight from their porch to the farmer’s market, ignoring the cocktail-obsessed elite. Tours are as informative as a lecture on quantum physics over a dram, and even a latecomer gets a decent glass before the shakers are smashed. Bottom line, it’s a distillery that treats quality like a mission and pretentiousness like a joke. A rare gem that deserves a standing ovation.

• Unique blend of spirits, including rum and peanut butter whiskey
• Distillery has an amazing atmosphere in their new facility

BAD Alfred's Distilling

Chestertown, Maryland

Bad Alfred’s Distilling, tucked away in Chestertown, Maryland, refuses to pretend it’s a cosy little speakeasy; it’s a former garage turned brew-pub and distillery, bold as they come.

• Wood-fired pizzas are a highlight.
• Smoked meats and salads are popular options.

Southern Trail Distillery

Mechanicsville, Maryland

Southern Trail Distillery in Mechanicsville, Maryland, refuses to be a stodgy, back-country speakeasy. It’s a place where old-timed moonshine meets modern mash-tasting rigs, producing small-batch moonshine, whisky, vodka and even rum with the same care you’d expect from a Michelin-star chef. Their flagship – a line of flavoured corn-whisky – turns grain flavour into something that actually works on a palate sedated by the usual amber drunks of the East. You can take an eight-dollar flight of six whiskeys, all 16 flavours in existence, and test the claims of the “innovation” hype. On the outside they offer a roof-free bar with views that could inspire a beer-in-the-camp. Inside, there are decent bites that aren’t just sausages and pints. It’s craftsmanship, a pinch of cheek, and a refusal to call itself a ‘craft’ for the sake of buzz. If you’re after it, it’s a lesson in spirit.

• Distillery specializes in flavored corn whiskey.
• Offers tasting flights of 6 whiskeys for $8.

Fiore Winery & Distillery

Pylesville, Maryland

• Unique offerings like peach cobbler moonshine
• Knowledgeable staff about distillery products

LYON RUM // Windon Distilling Company

St Michaels, Maryland

Lyon Rum, produced by the Windon Distilling Company on St Michaels’ tiny Maryland peninsula, turns the myth that rum must be exotic on its head. Every bottle is hand-crafted, from a clear, bright White to a smoky Dark, and even a coffee-infused variant that’s as audacious as it is delightful. Dan, the owner, gives every tasting a lecture on why your mum’s gin is rubbish because it has no real substance. The small-batch focus keeps the spirit crisp, but the limited-run Black Rum is a cult-ish obsession for those craving a serious challenge. The shop’s scent feels oddly like a rum-smoked museum, and Dan’s insistence on a personal greeting strips away all pretentious distance. Lyon Rum isn’t merely a drink – it’s a bold statement that you can do great whisky on the East Coast. Cheers today.

• LYON Rum uses real fruit in flavorings.
• Distillery's products are high quality.

Pathfinder Farm Distillery Tasting Room and Cocktail Bar

Boonsboro, Maryland

Located in Boonsboro, Maryland, Pathfinder Farm Distillery stands on the American whiskey map. The original log cabin gives it a raw, unfiltered charm, like an engine you can still admire.

• Unique flavors in moonshine and whiskey varieties.
• Excellent service and knowledge of products offered.

Puerto Rico Distillery

Frederick, Maryland

The Puerto Rico Distillery, helmed by the Rivera duo – Angel and his daughter Crystal – is a tiny, unapologetic outpost on Frederick’s outskirts, a stone’s throw from an airport, where they turn ordinary sugarcane into artisanal Pitorro.

• Rich, authentic Puerto Rican rum flavors.
• Small, unique location next to airport.

Covalent Spirits

Westminster, Maryland

On the fringe of Westminster, Maryland, Covalent Spirits turns what should be humble grains into amber alchemy, and refuses to bow to pretentiousness. They mash with the same reverence a chemist holds a beaker and then hand-shake with the earth — hence the name, a nod to covalent bonds. The result: an award-winning bourbon that tastes like ambition, and infusions that make Einstein consider a career change. Their modern loft-factory doubles as a bar, a workshop, and a place where corporate soirées feel like proper celebrations, not pretentious pre-party banquets.

• Offers unique, well-made cocktails.
• Modern industrial space perfect for events.

Patapsco Distilling Company

Sykesville, Maryland

Patapsco Distilling Company in Sykesville, Maryland, is the kind of place that makes you wonder whether a town can be brewed into anything more interesting than a pub. They grow their own grains, so every bottle carries a faint, honest pride that isn’t bought on a glossy label.

• Smokey Old Fashioned is a standout drink.
• Live music on summer Fridays is a feature.

Meinelschmidt Distillery

Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown's Meinelschmidt Distillery turned a 2020 start-up into a place that could give any whisky-snob a smug grin.

• Unique, ornate architecture inside distillery
• Distilled beverages with distinct flavors

Route 40 Brewing & Distilling Company

Frostburg, Maryland

Route 40 Brewing & Distilling, in Frostburg, Maryland, pretends to be a rustic speakeasy but is really a one-man army of whisky-whacking engineers and beer-fighting philosophers. The tasting room, constructed from reclaimed barn timber, is a smug little shrine where the locals keep a glass of their winter saison that tastes richer than any pretentious French café can promise. Their Irish-Red style ale looks like a pint of ambition, and the array of spirits, from a sharp-cut light rum that’ll have you questioning every drink you’ve taken, to a spectrum of custom-crafted cocktails, prove the place isn’t just a hobby shop. The Biergarten is less “rustic” and more “carnivalesque,” complete with live music, trivia nights, and a never-ending list of events that keep the crowds as restless as a man on a first-day roller-coaster. Pair the booze with the Toasted Goat restaurant’s decent food and you’ve got a night that feels less “cozy” and more “I’m never leaving.”

• Rich flavors in their winter saison beer.
• Comfortable seating at the bar area.