MARYLAND’S NEWEST DISTILLERY IS ON THE USS CONSTELLATION

An old tradition is coming back to life thanks to a local distillery and a Navy warship.

Tobacco Barn Distillery of Southern Maryland and the Historic Ships in Baltimore have teamed up to create a Maryland-made rum, complete with molasses from Baltimore’s Domino Sugar.

The two 53-gallon rum barrels – weighing approximately 500 pounds each – were hoisted aboard the USS Constellation earlier this month with help from the partnering organizations. The barrels are currently stored in the lower level of the ship, where they will age for the next four months.

It’s been more than 150 years since the USS Constellation sailed with barrels of rum resting on the backbone of the ship. Back in the 1800’s, rum was routine for sailors—a tradition that the Navy abolished in 1862.

“The rum…was part of the daily ration for sailors originally on the Constellation back in 1854 when she was commissioned,” said Scott Sanders, a retired rear admiral and partner of Tobacco Farm Distillery.

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