Eli Breitburg-Smith
Eli Breitburg-Smith
(1986 – present)
Baltimore Spirits Company
From Homebrewer to Co-owner of Baltimore Spirits Company
Every single whiskey starts with a history. Baltimore Spirits Company, founded in 2015 by Eli Breitburg-Smith, Max Lents, and Ian Newton, has a story of its own to be told. Eli and Max were classmates at Goucher College in Baltimore and Max and Ian grew up together as friends in Texas. Inspired by Baltimore’s history, music, sports, arts and cuisine, Max, Ian and Eli humbly own and operate their distillery. These three are sometimes referred to as “the musician, the philosopher, and the anthropologist”.
A Special Beginning. Eli Breitburg-Smith, co-founder and head distiller at Baltimore Spirits Company, began his distilling career as a homebrewer and then worked in a homebrew shop. After spending one year working at the Great Basin Brewery in Reno, Nevada, Eli returned home to Baltimore, Maryland where he worked at Peabody Heights Brewery. During his tenure at Peabody, his friends Max Lents and Ian Newton asked Eli to help them plan a distillery. Part of the plan was for Max and Ian to hire an experienced distiller. After six months on the job the distiller quit, and Max immediately called Eli and asked him if he wanted to switch to whiskey. The rest is history, thus significantly contributing to the foundation for Baltimore Spirits Company and the Maryland Rye Whiskey Industry. Eli has said: “At one time Maryland was the premiere source of rye whiskey for the country. It waned in the early part of the 20th century and was nearly gone during prohibition. Now it is making a comeback.”
Under the Influence of Rock... a “High” Society. For a period of time, Eli was a brewer during the day and worked on rock operas at night. The greatest influence that helped shape Baltimore Spirits Company and the Maryland Rye Whiskey Industry wasn’t the limestone filtered water, or even the State of Maryland’s storied Rye History. It was the Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS). Eli was one of the founders in 2009. This organization still produces original live rock operas. The organization was started by people who weren’t afraid to go big and make something amazing happen without a lot of resources. Eli’s belief is “If you work hard and focus on quality, you can accomplish big things, even without deep pockets.” This ideal was carried over to the Baltimore Spirits Company. Founding BROS was a life changing experience for Eli. He and five of his friends had big ideas and lots of energy. Together, they put their energy to good use and created something truly magical. Their very first show sold out completely (300+ tickets a show) for two weekends in a row and then repeated the same success 6 months later.
An Incredible Journey. Baltimore Spirits company was founded in 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The city’s most innovative distillery, crafting spirits you won’t find anywhere else. They produced the first barrel of whiskey in Baltimore City in over 50 years, thus bringing Maryland Rye Whiskey production back to its cultural home. All their whiskey is done in-house, primarily with Maryland rye grain and malt. The whiskey is produced using a pot still operation paying homage to Maryland’s rye whiskey heritage. Maryland rye whiskey was a near extinct spirit brought back to life in its historic home. Baltimore Spirits Company has a small but mighty team which has produced a sizeable amount of whiskey. Baltimore Epoch Rye Whiskey Reserve is their flagship product, giving a nod to Maryland’s rich rye whiskey history. Eli explained that, “We did plenty of research on what had been done in the past and then pulled from a variety of influences to end up with a whiskey that we felt had something to add to the conversation and wouldn’t be mistaken for anything else.” Eli sees the Baltimore Spirits Company and their award-winning Epoch Rye Whiskey as the “shining North Star for Maryland Rye whiskey today and beyond”. They also have a finished Epoch Rye line and a liqueur line.
Eli wears many hats to help keep the team moving forward. He has always been the head of operations and is involved in the day-to-day distilling. In the past he has been involved with the sales of the products and partnering with restaurants and bars to do tastings, classes and dinners and other special events. He loves meeting his customers and sharing the Baltimore Spirits Company story.
Their Cocktail Gallery features photography, art, music, and movies which play a part in forming a community around their spirits. Baltimore Spirits company offers tours where people can create their own blends and leave with a bottle of whiskey. Their bottles are embossed with the Old Baltimore Shot Tower, putting their unique stamp on everything they do.
A Love for Distilling. With a deep respect for preserving Maryland’s rich distilling history and an eagerness to innovate by pushing the boundaries to make new creations, Baltimore Spirits Company continues to use old world distillation methods to create new world spirits for local enthusiasts and global audiences. According to Eli, whiskey has it all. Eli is constantly fascinated by mashing, fermentation, and the creation of flavor during that process. He says, “There are an infinite number of small or large changes you can make that will have an impact on the final product. That was all true with brewing, but with whiskey the complexity and possibilities just keep growing. Distillation method and still operation influence the outcome of your whiskey, even small considerations like the ambient conditions or cooling water temperature can change the character of your distillate. All of that is before you even get to barrel aging, which is what many people think of as having the greatest impact on what we think of as whiskey character overall. Learning what affects the changes you make will have years down the road, is what makes whiskey production something that you can do forever and never find boring. I’m a believer that it is an art and a science and getting to share the results with people over time has been very rewarding.”
Impact on the Maryland Whiskey Industry. When asked about his impact on the whiskey industry over the past 10 years, Eli humbly said, “Ask me again in 10 years”. Looking at the success Baltimore Spirits Company has had since opening in 2015, one can clearly see the impact. Eli was a Maryland Distillers Guild (MDG) founding member and their 4th President. MDG was instrumental in the passing of a Maryland State Bill that made Rye Whiskey the Official State Spirit, effective October 1, 2023. Eli and MDG are responsible for Spirits of Maryland events held 4 times a year and establishing November as Spirits Month.
Eli is an advocate for legislative change. He has worked tirelessly to advance legislation to make Maryland more friendly to small business owners in the distilling industry. He worked with MDG to pass legislation to allow distillers to self-distribute, to make cocktails with their own spirits, and sell at farmer’s markets and off-site events. Eli, Max and Ian have successfully led Baltimore Spirits to great achievements, including accolades and awards at widely respected whiskey competitions, including Epoch Rye Whiskey Four Double Gold Medals San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023. NY International Spirits named them Maryland Rye Distiller of the year. Humbly, Eli sees these awards as simply being “on the right track with consistent results”.
Baltimore Spirits Company has played a pivotal role in shaping the state’s evolving spirits’ landscape, and they continue to contribute to further establishing the long-time existing Maryland whiskey brands and their distilleries, so they become staple whiskies for the local consumers. Baltimore Spirits Company is always looking to help the core Maryland whiskeys gain more traction in the marketplace.
The distillery focuses on sustainability, using ground water as their primary cooling source which uses half the energy a traditional chiller uses. They primarily use local grain producers who leverage environmentally responsible practices and other clean energy sources when possible.
Guidance for Up-and-Coming Distillers. Eli’s recommendation for newbies is, “Any new distiller should begin with an understanding of what they like to make and make it! Don’t try to make what you think other people will like.” He also recommends investing in furthering your education in the industry. “There is always something new to learn. Make sure you have a thorough understanding of raw materials and fermentation before you get started, otherwise, you will never make a great product”, he added.
Life Beyond the Distillery. Eli was born and raised in Calvert County, Maryland. His favorite pastime was hunting shark’s teeth and fossils along the Calvert Cliffs near the Chesapeake Bay. Eli is a huge fan of Baltimore and Maryland. He loves the small-town feel, the great music, art, and food. Eli and his wife love to cook and try new recipes. They have two children and love the outdoors.
Eli’s favorite way to drink whiskey changes based on what season it is in Maryland. When he does enjoy whiskey, it is usually with an ice cube. Though there are some whiskies he would add a drop of water to and others he would enjoy neat. His most memorable bottle was Thomas Handy 2015.
