New Cocktail Bar Opens at Sagamore Spirit Distillery
Sagamore Spirit recently opened the Nineteen O’Nine whiskey bar at its waterfront distillery in Port Covington. This operation was made possible due to legislation passed in the Maryland General Assembly in 2019 that paved the way for distilleries to have bars.
Nineteen O’Nine is located in a tasting room and outdoor patio that was used during tours at Sagamore Spirit. A second tasting room remains open for tours on the campus.
Sagamore Spirit President Brian Treacy said, since the passing of the legislation, the company took some time to redesign the space, get the proper licenses, and undertake renovations. Some delays were also experienced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nineteen O’Nine opened in fall 2020 under limited capacity and reopened this spring following Baltimore City-mandated bar shutdowns. Its 630 sq. ft. on the inside and accommodates 45 to 50 guests and can be booked for private parties.
Nineteen O’Nine is open Friday from 4pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 8pm, and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.
It offers rye whiskey pours of its Sagamore Spirit Signature Straight, Double Oak, Cask Strength, and Reserve Series on the rocks or neat, along with flights. It also offers signature cocktails such as a Manhattan, old fashioned, and mint julep using its rye whiskeys.
Nineteen O’Nine is opening as the restaurant on the campus, Rye Street Tavern, is taking a pause to “reimagine” its concept. A timeline has not been given for the return of Rye Street Tavern.
Full tours of the distillery will return on June 9th, and Sagamore Spirit’s Whiskey on the Waterfront event series returns this year on the third Saturday of every month from May to October. Sagamore Spirit saw its waterfront green space increase in the past year with the completion of a new bulkhead along the water. Whiskey on the Waterfront features live music, food trucks, lawn games, and local breweries.
Another change for Sagamore Spirit is the conversion of Sagamore Farm in Baltimore County from a horse racing facility to a location to grow rye and corn for the distillery. The farm has always supplied the limestone-filtered water for the whiskey.
Treacy said 2020 wasn’t the year Sagamore Spirit wanted, but said it “wasn’t a bad year.” The company saw an uptick in liquor store sales and it also used its distillery to make hand sanitizer for local healthcare workers.
Treacy said the company is “very optimistic with the way things are tracking” this year and is looking forward to opening the distillery at full operation and “getting back to normalcy.”
The company is also looking forward to the completion of Chapter 1B of the Port Covington Development which is underway across the street from Sagamore Spirit. It will deliver new office, retail, hotel, apartment, and event spaces in 2022.
Treacy said Sagamore Spirit is “beyond excited” and that “business can only improve.”
Photos below courtesy of Sagamore Spirit
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
