History
Establishment and Location
Gwynnbrook Distillery was established in the autumn of 1905 along the Western Maryland Railroad between Gwynnbrook and Owings Mills. Frank J. Shipley, formerly secretary at Winand Distilling Company and head of its facilities, became the first president and thus led the plant's startup. The building was designed by architect J.H.Krone, and the coppersmith Martin J. Kavanaugh was hired to outfit the facility. The distillery and fermentation rooms were planned for 72 × 100 feet and 3.5 stories; the boiler house measured 36 × 46 feet. The bonded warehouse had a stone foundation and corrugated iron as walls. The first storage building was 60 × 72 feet and 9 stories, and several more warehouses would follow. The distillery operated 9 months a year and could produce around 10,000 barrels per year. Shipley indicated that the location along the Western Maryland Railroad was chosen due to its reputation and excellent water quality in Maryland.
Early Events and Production
In the early 1900s there were significant investments in Maryland rye whiskey. Gwynnbrook was one of the Baltimore-based distilleries competing in the Canton area; Shipley noted the importance of Maryland rye and water as critical factors. In 1910, the whiskey in Gwynnbrook's nine-story warehouse was nearly four years old when a severe rainstorm and flooding damaged the foundation, and half the building collapsed. The costs were estimated at around $100,000, but the construction crew were quickly onsite again to clear the debris and get the plant back up and running.
Prohibition and Medicinal Whiskey
In September 1915, Gwynnbrook lost its founder and plant manager with the death of J. Frank Shipley. The latter years of Maryland rye whiskey began to approach Prohibition, and in 1919 the property was sold at auction to Morris Schapiro and John Roney for about $15,500. Schapiro and Roney began dismantling the buildings and later producing medicinal rye whiskey during Prohibition. From November 1920 to January 1922 Gwynnbrook was involved in the production and sale of medicinal rye whiskey, and over the two active years some 518,541.79 gallons of rye whiskey were produced. The whiskey was stored on-site in Gwynnbrook’s warehouses, which again left the owner exposed to armed robberies.
After Prohibition and Ownership
In 1924, the contents of the bonded warehouses were moved to Baltimore Distilling Company's concentration warehouses owned by American Spirits Manufacturing Company (the Whiskey Trust). The sale of Gwynnbrook whiskey was carried out in intervals between 1927 and 1933. Most of Gwynnbrook rye whiskey barrels were bottled by AMSC as Mount Vernon Pure Rye Whiskey, while some were bottled under Gwynnbrook Pure Rye. Any rye whiskey sold as Gwynnbrook Rye Whiskey by Gwynnbrook Distilling Company before 1925 was sold by Morris Schapiro under his own license.
In 1934 Gwynnbrook Distillery's property was sold to Patapsco Spirits Company, which already had gained control over the Hunter-Baltimore Rye trademark. Gwynnbrook was thus active for a period during Prohibition as a source of medicinal whiskey and later as part of the larger network of whiskey stock distribution.
Importance
Gwynnbrook is regarded as one of the distilleries that produced medicinal rye whiskey during Prohibition, and thus holds a significant place in American whiskey history, particularly regarding Maryland rye and the Whiskey Trusts' role in the distribution of mature stocks after repeal. There is also mention of the Mount Vernon Rye brand, where the Gwynnbrook Distilling Company's liquids were used in marketing and bottling programs after Prohibition.