Sagamore Spirit Distillery and Solid Light, a full-service firm that plans, designs and builds exhibits and visitor experiences, are leading a modern-day renaissance to restore Maryland’s forgotten heritage of crafting American whiskey. The new rye whiskey distillery opens on Friday, April 21 – complete with three tasting venues and a visitor center that makes guests part of the unforgettable stories of the people of Maryland’s past. To bring Maryland’s whiskey history alive, Solid Light’s research team found historical documents and images, and spoke to historians to understand what distilling in Maryland looked and felt like in its prime – before Prohibition.

This information became the foundation the team used to create interpretive graphics and interactive media elements, including a digital map of Maryland and Baltimore distilling throughout history. By blending the historical with the contemporary, the visitor experience tells the stories of Baltimore’s distilling pioneers in a way that resonates with today’s audiences. Everything from the visual media components to the look and feel of the tables in the tasting venues were designed and created by Solid Light to virtually take visitors on the 22-mile journey from the spring waters at Sagamore Farm — trucked in daily to make Sagamore rye whiskey — to the distillery in Baltimore.

Beyond the exhibit design and build, Solid Light worked with Sagamore Spirit’s developers to bring the brand and visitor experience to life — taking the project from renderings to the fabrication and installation of each design element— while acting as a key driver for the many stakeholders, architects, and vendors to ensure a cohesive design and meaningful visitor experience. “Sagamore Spirit is one of those milestone projects in a career,” said Solid Light Owner/President Cynthia Torp.

Everyone felt such passion and enthusiasm for this project, and the more stories we uncovered of Maryland’s history, the more our fascination grew. Helping to bring the Sagamore Spirit brand to life, driving and managing the project, and telling the stories of Baltimore’s distilling pioneers was exciting, challenging and fulfilling. This is spatial storytelling that visitors will remember long after they leave. Sagamore Spirit commissioned Solid Light to design and create a unique and memorable experience at the distillery that would inspire all of our guests,” said Brian Treacy, President of Sagamore Spirit.

“The team understood what we were trying to accomplish and helped us bring the Sagamore Spirit brand to life, as well as sharing Maryland’s rich distilling history.” The result is a Sagamore Spirit love story for Maryland that inspires visitors to discover, return and be a part of the renaissance of Maryland whiskey.

Design: Solid Light