Baltimore Spirits Company Launches New Whiskey Series Tied To Artists

by Gary Carter
March 26, 2022

The Baltimore Spirits Company recently joined forces with the Maryland Institute College of Art to launch a $10,000 annual award to be granted to a graduating art student, also debuting a related whiskey series.

The Baltimore Spirits Company Launch Artists in Baltimore (LAB) Award will be given to a student that displays exceptional aptitude in painting, sculpture, film, video, mixed media, or performing art.

In honor of the program, Baltimore Spirits is releasing a new whiskey collection, The Artist Series, to be released each year the award is given, with proceeds funding the $10,000 student prize.

Baltimore Spirits Artist Series (image via Baltimore Spirits Company)

The first edition of The Artist Series Whiskey is a single barrel, two-year cask-strength single malt rye. The spirit clocks in at 118 proof (59% ABV) and can be purchased from them for $64.99 by logging on to www.baltimorespiritsco.com.

The MICA graduating class of 2022 will be the first group eligible to apply for the award, which in addition to a financial prize also offers the opportunity to exhibit work or documentation of work in Baltimore Spirits’ Cocktail Gallery.

Applicants will be required to submit a portfolio of their work as well as a personal statement about their future creative endeavors. The winner will be announced on June 1st.

Max Lents, Baltimore Spirits co-founder and CEO, said the award’s aim is to provide a launching platform for graduating students to enter and meaningfully contribute to Baltimore’s cultural landscape.

“We consider ourselves artists as much as anything else, and we’ve been lucky to find some success in following our creative passions,” Lents said in a prepared statement. “It’s always been apparent to us that Baltimore’s soul and spirit are inextricable from its artistic youth. We feel there’s no better way to invest in our city’s future than to empower young artists within our community.”