Pikesville was born in Maryland, but it wasn’t born in Pikesville, Maryland. It was originally produced in a town near to Pikesville called Scott’s Level by the L. Winand & Brothers Distillery in 1895. No, we don’t know why they called it Pikesville if they weren’t based in Pikesville. A mystery for the ages.
Naming aside, Pikesville was a classic Maryland rye: somewhat less peppery than other rye produced elsewhere - and people liked it for that reason. It was all going well for Pikesville, until that pesky Prohibition happened, causing the distillery to close. Once Prohibition ended, however, the brand was purchased by a businessman, who would go on to contract the Monumental distillery to produce Pikesville rye. The distillery would go on to change hands, and eventually production was ceased in 1972, though Pikesville rye would continue to be sold due to surviving stock. At this point, Pikesville was the last surviving Maryland rye, and the story of Maryland rye could have ended with the stocks dwindling to nothing.
But it didn’t. In 1982, Heaven Hill bought the Pikesville brand and began to produce it in Kentucky in the Maryland style. Today, Pikesville is still owned by Heaven Hill, and currently made at their Bernheim distillery. The range consists of their classic Pikesville Straight Rye, and the Pikesville 6 Year Old 110 Proof Straight Rye, which has earned itself quite a reputation by taking home several big awards, including World’s Best Rye at the 2016 World Whiskies Awards and Second Finest Whisky in the World in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2016.