On a cold morning late last year, a crew loaded barrels of Tobacco Barn Distillery's rum onto the USS Constellation, where the swaying of the boat helped age the rum by giving it more direct contact with the barrel. A crew met again last week to remove the barrels and replace them with new ones, which will age through early 2018.

Tobacco Barn Distillery and Historic Ships of Baltimore plan to make on-loading and off-loading of rum a new annual tradition in Maryland. But there's not much that's new to the process of getting the rum onto the ship. The crews load rum on and off the Constellation the same way that sailors did hundreds of years ago.

Want to try Tobacco Barn Distillers' Constellation Rum? Launch parties, happening in correlation with Light City, are planned for Sunday, April 2 and Monday, April 3, between 7-11 p.m. onboard the USS Constellation. Admission to the Constellation is free during the event, and constellation Rum will be available to sample and purchase. A portion of proceeds will go to Historic Ships in Baltimore. Old Line Distillery, Blackwater Distilling & Baltimore Whiskey Co.will also be joining Tobacco Barn Distillers during the event.

Scott Sanders, a retired rear admiral and partner of Tobacco Barn Distillery, says the aging of rum on the Constellation is part of a renaissance happening in Maryland's spirits industry. Once a leader in the nation, Maryland's industry slowed during and following prohibition, but has seen record growth since 2008, according to the Maryland Distillers Guild.

"We're the only state that's doing this," Sanders said of the unique aging of his company's rum.

Tobacco Barn Distillery is in good company in Maryland, with several new distilleries joining in the renaissance, including Lost Ark Distilling and McClintock Distilling, both of which opened in late 2016.

The American Distilling Institute has chosen Baltimore for its Annual Craft Spirits Conference & Vendor Expo, another sign of the local distilling renaissance. During the expo, scheduled April 3-6, Maryland will have the opportunity to showcase the unique and high-quality sprits made right here in Maryland.