The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission on Monday unanimously approved allowing distilleries in the county. The changes in the county’s zoning ordinance will also have to be approved by the county commissioners after a public hearing.
Robert Copsey, owner of a farm in the Oraville section of Mechanicsville, told the planners at a public Hearing two weeks ago that he would like to take a crack at making a go of it. “There’s a strong market for it,” he said.
According to St. Mary’s County Zoning Administrator Yvonne Chaillet, the proposal allows for the distilling and bottling of whiskey, but not the sale or tasting, as is allowed for wineries in the county. State law requires whiskey to be sold to a wholesaler and that law would have to be changed to allow direct sale. A prospective distiller would also have to secure two permits from the Maryland Comptroller’s Office.
The planning commission approval allows for distilleries in four zoning districts, including the Rural Preservation District (RPD). At the public hearing, Robert Jarboe, former county commissioner and Maryland Department of Agriculture official, expressed concern about potential traffic on rural roads. But Chaillet told the planners on Monday that Jarboe’s concerns weren’t an issue because the approval would not allow uses that generate traffic, such as retail sales or tastings.
Chaillet said that a site plan would be required even with the permitted use and that would allow citizens to comment, but she did admit there was no provision for notifying neighbors in that case.
There was some discussion about why the proposed zoning change didn’t include breweries as well. “I think we are missing an opportunity by not adding breweries,” said commission member Meryl Evans, Chaillet said no one had come forward to request a brewery.
Chaillet said at the public hearing that the beer brewing process was different from distilling alcohol. And, Copsey said he probably would not be interested in setting up a brewery because of the cost. Brew pubs, such as the Ruddy Duck in Solomons, are also prohibited in St. Mary’s County.
If Copsey succeeds in his quest he would not be the first in the state. Recently a distillery opened on Kent Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The distillery called Blackwater Distilling sells a vodka called Sloop Betty. Chaillet said at Monday’s meeting that 190 proof vodka is “considered to be a hazardous material.”
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