November 15, 2017
Somerset's
first modern distillery aims for more than liquidity
Jeremy Cox,
jcox6@delmarvanow.comPublished 6:00 a.m. ET Nov. 15,
2017
Its new tenant has
something with a little less zing in mind. But not much less.
Tom and Tina Cropper
have turned the 6,000-square-foot plant into a distillery, the first in
Somerset County in modern times and the second overall on the Lower Shore of
Maryland. The first opened in June 2016 at the Seacrets resort in Ocean
City.
The couple hopes to
open Spirits of the Patriots soon.
They received the
final government approval they needed to start making alcohol this week, and it
will take at least two or three weeks before the first batch is ready for sale,
they say. For the time being, they plan to produce two general types of
spirits: rum and rum-based moonshine.
Another part of their
business blueprint: tastings and tours. Tom Cropper said he envisions the
distillery becoming a tourist destination for downtown Princess Anne, which
lies just over a quarter of a mile to the north.
"Bringing
tourists into the town to have a tour and a taste, learn a little bit
about how distilleries work and some of our unique flavors we've having here in
the distillery here is something very important to us," he said.
"Being able to demonstrate an artisan skill, a craft skill, in the local
area, I think, is very important."
Like many rural towns
nestled among Delmarva's marshes and farm fields, Princess Anne struggled for
years to find an identity.
But in recent years,
several building owners have used government grants to spiff up their facades.
Antique stores have taken over empty storefronts. And last year's opening of
the refurbished Washington Inn and Tavern has provided the corridor with a
center of economic gravity.
The distillery should
add to that momentum, said Carrie Samis, the Main Street program manager.
"I think it's
fantastic," she said. “None of the other small towns around here have a
distillery. So it’s something unique for our area. I think it will be one more
reason to draw folks to Princess Anne.”
The building's
previous use may have had the opposite effect.
The Progress Lane
facility was constructed a decade ago for Greenlight Biofuels. Excitement over
the prospect of locally produced energy quickly dimmed after a
2008 explosion at the plant claimed the life of a worker and shook homes
in the nearby Hampden Avenue community.
The company never
fully recovered from the blast and closed within a few years. Greenlight
auctioned off the property for $190,000 in August to a Denton-based real estate
investment firm.
Cropper said he heard
about the potential site just after the auction and contacted its new owner,
Northern Chesapeake Investments LLC, about leasing it.
"It's just
perfect for a distillery," he said.
There's plenty of room
to grow. His 100-gallon pot still occupies less than a quarter of the floor
space. So, as the business grows, he can add more stills.
Cropper's story
doesn't follow a straight line to alcohol.
Tom's father founded
Cropper Oil & Gas in Berlin in 1968. Tom's sister, Ginger Warren, continues
to run the business while his brother, Craig "Big Bird" Cropper, is a
well-known fisherman.
For his part, Tom flew
helicopters in the Army just after the Vietnam War. In the 1980s, he poured himself
into writing software code and made his wealth developing proprietary programs
for entities ranging from commercial airlines to the Department of Defense.
After he sold his list
software design firm, he came to a realization.
"Sometimes, it's
disheartening to know that 98 percent of what you've developed is
outdated," he said.
Approaching his sixth
decade of life, he decided to learn the trade of high-end distilling. He read
widely and went as far as becoming an intern for a distillery in South Florida
for six months.
"If I want to do
something fast and make a lot of money, I'd be in the software business,"
Cropper said. "Now, we're looking for something a little slower and
hopefully a little better."
That sentiment is
embodied in the official name of his his company, OTVB LLC aka Only the Very
Best.
He hopes to branch out
into vodka, gin and whiskey as he learns his craft and widens his customer
base. Although his initial offerings revolve around rum, he plans to offer a
wide array of options.
Delmarva Dew, for
example, will be his white moonshine, the kind that isn't aged. Another known
as Tidewater Tea will be aged slightly and, therefore, brown.
For those who like to
blend some politics with their beverage of choice, he plans to roll out
Deplorables Rum. Yes, the reference is to Hillary Clinton's characterization of
Donald Trump supporters. And, yes, the label incorporates the now-president's
campaign sign iconography — retaining the "RUM" but blacking out
the "T" and "P" in his surname.
"I think about
40-49 percent of voters would be interested in a Deplorables Rum," he
said. "Find out what people want. Get it for them. We'll see."
Trump's approval
rating is hovering around 37 percent, according to the poll tracker
FiveThirtyEight.
Cropper is looking to
sell his spirits wholesale to dispensaries in Maryland at first and then expand
to Delaware and Virginia. Customers will be able to buy as many as three
750-milliliter bottles directly from him, under state law.
As of 2007, Maryland hadn't
licensed a distillery since 1972. Today, with the addition of Spirits of the
Patriots, the industry boasts 20 facilities across the Free State.
"We see craft distilling where craft breweries were 15 years ago," Cropper said
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