Rosie Cheeks Distillery sits on a working farm along Woodsboro Pike in rural Walkersville, Maryland, about 45 minutes northwest of Baltimore. Founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife team Mike and Jen Farace, this farm-to-bottle operation grows its own corn and sources other grains locally to craft small-batch whiskeys, vodka, and gin. The couple converted an old dairy barn on their 40-acre property into a distillery and tasting room, maintaining the rustic agricultural feel while adding copper stills and fermentation tanks. Mike brings a background in engineering and home brewing to the operation, while Jen handles the business side after years in corporate finance. They started distilling as a way to diversify their farm income and create something uniquely tied to their land. The Faraces grow about 60% of the corn they use in their mash bills right outside the distillery doors, and they’ve partnered with neighboring farms for wheat and other grains. Their philosophy centers on hyper-local production – they want every bottle to taste like Frederick County. Visitors can tour the compact but efficient distillery operation and taste spirits in a converted barn space that still feels authentically agricultural. The tasting room overlooks the grain fields, and you can often see the Faraces or their small team working the stills during tours. It’s not polished or corporate – it’s a real working farm distillery where the founders are usually around to chat about their process and their grain-to-glass approach.