Small Batch. Locally Sourced. Exceptionally Smooth.
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About Us
Rosie Cheeks Distillery is a family-owned, woman-owned operation located on a 150-acre farm in Walkersville, Maryland. Founded by husband-and-wife Lee and Kristy Rosebush, the distillery specializes in small-batch, gluten-free moonshine crafted to be incredibly smooth and flavorful.
The distillery's story and defining elements
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Atmosphere: The 150-acre farm provides a relaxed country atmosphere where visitors can enjoy the outdoors, outdoor patio, and fire pits while sipping our cocktails.
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Award-Winning Spirits: At Rosie Cheeks we produce a wide variety of flavored moonshines including Apple Pie, Peach Cobbler, Campfire (aged with American Oak), and seasonal rotations like Strawberry Lemonade and Pumpkin Spice. Our Peach Cobbler even took home a "Best in Class" award at an East Coast craft spirits competition.
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Local Ingredients: We pride themselves on hand-mixing our small batches while using fresh, locally ingredients in our recipes.
Our Story
Our Origin Story: From Illicit Roots to Legal Jars
The foundation of Rosie Cheeks blends our multigenerational family tradition with formal science.
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The Background: Our Master Distiller, Lee Rosebush, is a third-generation moonshiner who initially practiced the craft informally during his time in pharmacy school. Alongside his distilling heritage, Lee holds a doctorate in pharmacy, a law degree, an MBA, and a master's in finance.
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The Flavor Catalyst: While Lee managed the mechanics of the still, his wife, Kristy, began experimenting with the recipes. She took his initial caramel apple recipe and developed a peach cobbler profile that our local customers absolutely loved.
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Going Legal: Driven by enthusiastic feedback from our family and friends, we decided to step out of the shadows to establish a fully licensed, commercial operation, opening our doors in the spring of 2022.
Our Farm-to-Jar Production
We operate as a true farm distillery with a heavy focus on local agriculture:
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Homegrown Ingredients: We grow the corn directly on our farm to distill our spirits, ensuring quality and consistency.
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Family Operation: The distilling process is a tight-knit family effort managed by Lee and Kristy’s father Jim, while Kristy leads our flavor creation.
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Inclusive Spirits: All of our flavored moonshines are hand-mixed and entirely gluten-free.
Our Award-Winning Flavors
Though we are a relatively young business, we quickly earned regional acclaim, notably winning Best in Class for our Peach Cobbler flavor at the East Coast Craft Spirits Awards.
