Sloop Betty, the flagship spirit of new Maryland distillery Blackwater Distilling, has some fans outside of the state.
The trade magazine The Tasting Panel gave it a 94-point rating in its July issue.
In a small blurb in its review section, the magazine describes the vodka as "lush and rich with creamy texture and lovely grain notes; complex, elegant and dense with subtle vanilla space; long, deep and seamless."
Of all the spirits reviewed in the issue, the vodka got the highest rating besides Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Bourbon.
Blackwater Distilling, one of the few hundred companies nationwide that make craft spirits, became Maryland's first distillery in 40 years in March, long after most of the state's distillers had folded.
The company started distributing the vodka in late March, and can now be found at restaurants like Kooper's Tavern and Woodberry Kitchen. It retails for $32.