Mark McLaughlin and Arch Watkins met in the Navy flying EA-6B Prowlers. In different active duty squadrons, they were both stationed at the same base in at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, in Washington state.
After more than a decade of flying off of aircraft carriers and being stationed all over the world, they independently decided to settle down in the mid-Atlantic to focus on family, but ended up in the same Navy reserve Prowler squadron. 

Coincidentally, they were neighbors in Baltimore as well; Mark working in finance and Arch in engineering. With a healthy stint of travel and adventure behind them, sitting still in their new civilian desk jobs just wasn’t enough. Their shared love of whiskey and, at the time, a dearth of craft distilleries in Maryland led them to their true calling: starting their own distillery.