Kevin Plank's real estate company, Sagamore Development, will debut its massive whiskey distillery in Port Covington Friday after nearly 18 months of construction. It will offer free tours throughout the weekend.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford and Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh were on hand Thursday morning to celebrate the opening at a media preview. The site holds a 22K SF distillery, a 27K processing center and a 120-foot-tall water tower with spring water from Plank's Sagamore Farm in Baltimore County. A two-story restaurant from New York chef Andrew Carmellini will open later this year.

While other distilleries have sprouted throughout Maryland, Sagamore Spirit is much larger in scale and is a significant step in the evolution of Plank's $5.5B Port Covington development that will house the future home of Under Armour, offices, shops and restaurants.

It is also home to City Garage, a bus depot-turned-incubator for companies backed by Plank's venture capital company, and Under Armour's high-tech manufacturing and design center, UA Lighthouse. City Garage is also where Sagamore Rye had been produced prior to the distillery.

The distillery's opening comes on the heels of Sagamore Pendry Baltimore, a boutique luxury hotel that debuted last month in the 103-year-old Fells Point Recreation Pier. Sagamore Development and Scott Plank's War Horse LLC developed the property.