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"Just bought some of your Roundstone Rye. Seriously, one of the best whiskeys I've had. Well done, you. Delish! Can't wait to try more."

-- Caroline Jane Kenney

Latest News

Big news! Virginia Senate Bill 1249 was signed by Governor Bob McDonnell, allowing us to sell bottles at our distillery! The law, in effect, allows us to operate as an ABC store, selling all of our products in our retail store starting on July 1. Look for a "store grand opening" on that date. Perhaps you can be the first to buy a bottle at the distillery when we open on Friday morning, July 1st!

Because of the expected increase in sales, we've ramped up production of our spirits. This means more rye grain, more yeast, more water, and yes, more barrels. We're filling barrels like crazy, working to get enough Roundstone Rye into inventory so that we're ready when people can start buying directly from us. Becky has been filling barrels at a rate of about two per week, which should put us in good shape come July.

Two More Awards from American Distilling Institute

We were very pleased to obtain two more medals from the American Distilling Institute. Mosby's Spirit received another bronze medal and was named "Best In Category" for un-aged rye whiskey. Roundstone Rye picked up a silver medal at the competition and was also named "Best In Category" for aged rye whiskey. These medals are great, and we certainly welcome the recognition, but most of all, we're really glad that people are enjoying our spirits.

Mosby's Available in Virginia ABC

In May, Mosby's Spirit will start to appear on the shelves of your local Virginia ABC stores. ABC decided to pick it up as a "listed item" earlier this quarter, and now almost one thousand bottles sit poised in Richmond for delivery to the stores early this month. And in case the store clerks are unfamiliar with Mosby's Spirit, you can ask for it by product number #27488. No more special ordering required!

Events

In May and early June, look for a few very cool events on the calendar:

• May 11 - Kennedy Center Wine & Cultural Celebration - A wonderful event at the Rooftop Terrace Restaurant.  We'll be pouring drinks and there will be lots of local foods provided.
• May 14 - Bottling Day Workshop - Our popular, and free event.  A hands on bottling workshop.
• May 21 & 22 - Loudoun County Farm Tours - Come and see free tours of production at the distillery.  We'll be mashing and distilling all day with nonstop tours through the day.
• June 4 - Barrel Tasting at Park Hyatt, DC - Gather at the entranceway of Blue Duck Tavern, surrounded by barrels, and sample the true flavors of American wine and spirits.

In Closing...

As always, there are lots of fun and information on our Facebook and Twitter pages, where you can stay up to date with the daily activities at the distillery.  Tours are always free, so stop by and see us sometime!

Remember, "Think Global, Drink LOCAL!"^SM

Cheers!
Scott & Becky

Latest News

I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry
If the hard times don't kill me, I'll lay down and die
I'll tune up my fiddle and I 'll rosin my bow
I'll make myself welcome, wherever I go

Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry
If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die

-- Tex Ritter, "Rye Whiskey"

March was a whirlwind month for us at Catoctin Creek. Early in the month, our Mosby's Spirit was featured in a story on rye whiskey in DRAFT Magazine. The very next day, in Imbibe, they featured our Watershed Gin, along with a nice spot for our friends at Mokomandy! (including a recipe for their Hibiscus 75, which is an amazing gin cocktail!)

Later in the month, we picked up news that we received two silver medals at the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago, both for our Mosby's Spirit and our Roundstone Rye. And finally, after that, we received word that our Mosby's Spirit was rated a "Strong Recommendation" from F. Paul Pacult's Ultimate Spirits Challenge In fact, Mosby's Spirit was the third highest rated spirit in the category of American Whiskey.

Wow! What a great month!

Events

In March, we kicked off with a great cocktail party, courtesy smörgie and Church & State in DC. Thanks to Shakti from smörgie and Erik from C&S for hosting the event. We had a great time pouring our whiskies and telling the story about starting the distillery. Plus, there was a cool cocktail contest, with some very creative and unusual new cocktails.

Coming in April, we have the EarthDay@Loudoun family festival at Clyde's of Willow Creek in the Broadlands. Catoctin Creek is the proud sponsor this year of the Wine, Beer and Spirits Garden. That means we'll be pouring! Come by for a tasting, and sample great local wines and beers while you're there as well. (Grown-ups only, of course.)

We've also set the date for our next Distilling Workshop. The last workshop was a complete success, and the folks really enjoy learning the details behind the distillation process. The June workshop includes a full tasting at Magnolia's restaurant included in the price of the seminar. So be sure to reserve your spot if you're interested, because these do sell out.

Mosby's Spirit "Listed" in Virginia ABC

Our beloved Mosby's Spirit has finally been graduated from the "special order" status to a full "listed" product in Virginia ABC. That means you should find it on the Virginia shelves starting no later than May. Look for it next to the Roundstone Rye, but if you don't see it, be sure to ask your ABC store clerk for product number #27488. This should make Mosby's much easier to obtain going forward!

So, head on out to your ABC stores and get a bottle of a true Virginia historical spirit, and our most award winning product!

In Closing...

As always, there are lots of fun and information on our Facebook and Twitter pages, where you can stay up to date with the daily activities at the distillery.  Tours are always free, so stop by and see us sometime!

Remember, "Think Global, Drink LOCAL!"^SM

Cheers!
Scott & Becky

Latest News

February was another busy month for us at Catoctin Creek. During the month, we hosted two private bottling workshops (one for a volunteer food kitchen in DC, and one for a wedding party), got ourselves into a lot of new restaurants, and hosted a table at the first ever Loudoun Food Expo in Purcellville.

The Loudoun Expo was incredibly well attended, and quite surprising. We visited with over 1,000 people, mostly locals, interested in our spirits, plus the fine array of local wines, meats, and produce available from producers in Western Loudoun. Many people don't realize, we have quite an agricultural area in the county, and it's been growing in recent years. We always encourage people to support their local businesses, or they won't exist anymore!

Photo credit Shannon Sollinger, Leesburg Patch. Read more about the Leesburg Patch story on the Loudoun Expo, here.

Major Win in Richmond!

Although it hasn't gotten as much attention as the Governor's ABC privatization bill, we have a bill working its way quietly through Richmond. Senate Bill 1249, designating an organic distillery as an agent of the ABC board, has passed both the Senate and the House of Delegates! (Hooray!) It remains to be signed by the Governor before becoming law. SB1249 will allow us to now sell bottles at our distillery. That means, if you cannot find the bottles at your local store, you can always come by and pick up a bottle or two from us.

And at the federal level, if you'd like to support smaller excise taxes for small producers like us, please support HR#777.  Supporting the bill is easy using the PopVox web site.  They do all the work in contacting your local representatives!  Click here for more details.

March Events

Looking forward to March, we have several great events planned:

• March 1 - Cocktails at Church & State in DC - Register now with coupon code "confess" and receive 10% off!
• March 4 - Bottling Workshop - These fill up fast! RSVP via email today.
• March 9 - Tasting at Wine Underground in Baltimore
• March 19 - Distilling Workshop (still some space available)

More great events are scheduled in April and May, so check our web site for full details.

Increasing Capacity

We've been so busy keeping up with demand, we've decided to double our production and mash twice per week now. That should allow us to ready ourselves for in-distillery sales, and provide better product availability in Virginia. We know it's frustrating not to find our stuff on the shelves when you go to your store, and we're working very hard to try to address that situation. Hopefully, the increased production means more product available when you want it, where you want it.

So for now, I better get back to the distillery floor! There's rye to be mashed!

As always, there are lots of fun and information on our Facebook and Twitter pages, where you can stay up to date with the daily activities at the distillery.  Tours are always free, so stop by and see us sometime!

Remember, "Think Global, Drink LOCAL!"^SM

Cheers!
Scott & Becky