Roakoke Times - Rye and rebellion: reflections on whiskey
Monday, 19 July 2010 00:00
From Gordon Kendall of The Roanoke Times:
If the idea of spontaneous groups banding together to protest high government debt and increased taxes seems new to you, step back in time to 1790, when America was in its infancy. The federal government had assumed the financial burdens incurred by the Colonies during the Revolutionary war and was deeply in debt. To raise revenue, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed an excise tax on distilled spirits. Congress passed the legislation in 1791.
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In 2009, Becky and Scott Harris opened the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company in Purcellville, in Loudoun County. Organically grown ingredients are used and are sourced locally whenever possible. They produce a clear rye spirit known as Mosby's Spirit named after Confederate Col. John Mosby. The clear spirit is aged in oak barrels to produce the amber-hued Roundstone Rye whiskey, which displays notes of spice, light caramel and citrus. This product was recently added to the Virginia ABC store list and will soon be available for about $38.