In May, we started selling... And what a wild ride it's been!

As Richmond began distributing our spirits to the various stores in Northern Virginia, we were overwhelmed to see the Roundstone Rye flying off the shelves. Reports from Loudoun County ABC stores were that the product was selling out within hours of arrival. This is always encouraging for a new business, and we thank all of you who have bought a bottle. We truly hope you enjoy your rye whisky.

Sales have settled into a more normal clip now, with the product generally available in all stores throughout the Commonwealth. If you are in a store and cannot find our product, ask the clerk to look up or order the following:

• 27030 - Roundstone Rye
• 952482 - Mosby's Spirit (special order by the case - 6 bottles)
• 952483 - Watershed Gin (special order by the case - 6 bottles)

With sales in Virginia underway, we're starting to see our spirits showing up in local bars and restaurants--The Ashby Inn in Paris, VA, and the Old Brogue in Great Falls, VA--to name a few. If you have a favorite restaurant or bar, ask them if they carry your local spirit--Catoctin Creek--and if they do, let us know about it! If they don't, tell them they should!

On our web site, we've expanded our section on cocktails and recipes. Many of our Facebook friends have sent in great cocktails, like the Sazerac and the Maryland Mint Julep, which we are happy to share on our site. Have a favorite cocktail that we don't know about? Send it to us and we'll post it!

May was also the month when we received our official organic certification. Organic is really important to us. Besides affirming a standard of care for sustainable practices, organic equals truly better spirits. Why? Well, when you have grain that has been treated with synthetic pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers, those chemicals attach to the grain. And if distillation is anything, it's the art of concentration. When you distill the grain, those chemicals come through in the spirit, giving "off" flavors and foul chemical taints that must be absorbed by the charred carbon in the barrel. But when you use 100% organic rye, as we do, the spirit is clean and crisp, and absolutely wonderful on day one. I guess that's why Jason Wilson, of the Washington Post, called it "a beautiful unaged whisky." Thanks, Jason. We definitely agree.

Keep an eye out, for in the coming weeks, we'll be announcing another bottling party. These are great fun, where we set up an assembly line of volunteers to bottle and pack cases of Roundstone Rye for shipment. The last time, we had 20-30 volunteers, and we cranked through 60 cases of rye in less than two hours! Everybody had a great time, got a free lunch, and was able to sign their name on a bottle or two.

As always, there is 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.

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

Cheers!

Scott & Becky