Production Begins!

January has been a whirlwind month for us at Catoctin Creek. During the last month, we finalized our equipment installation, received both our federal and state distillery permits, and began our production.  THAT was a busy month!

After receiving the equipment in late December last year, we finalized its installation. The electrical build out proved to be the largest part of our equipment installation, since both our still and our mash tank are electrically heated. Our local electricians, Purcellville Electric, did exceptional work, working alongside our Kothe representatives. We had our equipment up and running in a week! We cannot recommend either company more highly.

In late January, we also ventured down to Richmond to meet with the Virginia ABC review board. This is a necessary step in getting our products on the Virginia ABC retail shelves in 2010. We hope to hear from them in February, and rest assured, we will let you know when we do. Our starting lineup of products will include our Mosby's Spirit, a clear rye grain spirit (some call it a white whiskey) that is light and flavorful with the taste of rye grain, our Roundstone Rye, which is an aged rye whisky, and our Watershed Gin, which is wonderfully fresh and aromatic with 100% organic herbs and spices. In fact, all three spirits will be organic! Look for them in May 2010.

Once the equipment was hooked up, we began production immediately. We've already produced several gallons of our raw rye spirit, and more is being produced daily. We've posted a cool video on YouTube which shows our first production run. You can watch as we produce our first batch of rye mash, and then watch as we distill out our first spirits on the still. Very exciting and illustrative. Of course, always feel free to come by and see us in person too!

And don't forget, 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.

As I have now found myself saying each morning... "Time to make the whisky."

Cheers!

Scott & Becky