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Good Grit: Rye Revival

| News 2026
Becky Harris of Catoctin Creek

Good Grit magazine published an article in their Spring 2026 issue about ten women distillers who are making waves in the industry.  Becky was featured for her work in rye whisky, but also for her work in industry advocacy:

Becky Harris, head distiller and co-founder of Catoctin Creek Distillery, has been crafting 100% rye whiskey in Purcellville, Virginia, since 2010.  A chemical engineer by training, Harris runs the production side while her husband, [Scott Harris,] manages the business–a reversal of typical distillery roles.  She's committed to reviving Virginia's whiskey heritage, using heirloom Abruzzi rye grown in the state's Northern Neck by a multigenerational farmer.  Unlike mass-produced rye sourced globally, Harris's approach honors the crop's historical role as a winter companion to Virginia's once-thriving tobacco fields.  Her pot still method captures the velvety, fruity depth of rye that challenges the spice-bomb stereotype.  One of her most popular bottles is the Roundstone Rye Cask Proof.  The spirit is aged in 30-gallon barrels that previously held maple syrup from southwest Virginia producers before being bottled at cask strength.  Liquid from the used syrup barrels becomes one of the distillery's most anticipated annual releases.  Harris advocates fiercely for craft distilleries, working with the American Craft Spirits Association to modernize regulations on alcohol sales and ensure small producers can build sustainable businesses that support local agriculture and living wages for workers.

(She sounds pretty amazing, doesn't she?  That's why I married her! –Scott)

Look for the magazine wherever fine magazines are sold.