News and Press Releases - 2021

The Daily Beast has the round-up on the history of our collaboration with the heavy metal band, GWAR.  Max Watman, who has been writing about craft spirits for well nigh twenty years now, has the whole backstory on the band, and even about Catoctin Creek in the early days.  He also manages to make the history damn fun to read:

At first, the marriage of Catoctin Creek and GWAR would seem unlikely, even ill advised. GWAR isn’t exactly the sort of music you put on to enhance your contemplation of the complexities of aroma rising up from your tasting glass. Scott Harris, who founded Catoctin Creek Distillery with his wife Becky in 2009, told me “I’m kind of a Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand kind of guy.”

The reason the union makes sense, however, is because Catoctin Creek comes from a very similar place. Different medium, different aesthetic, but Scott and Becky Harris got into the distilling with the original handful of small scale distillers. Back then, it wasn’t clear that distilling was a viable business. It wasn’t even clear that you could get a fire marshal to give you approval for a distillery. In fact, the odds of it working were perhaps longer than the probability that a horror movie-inspired heavy metal band would take off in a college town.

You can read the full article, here.

American Whiskey magazine featured our founder and general manager, Scott Harris, in their recurring "Castaway" article, where they ask industry people what five whiskeys and one luxury item would they take if they were stranded on a desert island.  Scott's opinions tend toward Scottish malts, with a few exceptions.  When asked for a luxury item to bring to the island, he responds:

"I suppose it would be too much to ask for a yacht. Obviously, with a yacht, I could leave the island, but maybe I wouldn’t want to. It sounds quiet. Honestly, after spending the last year-plus quarantining at home and working like a dog, being stranded on an island sounds perfect. So, yes, a yacht would be excellent. I would live in it, and have parties, and drink my whisky collection. I promise not to leave. But I may send it out for more whisky."

You can read the entire article, here.

Decanter does a roundup of American whiskey, with a particular focus on rye - America's first whiskey.  Nice to be the lead-off batter in the lineup.  Richard Woodard writes:

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition 92 Proof

This whisky (yes, they omit the ‘e’) from Virginia is a great example of Catoctin Creek’s rye expertise. The higher proof helps to carry its classically rich, spicy notes of bread, pepper and punchy spice, making this a great bet for cocktails and sipping alike. Vanilla fudge and lighter citric notes add complexity and texture. Alc 46%

You can read the full store, here.

Photo credit: Christian Bringolf, and used with permission.

Very cool to get coverage in Forbes this week on our collaboration with GWAR.  Claudia Alarcón writes:

In the latest, and perhaps the coolest partnership between a distillery and a celebrity, Virginia’s Catoctin Creek and outrageous metal band GWAR will finally release their infamous Ragnarök Rye on May 28. The award-winning distillery known for its rye whisky, was set to launch the collaboration this past February, but according to a press release, “the monster metal rock band drank it... all of it.”

You can read the full article, here.