February 2013 Update
Welcome to February!
We've enjoyed a very busy January as 2013 unfolded. As in years' past, the holidays were a crazy busy time for our production and tours, and 2012 was no different.But 2013 doesn't seem to be giving us a break! Before we know it, January is gone and it is suddenly February! Where does the time go?
At least it means that we'll only be a few months away from starting construction on our new building.
Catoctin Wins Gold in San Francisco
The Good Food Awards awarded Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye a gold seal in their 2013 spirits category, one of 182 finalists across nine industries, from 31 states, chosen from among 1,366 entries. Awards were presented by Alice Waters, famed chef of Chez Pannise and prominent activist for the local food movement.
"The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsibly produced," said Christina Skonberg, operations manager for the Good Food Awards. "For a long time, certifications for responsible food production and awards for superior taste have remained distinct—one honors social and environmental responsibility, while the other celebrates flavor. The Good Food Awards recognize that truly good food—the kind that brings people together and builds strong, healthy communities—contains all of these ingredients."
Gold Seals were given to producers whose winning products are either certified eco-ganic themselves or are 100% comprised of certified eco-ganic ingredients. Accepting the award in person, at San Francisco's historic Ferry Building, were Scott and Becky Harris, the founders of Catoctin Creek.
New Potstill — Under Construction
Our new 1200 liter potstill is presently under construction at Kothe Destillationstechnik in Eislingen, Germany. She's a beauty! The same design as our existing Kothe still, the new still offers increased capacity, allowing us to quadruple our production at the distillery.
We'll be posting lots of updates on Facebook as we describe the journey of this gorgeous copper device from it's birthplace in Germany, across the ocean, to her final delivery and installation in Purcellville.
Once she's up and running, of course, you'll be able to come by the distillery for tours and tastings and see her in person!
Now Available in Pennsylvania
Catoctin Creek® is now available in Pennsylvania through the state-run Liquor Control Board. The following spirits are now registered in the special order catalog, and are now available to restaurants, bars and consumers alike:
- Catoctin Creek eco-ganic Roundstone Rye
- Catoctin Creek eco-ganic Mosby's Spirit
- Catoctin Creek eco-ganic Watershed Gin
- Catoctin Creek eco-ganic Roundstone Rye CASK PROOF (limited release)
- Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy (limited release)
Customers interested in ordering Catoctin Creek spirits may consult the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board web site at http://www.lcb.state.pa.us, or the Catoctin Creek Pennsylvania ordering page at http://catoctincreek.com/wheretobuy-pa.
For restaurants, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for ordering information.
Brandy — Now Available in ABC Stores!
There are several cases of our two most popular brandies, Pearousia pear brandy and the 1757 Virginia Brandy now in the Virginia ABC special order system. This means that consumers and restaurants alike may order these spirits at their neighborhood ABC store.
If you have a well-informed ABC clerk, this should be as simple as giving him or her the special ordering codes, which are 952556 (Pearousia) and 52321 (1757 Virginia Brandy). If you have any trouble, please get the name of your clerk, and the store address. You can then give us a call, and we will help you place the order with that store. (Sadly, special orders are not always easily handled at the ABC stores, but persistence pays off in the long run.)
You should be able to order as little as a single bottle, or multiples, if you wish. Pearousia is $42.30 at Virginia ABC, and is made from locally sourced Bartlett and Bosc pears. 1757 is $49.80 and is made from locally sourced Seyval blanc and Chambourcin grapes. (Our version of Cognac, made in Virginia!)
Get them while they last!
Upcoming Events
There are a variety of great events planned for the month that should prove entertaining and educational:
- February 2 - Bottling Workshop - Watershed Gin - RSVP is required, please check here for details. - FULL
- February 7 - HINGE Launch Party - Join us for a huge spirits event as HINGE launches with a massive party.
- February 9 - Bottling Workshop - Roundstone Rye - RSVP is required, please check here for details.
- February 16 - Loudoun Grown Expo - Once again, we will be pouring tastings and schmoozing the public at the historic Bush Tabernacle in Purcellville.
For the full list of events, check our events page.
Cocktail of the Month – The Raven
This cocktail was designed by Mark Addison, and inspired by our favorite Baltimore team making it to Superbowl XLVII. GO RAVENS!!!
The Raven is a dark and mysterious cocktail that I’ve adapted from other recipes for the Baltimore Ravens. It calls for Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin, which is distilled in the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before prohibition by Becky and Scott Harris. Located in the Chesapeake Bay area, this gin perfectly ties in to the location-based theme and in name pays respect to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It is distilled from eco-ganic rye graine with a secret recipe of eco-ganic herbs and spices.
1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz lime juice
2 oz cranberry juice cocktail
½ oz Blue Curacao
½ oz Chambord
crushed ice
Pour the gin, and blue curacao into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Slowly pour the Chambord over the back of a bar spoon so it floats on top.
Courtesy Mark Addison and used with permission.
See this cocktail and over eighty others on our cocktails page.
In Closing...
As always, there are 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. We do tours and tastings every day except Sunday, so stop by and see us sometime!
Remember, "Think Global, Drink LOCAL!"SM
Cheers!
Scott & Becky
We are grateful for another great year in 2012!
We have placed over a hundred bottles of Pearousia pear brandy into the Virginia ABC system so that restaurants and stores may get them. However, please note, to obtain this delectable treasure, you must use the ABC Special Order system.
This was the traditional drink of New Orleans turn-of-the-20th-century Boston Club. It is light and fruity, without being cloyingly sweet.
We also have a nice selection of non-alcohol related gifts, including hand-made whisky soap (a full bottle in every batch!), smokin' whisky chips, Langdon Wood maple syrup, shirts, glassware, and more. Come on by the store to get yours, or check out our 
This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from 
Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy, the first of its kind in Virginia, is a traditional recipe that dates back to the earliest days of the colonists in Virginia. Peaches were valued as a fruit tree for producing several years before apples and pears would set fruit. As such, many colonists' first distilled brandies in the New World were peach brandies! Ours is lovely stuff, from Loudoun County peaches, and is just like peach cobbler in a glass! Only 300 bottles available this year!
We have released a small amount of our limited seasonal spirits, specifically the 1757 Virginia Brandy and Pearousia Pear Brandy, into the Virginia ABC, Maryland, and DC markets. This should enable restaurants and stores to obtain some of these products for sale. We've already seen the 1757 showing up at places like Bluegrass in Baltimore, the Passenger in DC, and Weygant Wines in Cleveland Park.
Limited Time Offer
Rebecca Dudley of Market Table Bistro pairs local Catoctin Creek Distillery rye with an unusual—and Virginia-made—hickory syrup that’s both sweet and smoky. The lemon and sage help balance this seasonal cocktail, while the cinnamon naturally brings out the appley flavor.
This month, the Virginia ABC regulations were updated, which now allow us to offer tastings throughout the day! With this change, our new hours, effective immediately are:
Virginia's FIRST Commercial Grape Brandy!!
'1757' is a unique blend of Seyval blanc and Chambourcin, sourced entirely from grapes within western Loudoun County. We've been distilling this brandy since we started the distillery in early 2010. The brandy has been resting in French Bordeaux wine casks during that time, and finally the very first batch is now ready to enjoy.
September was a very kind month to us. We received 
You’ll know by now, dear Boozers, that we adore flavor profiles that provide interesting contrasts, so that each sip is uniquely different, leading the taste buds through a subtle progression of flavors. This a true sipping drink, perfect for after dinner on the front porch on a cool autumn evening: the alfalfa-infused whiskey provides a certain quality of a freshly-mowed outfield, leading to a tart apple finish laced with beer.
The use of the Carpano vermouth makes this cocktail perfect. The vermouth itself is totally drinkable alone: I taste figs, dates, licorice, and delicious raisins. But when added to the Manhattan, the vermouth adds a wonderful herb aroma to the sweetness of the rye.
Last month, we released our Roundstone Rye Cask Proof, a limited release of our ever popular Roundstone Rye, but bottled at 116 proof. The turnout for the opening day was enormous, and we thank everybody for braving the scorching hot morning to wait in line to get some of their own.
A growing number of Virginia's agricultural products were highlighted this month at the Executive Mansion as distilled spirits products from two local craft distilleries, Catoctin Creek and Copper Fox, were poured at several Mansion receptions. Virginia gift sets including Catoctin Creek and Copper Fox distilled spirits products were also presented to honor distinguished Virginians.
Great Press in July
Langdon Wood Maple Syrup is a unique offering with limited availability. Made by Art Drauglis, this Grade A Pennsylvania maple syrup is aged in Catoctin Creek used rye whisky casks, giving the syrup and unbelievably rich oakiness and depth of flavor. It is only natural then, that we construct a cocktail with it. (If you're having trouble finding the syrup, we occasionally have some available at the distillery store.)
That long awaited date is finally here! On Saturday, July 7, at 11am SHARP, we will open the doors to sell the first bottles of Roundstone Rye CASK PROOF to the public. Bottled at 116 proof, or 58%, this is a seriously strong dram of whisky! We'll only have a few bottles for sale (only 100 were bottled in our first batch), so be sure to show up early to get yours.
July is a great month for gin. The warmer weather has people looking for cooler, more refreshing cocktails. My personal favorite is the Negroni, a true classic that stands up well to the assertiveness of the Watershed Gin:
We're officially in New York now! Last week was the launch of our products in the City and in Brooklyn. To kick off the week, we did tastings at various high-profile places, including Noorman's Kil and the Whiskey Shop in Brooklyn, Grapevine Wines and Spirits in Wesley Hills, and the Brandy Library in Tribeca.
This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from 
After a few weeks of getting our brands registered in the State of New York, we have finally sealed the deal by sending our first pallet of spirits up to the big city! Last week, a half ton of spirits left harbor in Purcellville, Virginia, on a steam ship bound for the Big Apple!
Every few months or so, we crank out another batch of our gold medal winning Watershed Gin. The process is one we always enjoy, as the smell of juniper and fresh herbs permeates the distillery for days.
Cocktail hour will never be the same with one of these delicious beverages. Enjoy with friends on the front porch during a lazy hot summer evening.
Our biggest news in March was signing the deal to get into New York City. Yes, very very soon, Catoctin Creek products will be available throughout New York City. Available through Blueprint Brands, a subsidiary of Union Beer Distributors, you should be able to start ordering our products in your favorite stores and restaurants in April.
In the next few months, we should have a new version of Roundstone Rye available. By popular demand, we're releasing a limited set of cask proof Roundstone Rye, bottled at 58% ABV, or 116 proof. Seriously strong rye, this stuff will be gorgeous for those aficionados who prefer a little stronger dram.
Warren Bobrow did a very nice 
've had a problem. We can't seem to keep enough of our products in stock! (Yes, we have good problems.)
Gie him strong drink until he wink, 
January was a crazy month for us at the distillery. The holidays literally exhausted all of our supplies. You drank us dry! By January 4th, we were almost completely out of Mosby's Spirit, Watershed Gin, Roundstone Rye and Pearousia. We had less than ten cases left of everything. Obviously, we had some bottling to do!
With two teams of wonderful volunteers, in one weekend, we bottled approximately 10% of our entire 2011 production! Yes, over one and a half tons of spirits were bottled and shipped out in just two days. It was an incredible effort, and we were certainly exhausted afterwards, but we were satisfied knowing that our stock was replenished 
We were very honored to be invited to participate in the unveiling of a portrait for Alice Waters at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Alice Waters is the pioneer chef and owner of Chez Panis in Berkley, California, and the author of the local food "Locavore" movement across the nation.
