We recently submitted a bunch of our spirits to be reviewed in the American Whiskey Masters in London.  The contest results have yet to come in, but apparently, now that the blind-judging is completed, the judges were allowed to pick and choose their favorite spirits to take home with them.  Mark, from Malt Review, who also writes for Whisky Magazine, does a splendid job reviewing our Roundstone Rye Cask Proof.  I particularly like his color note: "polished mahogany."

In the mouth: quite a chewy texture, but a wonderful balance of sweetness and bitterness from the wood as a first impression. And it follows very well from the nose: again, that tartness from the redcurrant, with wood tannins creating a nice cloying mouthfeel. Peppermint. Then the sugary goodness: molasses and prunes again. Blackcurrant. Elderberry. A slug of port before drifting into a slightly woody finish. For it’s the balance on the finish, again of the sweetness and the bitterness, which makes this such a great whiskey.

Read the full review, here.

Stefanie Gans, writer and food critic for Northern Virginia magazine, does a big article in the July 2016 issue about all the growth in distilleries in the Northern Virginia area.   We're pleased to be featured alongside others in the region, including KO, Bowman, and Belmont Farm, to name a few.  There are also some fantastic photos by Rey Lopez, one of our favorites in the area, so be sure to check this one out!

"If I can learn how to make contact [lenses]," Becky Harris says, she could master the age old distilling process.  Now she starts her days at 6 a.m., making the mash with local rye and water, letting it sit, ferment.  The stills stand next to floor-to-ceiling windows facing the center of Purcellville, what was once a town known for its temperance enthusiasm.

You can read the full story, here.

Thrillist just came out with their list of top local distilleries, as voted by top DC bartenders.  We're so happy to be included in a list of very fine local providers!

"Roundstone Rye is a great whiskey -- robust, sweet, and spicy -- great in cocktails or neat. Catoctin shares a lot of values with us: they source locally and pesticide-free. They care about their quality, and it shows." -- Todd Thrasher, bartender/owner of the Eat Good Food Group (PX, Restaurant Eve, etc.)

Read the full story, here.

Eater did a story on the best, most affordable American craft whiskey on the market, and we were delighted to be included in such fine company!  But before publishing the list, they are very careful to lay down some ground rules first:

For these purposes, a craft whiskey producer must distill every last drop of what goes into the bottle—no sourcing or independent bottling. Rather than defining "craft" based on the number of bottles a company releases annually, we're just not including the major brands, and any other producer who does their own distilling is in play. The only caveat is that the brand must be at least partially distributed on a national basis, so that consumers can nab a bottle from an accessible online retailer.

About Catoctin Creek, they write:

1) Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (80 proof), $39.99: While Catoctin Creek produces gin and brandy, and has released limited editions such as their Kings Mountain single malt (distilled from a beer made by Heritage Brewing), it's their rye whiskey that runs the Purcellville, Virginia distillery's show. Distinctive for being a rare 100 percent rye whiskey, the liquor showcases a light, spicy grain and oak profile. Catoctin Creek is also certified kosher.

Read the full story, here.

WTOP aired a story about our efforts, along with other distillers and the Distilled Spirits Council, to seek federal excise tax (FET) relief for small producers.  The story highlights the fact that spirits pay a proportionally larger percentage of excise taxes than do our counterparts in wine and beer, and seeks relief on the first 100,000 proof gallons produced.  

Harris said he believes his small distillery could add employees and stir tourism if Congress extended to distilleries the federal excise tax breaks currently given to craft beer makers and small wineries. Right now, Harris and other craft distillers pay the same federal excise tax rate as their big competitors such as Jack Daniels and Jim Beam.

“It’s very hard for smaller companies like ours to compete and to do innovative, new products like we’re doing,” Harris said.

Distillers are asking Congress to cut the federal excise tax on the first 100,000 gallons of spirits produced to $2.70 per gallon for all distillers. The rate would then rise to $13.34 per gallon on alcohol produced after the first 100,000 gallons.

Read the full story, here.

Distilled magazine, in their inaugural issue, did a beautiful profile piece on Catoctin Creek.  Our distillery dog, Frank, a precocious pug who serves as part-time security guard, features on half of the photos taken!  Johanna Ngoh writes:

A chemical engineer by training, Becky Harris blinked casually at her husband's suggestion that they quit six-figure day jobs to make whisky.  "OK, I got this," Becky told Scott, unfazed.  "You just need to make sure we can make some money."

 The magazine is currently not available online, so if you can pick up a copy, grab one!

Virginia Living magazine did a feature asking local Virginia bartenders to present some of their favorite cocktails.  We were delighted to find ourselves in two of them: I Am Virginia by Todd Thrasher, and The Blue Puppy by Hunter Johnson.  

We could all use something tall and cool heading into the summer season. And Virginia's top mixologists are only too happy to oblige. For stylish and delicious cocktails made in true Virginia fashion, try these signature quaffs from bars and restaurants around the state.

You can read the whole article and see the other recipes by clicking here.

Eater did a piece on the 10 best rye whiskies under $35, and gave Catoctin a shout-out in the latter half of the article, in their "5 Under $45" section.  We're pleased to be mentioned in such good company.

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (80 proof), $39.99: Virginia's Catoctin Creek uses a 100 percent rye mash bill for its Roundstone Rye, which we haven't seen much or any of on this list. Roundstone is aged for under two years in 30 gallon casks. It's spicy and with a lighter profile than many ryes, and also showcases some cereal grain notes.

Read the full story, here.

If you've ever wanted to learn what it was like starting the distillery, and what were some of the biggest challenges we faced, this podcast is a great in-depth interview with Scott Harris, our founder:

If the embedded widget above doesn't work, you can directly hear the podcast, here.

Northern Virginia got special attention in this month's travel section of The Huffington Post.  Malorie Yolen-Cohen lists the top 27 things to do while in our area, and calls us out at #4:

This territory just west of our Nation’s Capital, encompassing the growing-hipper-by-the-day towns of Leesburg and Purcellville, is touted as “DC’s Wine Region.” But though Loudoun County claims over 40 wineries, breweries and distilleries are also opening at fast pace. Many, not surprisingly, are owned and operated by former government contractors - engineers and scientists who wish to apply their knowledge of physics and chemistry to the spirits world.

...

4. Try out a slew of spirits at the source in Catoctin Creek Distillery’s repurposed 1921 garage (Purcellville). Engineers Becky and Scott Harris now apply their brainpower towards making incredibly good small batch whisky, gin and brandy. The world is slowly taking notice.

You can read the full article and check out the other fun places that were mentioned, here.

Thanks to the Loudoun Business Journal for naming Becky Harris, our chief distiller and founder (and my loving wife!), in their 100 Women in Loudoun County in the Spring 2016 issue.  Becky's hard work has gotten her a place, literally, right alongside Madeleine Albright!  She's obviously in fine, and well-deserved company!

Congrats to Becky and to all the other wonderful ladies who shared the honor!

We are very proud to announce that Catoctin Creek won gold in the category of Best Distillery in Virginia in Virginia Wine Lover magazine's Best Of Reader's Choice awards.  About 28,000 people participated in the polling, in categories spanning across wine, beer, cider and yes, distilled spirits!  What an honor to be selected from such a fine group of companies in the Commonwealth!

Click on the image below to expand the text, or click here to read the story online.