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.

Much thanks to Erica Moody, who writes for Washington Life, and does a nice profile of Catoctin Creek in her piece on area distilleries:

In the quaint downtown of Purcellville, Va., a family-owned business is breaking the mold and challenging convention.  Certified kosher, sustainable, with production run by a woman whiskey-maker, Catoctin Creek is certainly not your run-of-the-mill (pun intended) distillery, and Scott and Becky Harris never intended it to be.

Read her full story, here.

It was nice to see our largest customer, the Virginia ABC, serve up a featured story on our distillery this week.  What's more, if you live in Virginia, you can now order our products online!

In the heart of Loudoun County, Catoctin Creek produces kosher rye whiskeys, gin and several brandies. In addition to their regular spirits, they also offer many special releases and experimental offerings. Catoctin Creek has a tasting room and offers distillery tours and special events throughout the year, including regular cocktail dinners and a special “Art of the Cocktail” seminar. They would be happy to have you visit!

Indeed, we would love you to visit!

You can read the full article, here.

Wow! Even Russia is taking notice of Becky and her awesome whisky-making abilities.  Here's an article that popped up on our radar this week:

Firstly, women have always been employed in its manufacture, pausing only in the second half of the XX century. Secondly, today they feel no less comfortable. Becky Harris - co-founder of the [Catoctin Creek] distillery company in Virginia, Meredith Grella - in Pittsburgh, Marianne Barnes - Chief taster of one of the largest producers of alcohol and Peggy Noe Stevens - a fan of bourbon and founder of the company Bourbon Women.

Read the full story, here.  You might need to hit Google Translate first, if you don't speak fluent Russian!

The Malaysian Insider reports on the growing speakeasy scene in Kuala Lumpur.  

Tinged by a forbidden air lent by Prohibition times, these hidden bars all over Kuala Lumpur are just waiting to be found by the right people, for late nights with the coolest crowds.

Catoctin Creek even gets a cool shout-out from the good folks at 44 Bar: 

44 specialises in American spirits, particularly gin, bourbon whisky, vodka, and tequila. You can order a tasting flight (RM40) of any three of their spirits. Our very learned bartender made great suggestions – the See 7 Stars moonshine made of barley and corn, the smokey Pinckney Bend whiskey (derived from corn, barley, and rye), and the purely rye Catoctin Creek Roundstone [Rye].

If you're headed to KL, or live there presently, you'll want to read the full story!

Such a fun video, and a pretty comprehensive tour of the distillery:

Check out more from The Whisky Guy, including podcasts and more videos!

Foodable TV does an in-depth story on how we started the distillery, and all the challenges we faced as we got started.  It's a nice piece covering lots of ground on getting started.  Allison Levine writes:

They began in 2009. Surprisingly, getting through all of the regulatory processes took less than a year. And while some traditionalists might assume a man is better suited for production and a woman is more fit for marketing, Becky and Scott nixed the stereotype, flip-flopping these roles based on their personal strengths. Once they got started, the question was not how to distill but how to make money doing it.

You can read the full story, here.

Roundstone Rye was highlighted as a whisky for the "whiskey snob" on your list.  For sure pick some up for your favorite snob, and grab a bottle for yourself too!

Catoctin Creek has become an institution in the small town of Purcellville, Va., where the distillery holds a place of honor on the town’s main street. But the company’s flagship Roundstone Rye is taking off way beyond its small-town roots.

Read the full story, and see the other spirits on their list, here.

Melinda Contreras does a really cute profile on Scott & Becky for Pamela's Punch, a drinks and lifestyle blog.  It's a really nice look behind the flashy copper equipment at the people behind the business at Catoctin Creek.

PP: What drink are you?

Scott: I know what drink my wife is.

Becky: I’m a Sazerac.

Scott: She’s a Sazerac. Old school, classic, and so sophisticated.

Becky: Perfectly balanced-you have to be balanced.

Scott: Complex and hard to understand on the first sip.

Becky: (laughs) What are you? A beer and a shot?

Read the full story, here.

Here's another article on the lunacy of our current congress, and their failure to support the obviously pro-business Ex-Im bank.  This article is a great story showing how ridiculous ideological purity is costing Virginia businesses hundreds of millions of dollars in lost export opportunities.  Get with the program, Congress!

Ex-Im Bank expiration came at the same time Virginia government and business leaders were trying to expand the state’s exports to help make up for the federal cuts under sequestration, which are hampering the commonwealth’s economic growth. “The timing of its expiration couldn’t be worse in Virginia because we are just now gearing up for a major push to expand manufacturing exports over the next 10 years,” says Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

Read the full story, here.

Catoctin Creek was recently listed as one of "8 Reasons to Drive to Loudoun County" by Zagat:

​Among the cute little antiques shops in Downtown Purcellville — and across the street from Market Burger — is a family-owned distillery that puts out reputable bottles of kosher and local rye, gin and brandy. Take a tour and jump in on a tasting to see how those spirits get made and find their way into your city-slicker cocktails.

Also included in the story were some of our favorites like the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm and Market Burger. Read the full story, here.