Drink Local! Northern Virginia is ripe with wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries. Here’s a look at some of our favorite tasting rooms and taprooms — and what to pick up when you visit.
Since opening in Loudoun County in 2009, Catoctin Creek has wowed with its award-winning whiskey, gin, and brandy: Trust us, if you haven’t tried the Roundstone Rye yet, head to Purcellville ASAP and taste a glass over a delightful chat with married founders Becky and Scott Harris (she’s the chief distiller; he’s the general manager). And while you’re at it, ask for a pour of Hot Honey Rye — announced this fall, it’s the organic distillery’s first new product in five years.
Initially a barrel select special offering, the limited release “was so successful — it sold out in a matter of days — that we decided to introduce it as a regular product,” Scott says. “Becky did a lot of tasting, and she used a blend of three types of honey to get the flavor she wanted: buckwheat, wildflower, and clover.” The honeys (all from Virginia) are mixed together, infused with chili flakes for a pleasant zing, and mixed with Roundstone Rye 80-proof whiskey to achieve a highly drinkable, perfectly balanced concoction.
The local focus is no surprise; sustainable, close-to-home sourcing has been part of Catoctin Creek’s business blueprint since its inception. “One of our missions is to work locally and to find local supplies for everything,” Scott says. “That includes bottles, which is really hard because most of them are made in China. Our bottles come from Anchor Hocking in Pennsylvania, about four hours from here.” The main farmer who supplies the distillery’s rye is from Rappahannock County, Scott says. “He and Becky have a really nice relationship working on testing out different types of grain and finding out what’s suitable for our climate, what works well, what tastes good, things like that.”
The production process, he says, is “zero-waste. All the spent byproducts get turned into cattle feed that we give to local farmers or cleaning alcohol that we use for cleaning around the distillery.” Even the energy used to produce the whiskey is solar-powered; a 44,000-watt solar array on the roof powers about 80 percent of the electricity budget.
Hot Honey Rye isn’t the only big news for the distillery in recent months. In October, Catoctin Creek announced it was once again independently owned and operated. It reacquired the interest Constellation Brands held for seven years. The company had helped Catoctin Creek with improvements, but the businesses “were no longer really aligned on what direction we wanted to go forward,” Scott says. “What I like to tell people is that it’s a scary new future out there, but at least it’s ours.” Cheers to that! 120 W. Main St., Purcellville
HOT HONEY MANHATTAN
- 2 ounces Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye
- 1 ounce Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
- Dash chocolate, molé, or Aztec bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a coupe. Serve with a cherry.
Feature image courtesy Catoctin Creek
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This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
