Becky and Scott Harris founded Catoctin Creek in Purcellville, Virginia, in 2009 as the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition.1,2,3 Since 2013 it has made its whisky in a former car dealership on Main Street.4
Becky Harris has said it started very small, with a 100-gallon still; Wikipedia lists custom-made Kothe stills of 400 and 1200 liters.1,2,3 In 2012 it bought the Case Building on Main Street, built in 1921 as a Buick dealership.2,5 The renovation repaired the roof and masonry and added a solar array.2,5
Constellation Brands took a minority stake in 2016 and announced it in January 2017, while the Harrises stayed the majority owners.2,6,7 In 2017 it bought a 15,000 sq ft site for more warehouse space; until then a horse barn had been its warehouse.8,9 In 2021 a $1 million upgrade replaced an older still with a 2000-liter still and added a mash tank and fermenters.2,10 The upgrade tripled its capacity.2,10 On 4 October 2023 the Harrises bought back the stake, returning the company to full independent ownership.2,7,11 Constellation's money had helped raise production and warehouse capacity.2,7,11
Its rye whisky is made from 100% rye.12,13,14 Middleburg Life reported its rye grown in southern Pennsylvania or Rappahannock County, and NPR later reported farms in Virginia.12,13,14 The mash ferments for a week in steel tanks.13 The fermented mash, a kind of beer, is then distilled in one of its 2 pot stills.13 Its flagship rye ages in 30-gallon American oak barrels, first chosen because they fit in Becky Harris's Ford Ranger.3,8,12 With a concrete-floored warehouse and a forklift, its bottled-in-bond Rabble Rouser rye, aged at least four years and bottled at 100 proof, moved to 53-gallon barrels.3,8,12
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