Catoctin Creek Distilling

Eh. The tasting was great because the spirits were great, but the person who waited on us acted like she hated us. We ended up buying some booze to take home because it’s really good, but I wish the personal experience we had would have been a little better. We felt like a burden.

I got to Purcellville by bike a little before 12 pm and I was waiting for them to open. I decided to forego the distillery tour and just went to try out their flight of mixed drinks. I tried both gin mixed drinks and 1 rye mixed drink. All were awesome. The staff are super-​attentive as well as friendly. They even let me bring in my bike and set it aside at the window. Due to regional restrictions, you can only drink 4 alcoholic beverages, so I made the last one count by ordering a full gin mixed drink. It was really good. I will stop here again.

Cool little place, great tasting room. Welcome change from the same old winery scene. Wandered over here after beer & BBQ at Monk’s, and, although we’re not typically spirits fans, really enjoyed the experience. Tried the mixed flight w/​the truffles, and thought the Rye 80 was outstanding. Check it out.

We had a great visit with Becky Harris and the whole crew at Catoctin Creek. They really know how to make you feel welcome, and explain their production in a very entertaining way.
We had purchased their liquors in DC, and it was fun to visit the distillery on a rainy Saturday. Make an appointment because it fills up fast.
After the tasting we went to Magnolias at the Mill for lunch, and enjoyed it a lot. It’s just a couple of blocks from the distillery.

Came in on a slow Friday because the weather was nice but got a nice tour. Friendly staff and quality product.

In DC’s wine country, right in the heart of Northern Virginia’s wine region stands this awesome distillery. Stopped in here on a Saturday afternoon and didn’t know about a bottling workshop they had that same morning so missed that. They do that once every month and it sounds fun so will need to be on the look out for it.
We wanted to do the tour which is done on the hour. We got here about 12:40 and the lady behind the counter welcomed us and gave the menu. She informed us that the tour would happen at about 1pm. So we started with the tasting. You can do 1 flight per person per visit/​day.
About 1pm, a group of guys came in who had an appointment for a private tour so the lady informed us that our tour would be soon after theirs. That was no problem, it was a complimentary free tour for us so no issue waiting. While waiting we tried more flights. This time we tried the whiskey flight and cocktail flights – tried all the cocktails from the list. My favorite were Sazerac, General Mayhem and Bloody Mosby… I’m not a huge fan of bloody Marys but this was good and became a quick favorite!
They apparently also have seasonal liquors/​cocktails and change it up seasonally.
The tour was nice and I like that it’s complimentary!

I loved the beer sampler, great place to go and just have a beer with friends. The beer is a little on the expensive side, but worth the money. I’ll go again with friends.

I write this as a very amateur taster of spirits. While I can go for the occasional whisky or bourbon, this typically isn’t my thing. Even so, I still find spirits here that I enjoy.
Catoctin is a great example of a place who’s owner dropped his 9 – 5 job and decided to ‘live the dream’. At the time they opened, they were the first (and maybe still only) distillery in Loudoun, and now they often partner with local wineries. If you’ve had port-​style wines in Loudoun you enjoyed, most likely the spirits came from here.
They have several serving options — I tried the 3-​sample $ 10 Brandy flight. I really enjoyed the Pearouisa, but liked the 1757 Virginia Brandy less, and the Peach brandy even less than that. On a previous visit, I think the Roundstone Rye was my favorite.
Even if you don’t want to try the spirits, go for the chocolates! The Perfect Truffle is in da house here, and they rock it. Next time I’ll probably pick up some of the whisky-​infused coffee grinds.
I also recommend them for special events. In the room next door they have their bottling operation, which they occasionally open for groups. Nothing says ‘group fun’ like bottling your own booze!

I write this as a very amateur taster of spirits. While I can go for the occasional whisky or bourbon, this typically isn’t my thing. Even so, I still find drinks here that I enjoy.
Catoctin is a great example of a place who’s owner dropped his 9 – 5 job and decided to ‘live the dream’. At the time they opened, they were the first (and maybe still only) distillery in Loudoun, and now they often partner with local wineries. If you’ve had port-​style wines in Loudoun you enjoyed, most likely the spirits came from here.
They have several serving options — I tried the 3-​sample $ 10 Brandy flight. I really enjoyed the Pearouisa, but liked the 1757 Virginia Brandy less, and the Peach brandy even less than that. On a previous visit, I think the Roundstone Rye was my favorite.
Even if you don’t want to try the spirits, go for the chocolates! The Perfect Truffle is in da house here, and they rock it. Next time I’ll probably pick up some of the whisky-​infused coffee grinds.
I also recommend them for special events. In the room next door they have their bottling operation, which they occasionally open for groups. Nothing says ‘group fun’ like bottling your own booze!

Catoctin Creek produces a small range of excellent spirits in an absolutely beautiful place, run by a friendly and welcoming staff. The Roundstone Rye had great flavor and was thoroughly enjoyable on its own or mixed in the distillery’s creative cocktails. The Mosby’s Spirit white whiskey was a bit harsh for me, but it was solid enough that I could appreciate its quality. The Watershed gin, meanwhile, truly stood out to me because it was the _​first_​gin I’ve ever enjoyed. (I can’t say what that means for those of you who already like gin, but this one worked for me. I now have a bottle at home and will have to sort out what to do with it because I’ve never before been in the position of _​wanting_​gin!) The bottles are definitely on the pricy side, but they really are full of goodness.
Located on Purcellville’s relatively peaceful main thoroughfare, the renovated building clearly shows the successful effort to retain the old materials, structure, and character, and the high ceilings and plentiful windows allow loads of natural light. The front doors open onto a large tasting and sales area, from which the bottling area is visible through windows on one side and wrapping behind the back.
If you have a chance, participate in a bottling. The staff is fun and patient, and it is a great time trying your hand at the various small and ‘large’ (or «less-​small»?) steps involved in a by-​hand bottling operation.

This was a pretty cool place. It is not something I would have looked for if it was not for a Unilocal!event but it is certainly someplace I am glad to have experienced and a brand to which I am happy I was introduced. I love that it is a NOVA area family business that works with other local business. The whiskey is good (I bought a bottle I plan to open when my brother gets back from his overseas contracting job) although I plan to drink it mixed, mostly because I am a woose.
Apparently the brand is available throughout the area with their largest retailer being the Costco in DC, although the VA ABC stores carry the brand as well.
The location itself is pretty cool. They have solar panels (they are pretty proud of that so I wanted to make sure to mention it). The story of how they got started is interesting and a real tribute to following your dream with reason and determination.
Although you can buy the brand throughout the area I believe the distillery is worth at least one visit. I also confirmed it is popular for pre-​wedding parties…

We came for a bottling event, which they invite the public to participate on a monthly basis. We had a lot of fun. Scott, Beckie, Eddie and Luke were tremendous hosts and very informative. They specialize in Rye and Gin, which aren’t normally on my list of preferred spirits, especially gin. Suffice it to say there’s a unflattering history to my 37 year abstinence from gin. I enjoyed picking up the history behind why they choose Rye and Gin. I’ll let Scott and company tell you when you go their. They make their spirits totally from organic sourced-​grains, which adds to the quality of their spirits.
Both Ryes were very good and I look forward to making a Bloody Mosby with the Mosby’s Spirit. I also enjoyed sipping the Roundstone Rye. I also bought some of the gin, but not form myself as I still fear the stuff. My brother in law will enjoy for martinis.
The old Buick dealership building really adds to the environment and atmosphere. I like that they were able to keep the original glass in the upper windows. Even the bathrooms are nice and spacious.
If you enjoy visiting micro breweries or distilleries, and you live in NoVa or Metro Maryland, this is a great place to visit for the tour, the tastings and the cocktails.

I visited Catoctin Creek Distilling Company with my wife; we had a livingsocial deal for two tastings and a tour.
The tour was very enjoyable, we both learned the basic method for creating our own moonshine and how to avoid going blind. Both good pieces of information.
More importantly, the flights of alcohol we had were very complex and smooth. I ordered the whiskey flight and my wife ordered the brandy flight and we «shared». The flights are ordinarily $ 10 per person and come with 3 drinks. They have a whiskey flight, brandy flight, and cocktail flight.
The first drink was the Mosby’s Spirit. It is an old style clear alcohol. It is equivalent to 80 proof moonshine. It was very smooth but still had some complex tastes. I’ve been told it can be used in a similar fashion to Vodka; however, it tastes good.
The next drink was the Roundstone Rye. The Roundstone Rye is arguably the Distillery’s flagship product. I didn’t share any. The Rye is very smooth with very complex tasting notes of burnt toast and vanilla and similar goodness that comes with aging in a whiskey barrel. The whiskey is aged for two years but it doesn’t lose much despite its young age.
The final drink was the Roundstone Rye 92 proof. True to its name it was 92 proof. I shared this drink. Overall it was good, however, I think I preferred the original, it’s surprising how much stronger 6% alcohol can be.
I would definitely recommend visiting the Catoctin Creek Distillery if you are near Purcellville. There is a public parking lot next door to the Distillery, which makes it very accessible.

Great artisanal distillery in Loudon County. The first since prohibition! Awesome tasting room and super friendly staff!

This place was super cool. I had no idea they even had a distillery in the area. They took over what was the towns original Buick dealership. If you’re looking for a fun diversion from the nearby wineries or antiquing I’d recommend. They specialize in whiskey but for me I’m a gin girl which I did end up buying a bottle. They also have bottling events open to those of legal drinking age so you can see the process of how whiskey is made its a fun thing to try out and learn how your favorite libation is made.
The interior of the building is well preserved as its a historic landmark, and its just got a very cool and laid back vibe. The staff is also super friendly and more than willing to answer questions or share with you about their process and how they came to be in operation.

This place is pretty awesome.
I happened to be in Purcellville with my girlfriend this past weekend and we decided to check this place out. It was actually my first visit to a distillery of any kind! The décor and ambience was pretty great. I really liked the floors in the bathroom… I know — random — but they are cool. The lighting around the entire place was also great!
Our tour guide, Jon, was very informative. As a homebrewer I am familiar with fermentation processes for beer and wine, so naturally I was very curious and had many questions. The tour was long (one hour!) so be prepared to stand on your feet. The enthusiasm Jon had was pretty apparent as well. At times he was a little hard to hear, but he was able to answer most of my questions.
Now for the booze: I really only enjoyed Mosby’s Spirit and the Pear Brandy. I was not a huge fan of the barrel aged whiskeys and other brandies. They were just a bit too hot for me… I really like beer, wine and liquor. I will definitely buy Mosby’s Spirit, as it’s better than some of the locally produced corn whiskeys (such as Belmont Farm’s Virginia Lightning). I know these guys are relatively new to the scene, so I wish them success and will continue to try their whiskeys over time. Maybe I’ll like the barrel aged stuff more later!
Keep it up guys, I hope to add a star in the future. :)

This is an awesome friendly distillery. It’s a shame Virginia ABC limits you to only be flight per person.
It’s best to pre-​order online ahead of time, but you can just pay there. The standard flight is $ 5, you’ll get 3 shots of Catoctin Creek Mosby’s Spirit (white whiskey/​moon shine), Roundstone Rye, and Watershed Gin. The cocktail flight is $ 10, I got the Bloody Mosby (their take on a Bloody Mary), Horse’s Neck (whiskey and ginger ale), and Toes in the Sand (whiskey, OJ and bitters). mmmmm delicious. (See the picture of the menu and flight I posted). The Bloody Mosby is spicy and an amazing drink.
I would definitely recommend visiting this place.

The last time I visited Catoctin Creek DC they were still in the old industrial park around the corner, so it was nice to finally see their new (to me at least) tasting room. It did not disappoint: I love the feel of the place! It’s simple but chic décor is a nod to the prohibition days when regular store fronts doubled as watering holes and I have to admit there is a certain charm to mixing industrial and rustic elements.
You have the option of selecting 1 of 3 types of tasting; a standard flight tasting ($ 5), a premium tasting (brandy, cocktails or a premium whisky $ 10) or a paired tasting (spirits and truffles $ 15). I selected the whisky flight and was pleased with their three different organic whiskies. Also really liked that they give you a glass of water and plenty of refills with their tastings. A hydrated whiskey drinker is a happy whiskey drinker!
They have a bunch of merchandise available for purchase, besides the typical shirts, hats, flasks, etc you would expect to promote the brand, they also have some neat stuff like books about moonshine, house made bitters, maple syrups and tonic.
I’d also be interested in coming back for a tour, we were there right at the end of the day, so they were closing up shop, but their website shows that they have tours and tastings available for purchase.
If you are in the area CCDC is a neat place to stop if you want something other than wine or beer in a town that is full of great options for both.

I’m not much of whiskey/​gin person (except for a summer when I drank nothing but gin and tonics…) but we decided to visit Catoctin Creek during a recent visit to Purcellville. My fiancé, who previously lived in the area, said the building used to be an auto shop before it was a distillery.
It’s a small building, with a tasting room in the front. The bar is big and there are plenty of tables to sit at if you don’t feel like sitting at the bar. The distillery makes their own gin, whiskey, and brandy. We have tried their products before but were curious to try more. I chose a cocktail flight and my fiancé chose a whiskey flight. The flights come in 3s for about $ 10.00 to $ 15.00 each depending on what you pick. For the cocktail flights, the menu changes monthly as they have different bartenders create their flights. I chose the El Cardenal, Neighbor Can You Spare a Buck, and a Pineapple/​Rhubarb sour. The samples were awesome and it was interesting to watch the bartenders create them. They put a lot of effort into the cocktails (and to think they are tiny samples) but it’s worth it. You can tell they care about the product and it is well high lighted in each sample. My favorite was the pineapple/​rhubarb sour. Sweet but you can definitely taste the whiskey.
The staff does tours (their free) but they take a fair amount of time. Our tour lasted about 45 minutes and it was because our person was very knowledgeable about the company and process. It was very interesting but definitely plan accordingly.

Catoctin Creek was the last stop on our wine tour of Loudon County. I am not a whiskey fan at all, but I loved the $ 10 tasting, which was basically 3 mini-​cocktails. they were all so different and tasty, with top notch ingredients. Our bartender was fantastic and gave us a ton of attention. Virginia laws only let you do one tasting flight, which makes sense but also seems like a bummer!

We ended up here on July 4^th just as the town parade was wrapping up. We sifted through the crowd and made it to the door with dog in tow. We were welcomed in, even with the dog. It is a large, friendly tasting room. The staff wasn’t has interested in the guests as I had hoped, but they weren’t rude or mean. We were treated well and all our questions answered. They just seemed young and unexperienced.
We had the standard flight ($ 5) and the whiskey flight ($ 10). They were good. Solid pours for the money. The basic clear spirit was the best outside of their gin. The Rye’s were good, but just not my thing. They even let us try the 2 tonics they sell in the store. The basic tonic was delicious and like no other I have tired. We bought one.
I would go back with friends and probably try the mixed flights next time. They also offer a flight pared with chocolates for $ 15.

Stopped in at our half way point bike ride. Great place. They serve flight of varying element – some straight booze some are cocktails. $ 5-​$ 10 for 3. All the drinks were good.
Oh, service was good. Place was clean and you could buy the booze plus a ton of other stuff – syrups, bitters, books. Very cool place.
We will definitely be back – sans bikes.

We stop in on the way home from a brewery. We were greeted as soon as we walked in. The staff explained how the tour and tasting work. My husband got the whiskey flight and I got the cocktail flight. I am not a big whiskey drinker but I did enjoy my cocktails. My husband really enjoyed the Mosby which is kind of like moonshine/​clear whiskey. We were told it can be used in the place of vodka or tequila. My husband said it had a tequila after taste. The staff was very nice and knowledgeable. I would not mind going back. We did by a bottle :-)

This is a very young distillery. Good whiskey takes a long time to make, even if you get it right the first time. They make only rye whiskey. Honestly, it isn’t very good yet, but they seem to be dedicated to improvement. The venue is nice — old building, beautiful interior. They have flights of whiskey and cocktails for $ 10. They also have syrup tasting. Kind and helpful staff. Their pours on the whiskey flights were very light, so not at all a good value, especially for the low quality.
My advice: give his place a shot, and check back in every once in a while as they improve. The whiskey aficionado in your family will not be impressed, but others may enjoy the experience.

I LOVE catoctin creek whiskey. It is something I regularly buy and drink. I was very excited to take the trek out to do a tasting. We drove about 2 hours. We loved everything we sampled. I got the cocktail flight with a manhattan (my fave manhattan is always with catoctin creek rye) colonel langdon, and gimlet. All of them were great. My boyfriend got the whiskey flight. We were happily surprised to love the mosby spirit which I had not tried before. Sadly, I can only give the two stars because the service was seriously lacking. Our server poured our drinks and walked away without giving much info on them and never said anything else or came back by. It was not busy either. Overall, even though the place does look great and it is my favorite rye, I would recommend buying a bottle to enjoy at home or going to a bar and ordering it where they want you to enjoy what you are drinking.

Friendly service. Tour takes very little time and got delayed on the last round of the day in hopes of allowing for stragglers. The narrative covers the history of the building as much as it discusses the company, and much of what they show you is visible through the restored windows. I love their efforts to work with other local businesses to waste as little as possible, and contribute to improvement of their products. That said, I wasn’t very impressed by the non-​Roundstone products, or the co-​op maple syrup… and yet I still preferred the cocktail flight over the brandy flight. Jury’s still out on the jam and hot sauce. Purchased their branded tumbler and snagged a sticker. Guest bartender recipes were from Occidental, and a fair amount of the tasting cocktails were pre-​mixed and chilling under the counter.

My wife and I visited because of the Groupon tour and shot glass. We have toured many wineries, breweries, and last year went on the bourbon tour in Louisville.
Our tour guide Nichole was awesome. She was enthusiastic about the company and it was infectious. In addition to learning about their distilling process, we learned about the company’s history too. For the few questions she didn’t have answers to, she promised to contact the curious ones via email. The content of the tour was a bit strange: there was a lot of information about the construction problems they had in refurbishing this old building. At times, it felt like material was in the tour just to take up your time so you felt you were getting your moneys worth.
None the less, after the tour, we were excited to try the product! Because of VA ABC laws, you must purchase a separate tasting. If we are only evaluating the Groupon tour, I would give them a 4 star review. However, this is a review of the actual distillery. The tasting room bar is nice looking; as others have noted, it is built with rustic, vintage wood and metals. However, the tasting room itself is plainly furnished, being just a large room with small tables, as you would find in any cheap quick order restaurant. The bare brick walls, large windows, and exposed rafters are cool.
The flights themselves seem interesting, but are very expensive ($$$) for what you get. The tastes are exactly that — a sip barely large enough to wet your tongue. Maybe a ¼ of an inch of spirit in three shot glasses. The basic spirit flight is $ 5. All others are $ 10. The cocktail flight seem interesting too, but they plop a huge ice cube in a tall shot glass, so everything is horribly watered down.
I found both of their Rye whiskies very sharp and rough. Their gin was not much better. I would rate them both as slightly worse than Jim Beam rye and much worse than Knob Creek Rye. Since they cost 2−3x as much as these superior spirits, I saw no need to spend money on a bottle. I did not try the «moonshine» but I can only imagine how bad that would be.
After trying their product, I am appalled that they have the audacity to charge for the tasting at all, much less, how much they charge considering how stingy they are with the pours. Further frustrating (if you didn’t like your flight and actually want to try and find something you may enjoy) is that they do not allow more than one flight per visit. Since the size of pours or number of products per taste is regulated by ABC, they should simply charge less. $ 1 would be a fair price.
Based on my experience, and the cost, I am not inclined to return. I wish I had left after the tour and bought a bottle of a good rye whiskey instead. I found the entire experience was underwhelming and over priced. For this reason, I have rated it as 2 stars: «Meh-I’ve experienced better».

I purchased a Groupon for the Catoctin Creek Distillery tour and tasting for four people. The tour was a bit underwhelming — the first part of it discussed the new building and all the issues they had making improvements after purchasing it. The rest of the history was far more interesting, as was the whiskey-​making process. I just found it very bizarre to go on a distillery tour and first hear all about the roof and drainage problems they had to fix. It seemed like they were just reaching for things to talk about. So if you go to this distillery, I’d only participate in the tour if you can do so for free. Otherwise, just use the money for an upgraded tasting instead.
In addition, the groupon was supposed to include two souvenir shot glasses, which I did not receive. But I forgot to ask about them, and on the drive home I chalked it up to me having enough junk in my kitchen cabinets. But if you’re a person who likes keeping armies of shot glasses, certainly do remind them if you purchased this groupon deal!
As for the whiskey, gin, and brandy… I can’t say I was a big fan of their whiskey, and I greatly disliked their gin. They mentioned the gin was not traditional gin (they add coriander), so perhaps it was too untraditional for me! The brandy flight was significantly better — I would recommend this. And if I could go back in time, I would have tried the cocktail flight. The whiskey and gin just weren’t smooth enough.
When ordering your flight also note that ABC law only allows you to order one flight per person. So choose carefully! Or do what I did — go with someone you don’t mind sharing drinks with so you can sample a couple extra items.
The distillery itself was nice. There’s a decent amount of seating. And they offer plenty of little gifts for purchase. However, I wasn’t particularly impressed by their standard flight and left without purchasing any of their liquors. But I really do love the fact that they are organic, kosher, as local as possible, and have solar panels — it also made for a very fun stop during a day trip to Purcellville.