Wolfgang Puck Barrel Select Rye Whisky

Scott Harris founded Catoctin Creek Distilling Company in 2009 together with his wife Rebecca. Located in Purcellville, Virginia, the distillery — situated in the heart of Virginia's wine country — is surrounded by the vines of over thirty different wineries. Scott, who graduated from Georgia Tech and previously worked as a software engineer, handles the marketing and distribution of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company spirits. Rebecca, who received a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin and worked for years as a chemist at Amoco Foam and CIBA Vision, does "the lion's share of the distilling," Scott admits.

Catoctin Creek Distilling Company Roundstone Rye Whisky is made from 100% organic rye grains. After slowly fermenting the rye for five to seven days — the slow fermentation process results in a more mellow drink — Rebecca distills the mash in a custom-made 400 liter Kothe hybrid pot-column still. "Scott likes to compare it to a German sports car," she says, "and really, it handles incredibly well." The spent rye grains are collected and given away to local farmers, who use them as feed for their cattle and livestock.

After distillation, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company Roundstone Rye Single Barrel Whisky is aged in new, white American oak barrels for approximately two years. The barrels, which are made by a cooperage in Minnesota, are made using beeswax rather than paraffin as a sealant. "We use organic products because there's a taste to chemicals," Scott says. "And that stuff gets concentrated in the distillation process and comes out in the spirit. We don't want any of that stuff infecting our flavor."

Roundstone Rye might be Virginia's most awarded whisky, but that hasn't stopped the creators from experimenting with it. For the Wolfgang Puck Rye Whisky, they've finished that same rye in California Zinfandel wine barrels from Ravenswood. Bottled at 92 proof, it was initially sold exclusively at celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's CUT Steakhouse at the Rosewood Hotel in Washington DC.

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