Purcellville’s Scott and Becky Harris, though, hope to reverse liquor’s evaporated course in Loudoun, as the couple recently founded the county’s first legal distillery since Prohibition.
One of only a handful of distilleries in Virginia, the couple's company, Catoctin Creek Distillery, is housed in a non-descript warehouse on the outer edges of Purcellville, from where the two hope to start churning out their homegrown booze by May.
So where did the idea for a distillery percolate from? “I was always interested in distilled spirits as a consumer. And after putting together a business plan, it looked like it could work,'” said Scott, 39, who is in business planning, while wife Becky, 43, is a trained chemical engineer – a perfect combination, the two predict, for their new line of work.
“We’ve had a few moments of ‘what are we thinking,'" added Becky. "But there is such a strong market for local products now.”
Trips to Europe, particularly Ireland, where they sampled centuries-old whisky recipes, helped ferment their distillery idea, while attending spirits-making workshops, where the duo tasted as many as 75 different potables, cemented their plans.
Starting out, the couple has no aspirations to take on such industry behemoths as Jack Daniels, Jim Beam or Virginia’s own A. Smith Bowman Distillery, maker of Virginia Gentleman bourbon. Instead, they have their business eyes firmly set on customers seeking out smaller-batch, artisanal spirits, such as high-end gin and short-aged whisky made from rye, an old ingredient making a comeback in the distilling business, the two said. By next fall, they also hope to bottle a brandy -- perhaps a grappa, which is made from the skins of grapes. Recipes for a Port wine and a pear-based spirit are also being hashed out.“We are definitely not marketing a low-end product here,” Scott said. “This is a premium product.”
While Prohibition quieted Loudoun’s distillery business, it didn’t silence it completely. The mountains out west were considered hotbeds for illegal moonshine production soon after the Feds turned off the nation’s taps in 1920. There was also once a small booze operation on Tenfoot Island in the middle of Potomac, according to writings by noted local historian Eugene Scheel. As far as anyone in the Sheriff’s Office can remember, the last time an illegal alcohol operation was busted in Loudoun was in the 1980s.
As for recent history, Loudoun’s alcohol industry has blossomed like barley. Old Dominion Brewing Co. was born here, although it recently moved operations to Dover, Del. And Loudoun is also home to about two-dozen wineries, some of which Scott and Becky plan to work with in making grape-based potables.
For their immediate plans, the Harrises are working with a contractor in Chicago to produce the initial batches of Catoctin Creek spirits while their German-made still is assembled and readied for use. Once samples are bottled, they plan to start pitching their products to restaurants throughout the region. More importantly, they’ll also soon meet with Virginia Alcohol, Beverage and Control officials about stocking their creations in state ABC stores, the only retail outlets that sell bottled liquor in Virginia.
If they don’t get ABC’s blessing, they plan to work through distributors to sell in Maryland and in the District, and then try again with ABC in the fall.
“There is much risk in a business like this,” Scott said, acknowledging the couple has their life savings tied up in their new venture. “Distilling is the easy part; marketing and selling is the hard part.”
As for the distilling side of the business, the couple want to do it in a Kosher and Earth-friendly manner. The plan to use certified organic grain and yeast during production as well as run their company in a sustainable manner, from buying materials locally to using organic cleansers.
Grappa, Kosher and certified organic grains! What would Papa Daniels think of all this?
“There is a new generation of spirit distillers coming,” Becky explained, her voice rising at the excitement of the thought. “And we want to do things in a new way.”
See catoctincreekdistilling.com to learn more.
Hi Scott , the cooling water volume is surely going to exceed the amount you would need for the next mash....i know from my own distilling that a yeild of 5.0 litres @ 92~ 95% ABV from a wash of 25 litres @ 20 % requires around 125 L of water for cooling. If your'e making 100 L batches, surely you are going to collect at least 500 litres. any way,I wish you the best of luck !