Catoctin Creek Distillers Roundstone Rye Cask Proof

Catoctin Creek Distillers in Purcellville, Virginia, is a 'mom and pop' operation located an hour Northwest of Washington, D.C. Roundstone Rye is made from 100% rye mash. It is not declared by the distillery whether some or all of the rye is malted or whether enzymes are added to the mash. Official public release of this, the Cask Proof expression, took place for the first time, officially, at the distillery, yesterday, July 7, 2012. My sister had managed to obtain a bottle in Baltimore two weeks prior to the public distillery release party event. The reviewed bottle is newly opened today, and is listed as from Batch B12E1, bottle # 117 of 134. The whiskey is copper pot distilled, is organic, kosher, from a single barrel, and aged "under 2 years in new white oak".

Colour: deep golden

Body: slightly oily, coats the mouth

Nose: lots of rye spice and vanilla; slightly spirity

Taste: very rye spicy, very sweet, sweeter than you would ever expect with under two years of wood contact, and tart plums. Nice

Finish: very long, very pleasant, very consistent finish; a finish even better than the delivery. All of the flavours remain strong for a long time

Balance: in contrast to the standard release of Roundstone Rye at 40% ABV, this has a much more satisfying concentration of flavours. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Cask Proof is a good quality rye option, and is interesting as one of the few 100% rye mash whiskeys available on the market from any source. Proprietors Scott and Becky are fully invested 'drink local, drink regional' advocates. I believe that they will succeed with this distillery by virtue of this personal investment of theirs in the 'think & drink local' movement.

This is a nice whiskey, but expensive at a price approximately equal locally to that of Sazerac 18 Rye and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye.

Nevertheless, this rye whiskey is definitely worth a try, and I do hope that in time that they will get around to aging some of it for 6-8 years.