Catoctin Creek Distilling, founded in 2009 by Becky and Scott Harris in Purcellville, Virginia, was the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition. The husband-and-wife team built the distillery on organic principles and a deep love of rye — a grain that once defined American whisky before bourbon's dominance.
Rabble Rouser is Catoctin Creek's bottled-in-bond rye, a designation that demands the whisky be the product of one distillery, one distillation season, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. It's a legal stamp of authenticity dating back to 1897, and Catoctin Creek wears it with pride.
Made from 100% organic rye grain, Rabble Rouser is uncompromising in character. The nose is full of spiced rye bread, dark honey, and warming cinnamon. The palate roars with pepper, clove, and ginger, then mellows into caramel and vanilla before the oak wraps everything in a warming embrace.
The finish is long, spicy, and utterly unapologetic — exactly the kind of experience the name promises. This is a rye that stirs things up, honours Virginia's distilling heritage, and makes a compelling case that the best American rye need not come from the traditional Northeast strongholds. Rabble Rouser by name, rabble rouser by nature.
