United States
Virginia (VA)
Loudoun County
Purcellville
Things to Do in Purcellville
Catoctin Creek Distillery

Catoctin Creek Distillery, Purcellville: Hours, Address, Catoctin Creek Distillery Reviews: 5/5

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Catoctin Creek Distillery

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Catoctin Creek Distillery
5
582
#1 of 32 things to do in Purcellville
Distilleries
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1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday
1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
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About
Catoctin Creek® Distilling Company was founded by Becky and Scott Harris in 2009 as the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition. We are located in Purcellville, Virginia, in the heart of the Loudoun Valley. Loudoun County, often called D.C.'s Wine Country, is home to more than twenty vineyards and wineries, and it now has a distillery. At Catoctin Creek, we believe in high quality food and spirits. Organic means higher quality: grain and fruit, sourced locally when possible, free of pesticides and chemical additives that would come through in the spirits we produce. Sure, it is more difficult to produce organically, but the results speak for themselves. The Virginia Rye Whisky!
Suggested duration
< 1 hour
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
582 reviews
Excellent
504
Very good
60
Average
13
Poor
2
Terrible
3
jgsheridan
Smithfield, VA1 contribution
A great experience at Catoctin Creek
The tasting experience was only ok. The server did not seem particularly interested in explaining anything about the different samples. Quite frankly, she delivered the flights to the table and walked off. However, the tour was outstanding. Rich was very informative. He clearly enjoys his job and is proud of his product. He explained every phase of the production process and answered every one of our questions. We have visited many other distilleries but Rich made us appreciated how Catoctin Creek is much more of a true craft process and product. He also took some extra time to discuss the reasons why the Watershed Gin is such a uniqure product (which we love). Finally, he told us about some upcoming special releases which we think we will love (based on a taste of a similar product). Overall the visit was an excellent experience
Written August 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Douglas N
1 contribution
Outstanding opportunity to hear the story of the CCD's history and evolving practices.
Outstanding opportunity to hear the story of the CCD's history and evolving practices. Enjoyed three tastings to gain a further appreciation for the spirits; only two ryes were tasted. Bought one of the two ryes and gin.

Would like to actually see the more complete process of production perhaps at a longer observer-only workshop or phased workshops.

Suggestion: Knowing of a continental breakfast, I called ahead to see if arriving earlier than 10:00 was advised. I was told arriving by 10:00 was all that was needed, so we arrived at 9:58.

Surprise #1: Unopened packages of small doughnuts, miniature bagels, and cream cheese as only spread. This is a stretch to call this a continental breakfast. Either provide at least a jelly, jam, butter, and/or cheese, or fruit, or juice and charge a fee as needed, or don't call it any kind of breakfast, or don't serve anything but coffee/tea.

Surprise #2: At 10:03, intro was made with the tour. I had eaten two bites with one sip of coffee. Either start the tour later or suggest that guests arrive earlier than 10:00 if they want to snack on anything.
Written July 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Swirlista_Danielle
Northern Virginia, VA19 contributions
Amazing from start to finish!
Couples
My husband and I went to Catoctin Creek Distillery, for a 3 pm reservation, for a tour and tasting. It was an awesome experience! The tour, given by Rich, was absolutely wonderful…the perfect blend of education, local factoids, humor and glimpse of what’s to come for the business. It definitely left everyone clamoring for the tasting portion which did not disappoint! The tasting was also phenomenal. Highly impressed with the distillery’s sustainability, our tour guide’s (Rich) knowledge and eagerness to engage with all the attendees, and the products themselves. We will definitely be back!
Written January 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Shawn M
1 contribution
A wonderful and educational experience
This was a wonderful and educational experience. We were looking for special gifts for an upcoming event with life long friends and whiskey lovers. The ability to complete all of the steps in the bottling process ourselves makes the gift that much more personal. Scott did a great job of explaining the history of rye whiskey in Virginia and the distilling process itself. The tasting was icing on the cake. A great time for sure.
Written May 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Deanna W
2 contributions
Five Star Experience
Back in July 2015, hubby and I enjoyed a tour and tasting at Catoctin Creek. Last Friday we had the pleasure of participating in a Dinner at the Distillery event and were very impressed. As we made our way to our table, Becky and Scott individually greeted us and made sure we felt welcome and comfortable. We immediately recognized Denise, the head bartender/FOH manager, from our visit 7 years prior -- a tenure we understand to be rare in the industry and area. Chefs Tarver King and Nate Shapiro provided four delectable courses that paired perfectly with distillery cocktails. Service, food, and drinks were all top notch.

Will we try to get tickets to the next event in June? Yes. Are we likely to drop by for another tasting or cocktail before then? Absolutely! Catoctin Creek Distillery has earned a spot in our regular rotation.
Written March 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dave W
1 contribution
Good fun time
Couples
The Zoom gin cocktail class was fun and informative. Scott, the presenter, was friendly and engaging. Not only did he do an excellent job demonstrating how to make the cocktails, he also gave a history on the cocktail & gin along with a tutorial on how gin is made.
Participants were encouraged to make comments and ask questions. There was a sence of community. All in all a fun 90 minutes
Written January 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kenneth R
1 contribution
Art Of the Cocktail - New Orleans Edition
We love to attend the Art of the Cocktail classes with Scott Harris. This has been our 4th class, and we are meeting lots of new people who share our passion for mixology. Scott does a great job of keeping every class interesting,
Written January 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dave N
Alexandria, VA6 contributions
Bikes and booze
We parked our cars in a public lot (free and unlimited time) right next door to the distillery, rode our bikes east on the W&OD trail, then back to the distillery for our scheduled tour and tasting. The front is all glass, creating a light, breezy atmosphere in the bar area. The staff were welcoming and knowledgable. Our server and tour guide, Denise, was especially enthusiastic about the distillery. She had ready answers for all of our many questions. They're selection of ryes was excellent, and they cater to a range of palettes with rye-based gin and brandy concoctions, including cocktail options. They don't serve food, but it was not a problem as they are prohibited by law from serving anyone more than 2 oz. total, which seemed like the perfect amount. I recommend getting a flight of three 1/2-oz. pours and supplementing it with a fourth 1/2 oz. of your favorite. Definitely, a fun thing to couple with a bike ride. Plus there are other cool places to go and eat in Purcellville within a very short walk.
Written September 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Brooke G
1 contribution
Add this to your Virginia bucket list
I love Catoctin and have been to the distillery many times, but my favorite thing to do is introduce newcomers to their products and people. Scott Harris (owner) gave us a personalized tour and always does a fantastic job of explaining some of the most fascinating info about the distilling process, and the things that make Catoctin stand out. Including but not limited to their historic building, family-run startup style, zero-waste production, and community investment. Go curious, leave happy.
Written July 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Eric W
1 contribution
Apple brandy
Solo
I tried the brandy flight and a pour of the 92 proof rye. The brandy flight came with pear, peach and apple brandies. Of those, the pear was the weakest, pretty mild in flavor. The peach was much better, very sweet and peachy. But the apple brandy, wow. Strong apple flavor, rich and complex texture and overall flavor profile. I bought a bottle of it and will be buying more! The 92 proof rye was nicely spicy and I ended buying a bottle as well.

The staff in the tasting room were very friendly and knowledgeable about what they were serving. Overall I would definitely recommend a visit
Written December 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Catoctin Creek Distillery
Catoctin Creek Distillery is open:
  • Sun - Sun 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
  • Tue - Thu 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Fri - Fri 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Sat - Sat 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM