Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. of Purcellville, Virginia, is excited to release its Infinity Barrel #InThisTogether Rye Whisky on June 1. Aged in leftover casks from the distillery’s barrel select program, all profits from this limited 80-proof release will go to charities supporting struggling restaurants and bars.
Catoctin Creek’s barrel select program allows area restaurants to bottle and sell custom-made whisky from the distillery’s more experimental barrels. When the pandemic hit, many restaurants in the Washington D.C. Metro Area came under enormous financial hardship. As a result, they could not sustain the private barrel selections they had chosen. Catoctin Creek owners Scott and Becky Harris are easing their burdens by taking back the barrels.
“This was difficult for us to do, but we decided to spin this hay into gold by creating a rye whisky that is unlike anything you will ever see again,” said Scott. “During this difficult time, we are truly all #InThisTogether, which is why 100% of the profits will go to our neighbors, friends and community members in need.”
The Harrises aged the leftover whiskey in various barrels, including an American Chardonnay oak cask; an apple brandy cask; and an American Imperial Stout cask from Stablecraft Brewery in Virginia. After blending, re-barreling and blind tasting at different proofs, the Infinity Barrel Rye Whisky was born, a complex, spicy and fruity combination.
This new expression costs $45.09 and goes on sale Monday, June 1, at Catoctin Creek’s tasting room for curbside pickup only; at liquor stores in D.C., Delaware, and Maryland through distributor Prestige-Ledroit; and online for direct shipping in Virginia only.
Profits will benefit charities including Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers; USBG’s Bartender Emergency Assistance Program; Ayuda DMV, which provides social services and language access services to low-income immigrants; and Southern Smoke, a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry.