Scott Harris, co-founder and general manager of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, has been appointed to the Virginia Spirits Board by Governor Ralph Northam, overseeing the operations and marketing of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC).
The new board will set direction and innovate new courses for the growing Virginia ABC. Harris is joined by Jeff Bloem, founder and maltster of Murphy & Rude Malting Co.; Joshua Chandler, plant manager of Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, Inc.; David Cuttino, co-founder and CEO of Reservoir Distillery; Bill Karlson, owner of KO Distilling; Kara King, creative director of Ironclad Distillery; Gareth H. Moore, CEO of Virginia Distilling Co.; and Brian Prewitt, master distiller of A. Smith Bowman Distillery.
“I am excited to engage in this new role and honored to have been selected for this initial board,” says Harris. “I look forward to working with my peers in the industry, and the leadership of the Virginia ABC, to innovate and continue to achieve the best results for spirits consumers and citizens in the Commonwealth.”
Following his graduation from Georgia Tech, Harris spent 20 years building a software career in telecommunication systems and government IT solutions before opening Catoctin Creek Distilling Co., The Virginia Rye Whisky with his wife, Becky, in 2009. A tireless advocate for craft spirits both in the Commonwealth of Virginia and internationally, Harris was named the Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011 and awarded Small Business of the Year in 2012 by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce.