US whiskey maker Catoctin Creek Distilling Company is launching its award-winning Roundstone Rye into the UK this month.

Based in the centre of Purcellville, Virginia, the company has made a name for itself as the first legal distillery to open in Loudon County since Prohibition. It practises a small-scale pre-Prohibition style of production using local grain and smaller pot stills.

Its Roundstone Rye, Virginia's most-awarded whiskey, is aged in new charred white oak casks. Tasting notes from Catoctin Creek say the whiskey has notes of caramel, butter toffee, smooth wood and a hint of lemon.

Three editions of Roundstone Rye will be available for consumers in the UK from retailers including Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange and Native Spirits.

The launch comes as Catoctin Creek gears up for the inaugural 'Rye January' — in counterpoint to the well-known 'Dry January'. This new event invites whiskey drinkers to explore the history of Virginia rye and American Prohitibion through the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company website.

The three variations of Roundstone Rye being launched into the UK are:

• Roundstone Rye 80 Proof (RRP £37, 40% ABV, 700 ml)


• Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition 92 Proof(RRP £55 per bottle, 46% ABV, 700 ml)


• Roundstone Rye Cask Proof (RRP £85, 58% ABV, 700 ml)