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Whiskey Lotteries During a Pandemic

whiskey lottery

Whiskey Lotteries During a Pandemic đŸ„ƒ

Whiskey Lotteries During a Pandemic đŸ„ƒ

State-owned online lotteries have become the new norm for most controlled States whereas others, like Virginia, have resorted to in-store “lotteries”.

Virginia ABC released several choice bourbons for in-store purchase on Nov 10th.

Replacing a Commonwealth-wide lottery “due to pandemic related issues”, VA ABC decided to send these lottery items to all the retail stores forcing hundreds of folks to race to their local ABCs & stand in long lines for hours in hopes of purchasing one as the limit was set: one bottle/customer.

Unfortunately, each store only received a combination of the four, but not all four:

* EC 18 Year
* Weller Full Proof
* E.H. Taylor Jr. Barrel Proof
* E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel

liquor store virginia

The competition was fierce. Vartender app users (with lawn chairs in hand) arrived around 8:30 am for the 12 pm opening at many locations ranging from Brambleton to Vienna, Merrifield to Middleburg.

Majority were after the E.H. Taylor Jr Barrel Proof, followed by EC 18 Year & Weller Full Proof.

Stores weren’t advertising inventory & with limited supplies, being 7th in line could mean no Barrel Proof for you. After waiting 3.5 hours, a few grabbed the Weller Full Proof & EC 18 Year.

This is the exciting part of the whiskey hunt, however, the standing in lengthy lines during a pandemic may need to be revisited to return back to the online lotteries for the same reason, “pandemic related issues”. 

For those living in a controlled State that still do online lotteries, like Ohio, well good luck as this only requires a few clicks from the comforts of your home and probably generates more competition than the in-store lotteries.  One thing for sure is that promotes social distancing.

As a matter of fact, there’s an Ohio Bottle Lottery going on right now through Dec 14 2020 via the ohio.gov website for an opportunity to win a Pappy Van Winkle Collection and/or the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Each entry needs to fill out the required fields which include an Ohio Driver’s License Number so don’t waste your time if you don’t have one. Of course, winners need to pay for the lottery items if selected.

The third “lottery” option is distillery-sponsored lotteries. The A. Smith Bowman Distillery just held their online lottery for a chance to win a rare, special release of the Abraham Bowman Gingerbread #2 Limited Edition Whiskey Release #20. A VA license gets one free entry, and anyone selected will have to pay the retail price. A little birdie revealed that the team at Vartender won one of these just in time for the holidays!  

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Vartender is every whiskey lover’s trusted advisor! Vartender helps whiskey lovers make well-informed purchasing decisions by harnessing the most comprehensive data available, delivering it to your fingertips when you need it most

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Whiskey

Top 10 Rye Whiskies

best rye whiskey

Top 10 Rye Whiskies

Top 10 Rye Whiskies

When we think of October it’s mainly football, raking leaves, carving pumpkins, Halloween, drinking pumpkin ale, smoking a cohiba, hell even enjoying a spicy pumpkin latte if we’re  feeling crazy, but more importantly, October is all about pouring those spicy Rye Whiskies – our focus for Rye-tober!

Growing up in Ohio I grew to love some of Canada’s finest whiskies which included Canadian Club, Crown Royal, Black Velvet and Seagram’s VO.  These whiskies seemed easier to find than the Kentucky “bourbons” even though some of them shared a similar mash bill of grains and ryes.  However once I discovered Pikesville Rye (a Kentucky Rye), I couldn’t keep my private stash of Pikesville stocked full.  For those that don’t know there is an entire spectrum of rye whiskeys from 100% Rye on down. There’s Empire Rye, Indiana-Style Rye, Monogahela Rye, High Rye, Kentucky Rye, and even High Rye Bourbon to name a few.

To continue our Top 10 “theme” we are highlighting our Top 10 Rye Whiskies that we believe will compliment the Fall Season and our launching of our VA Distillery Series.  This month we are featuring Catoctin Creek Distillery, the distillers of multi-awarded Rye Whiskies.

best rye whiskey

We were able to get away and spend an afternoon with the folks at Catoctin Creek in Purcellville, VA and aside from their top-notch hospitality, they distill an excellent 92 Proof Roundstone Rye (100% Rye) that has become a crowd favorite.

Here are our 10 Rye Whiskey Favorites that we think will instantly bring spice into anyone’s life:

  1. Pikesville Rye
  2. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
  3. Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye
  4. High West Rendevous Rye
  5. New Riff Rye Whiskey
  6. Bulleitt Rye
  7. Sazerac Rye
  8. Angel’s Envy Rye
  9. Knob Creek Small Batch Rye
  10. Lock Stock & Barrel 16 Year

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Distillery Whiskey

VA Distillery Series: Catoctin Creek Distillery

VA Distillery Series:

Catoctin Creek Distillery

Catoctin Creek Distillery

Catoctin CreekŸ was founded by Becky and Scott Harris in 2009 as the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition. Catoctin Creek is located in Purcellville, Virginia, in the heart of the Loudoun Valley. 

Virginia is the birthplace of American Whiskey, and at Catoctin Creek, they faithfully dedicate themselves to that tradition, producing Virginia’s most awarded whisky—Roundstone Rye!

The name “Catoctin” is a regional name. Pronounced Ka-TOCK-tin, the name derives from the Indian tribal name “Kittocton” which, legend has it, meant “place of many deer”.

Catoctin describes a range of mountains and the eponymous creek which flows picturesquely past the distillery and into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Watershed.

At Catoctin Creek, they believe in high-quality food and spirits as they source their grain and fruit from local sources, free of pesticides and chemical additives that would come through in the spirits they produce.

The results are the finest, cleanest spirits possible, with the greatest attention to detail in every single bottle they produce.


whiskey in virginia

Visit Catoctin Creek Distillery

Virginia’s Most Awarded Spirits

At Catoctin Creek, they’ve been making internationally acclaimed spirits, from locally sourced ingredients,  in Purcellville, Virginia, since 2009. Their flagship product, Roundstone Rye, has been awarded gold medals across the globe (London, New York, San Francisco), and is a fantastic rye whisky replicating old-world production methods.

Please enjoy learning more about their full line of products as we at Vartender continue to enjoy.

Catoctin Creek Distillery is also available for PRIVATE EVENTS, like weddings, birthday parties, and corporate functions.

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INVENTORY, DISCOVER, BUILD & ORGANIZE

Vartender is every whiskey lover’s trusted advisor! Vartender helps whiskey lovers make well-informed purchasing decisions by harnessing the most comprehensive data available, delivering it to your fingertips when you need it most

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