Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control Hosts Whiskey Rocks Events

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 15, 2019

The Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control (DLC) is hosting a new, two-day celebration called Whiskey Rocks that will kick-off Friday, Jan. 18 at the Muddy Branch Liquor & Wine store, which is located at 866 Muddy Branch Road in Gaithersburg.  Whiskey Rocks will continue Saturday, Jan. 19, at Westwood Liquor & Wine, which is located at 5432 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. 

Both stores open at 10 a.m. and the events at each location will run until 7 p.m. There will be a number of highly sought after but hard to find items, including products that were part of the Pappy Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace lotteries. Among the available items will be Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year and George T. Stagg. These and other allocated items will be offered to anyone 21, or older, on either a first-come, first-serve basis or at random drawings for an opportunity to purchase.

Below is a rundown of the events for each day:

Friday, Jan. 18, at Muddy Branch Liquor & Wine:

10 a.m.  First-come, first-serve items include O.F.C. 1993; Four Roses 130th Anniversary Bourbon; W.L. Weller CYPB; Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond; Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel; Yellowstone 2018 Limited Edition Bourbon; Hakushu 12-Year-Old; Heaven Hill 27; and Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 25YR. The first 100 customers will receive a complimentary gift

10 a.m. – noon. Show your ID and you will be given one entry to the random in-store drawing for a chance to purchase one of 89 bottles of George T. Stagg. The drawing will be held at 2 p.m. No residency restrictions but winners must be present. 

Noon – 3 p.m. Complimentary tastings including Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon; Southern Comfort 80; and the Buffalo Trace Barrel Selection. The barrel was selected specifically for the DLC by Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley.

Additional whiskey tastings will run throughout the afternoon and evening and will include Wild Turkey Longbranch, Whistle Pig, Gentleman Jack and a Woodford Reserve tasting and engraving.

Saturday, Jan. 19 at Westwood Liquor & Wine:

The celebration continues with 10 percent off all regular priced whiskey items in the store. The discount excludes Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year and the Buffalo Trace Barrel selection.

10 a.m. 100 first-come, first-serve bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year will be available for purchase. No residency restrictions apply.

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Show your ID and you will be given one entry to the in-store random drawing for a chance to purchase one of the 34 remaining bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year. The drawing will be held at 2 p.m. No residency restrictions; but winners must be present. 

Noon – 3 p.m. Complimentary tastings including Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon, Southern Comfort 80 and the Buffalo Trace Barrel selection. The barrel was selected specifically for the DLC by Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. Enter for a chance to win the empty barrel, with that drawing to be held at the conclusion of the tasting.  Must be present to win.

3 p.m. Heaven Hill Mash bill seminar (sold out).

Additional whiskey tastings running throughout the afternoon and evening will include Gentleman Jack & Woodford Reserve tasting and engraving, as well as a Jefferson’s Ocean tasting. Enter for a chance to win an empty Jefferson’s barrel. That raffle will be held at the conclusion of the tasting. Winners must be present.

“We are very excited to engage our customers in this way,” said Robert Dorfman. director of the DLC. “Montgomery County operates under a control model for alcohol distribution. One of the benefits to this model is that we are given access to larger amounts of highly allocated, hard-to-find products. Manufacturers understand that control jurisdictions provide product access to customers at fair prices.”

For more details about Whiskey Rocks, including product availability, complimentary tastings and more visit the events page on the DLC website. 

The DLC encourages you to drink responsibly.

 # # #

Release ID: 19-022
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta 240-777-1904