George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill
Distillery · Mount Vernon ·
Working gristmill & distillery producing small-batch rye whiskey
Working gristmill & distillery producing small-batch rye whiskey
"You can still buy a bottle of small-batch whiskey at a re-creation of one of the largest whiskey distilleries of the late-18th century United States. Even better, it was owned by George Washington, the only Founding Father who, when he wasn’t building a nation, was trying to lift its spirits. Immensely popular during its time, Washington’s distillery was located three miles from his estate in Mount Vernon. Records show that it produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799, the year of his death. It also produced such delights as peach and persimmon brandy. The distillery was destroyed in a fire in 1814, but resurrected in 2007, and today, conducts tours and whiskey tastings. The distillery sits next to Washington’s gristmill. Ground corn and rye from the mill went to the distillery, where staff and enslaved workers mashed and cooked them in large wooden vats. The cooked mash was fermented with malted barley and put into copper stills fired by burning wood (the distillery had five of these stills). A tap running water from the stream outside cooled the gaseous alcohol and brought it back to liquid form through condensation. Then, it could then be poured straight from the barrel and imbibed. Washington’s rye whiskey wasn’t aged, so it didn’t have the rich amber tone of typical whiskey, and the distillery maintains the tradition of unaged, clear whiskey today. (It also now makes and sells the aged kind.) The whiskey, made for sale, is produced only twice a year, so bottles of George Washington’s beloved tipple are truly collector’s items. Proceeds from sales go toward maintaining operations at Mount Vernon. In 2017, Terry McAuliffe, the governor of Virginia at the time, declared George Washington’s Rye Whiskey the official state spirit of the Commonwealth of Virginia." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"After leaving the presidency in 1797, George Washington settled into a comfortable retirement as one of the new nation’s largest producers of whiskey—if not the largest. That wasn’t the founding father’s intention when he left office for his pastoral home of Mount Vernon in Virginia. But his newly hired plantation manager, a Scot named James Anderson, proposed a distillery after noticing that Mount Vernon had most of the necessary infrastructure (a water supply and gristmill) as well as plenty of rye, which enslaved workers planted as a cover crop. Washington had to be talked into the enterprise, but it quickly proved successful. Within two years, his distillery was producing nearly 11,000 gallons of white whiskey that sold for over $100,000 in today’s dollars—a nice, alcohol-soaked profit. Washington’s whiskey was neither bottled nor aged, but sold in wooden barrels for 50 cents a gallon. The distillery had a short run, as it fell into disrepair after Washington’s death in 1799 and eventually burned down. But in 2007, the distillery was resurrected, and it’s now open to the public and selling bottles of whiskey and brandy. The stills are re-creations of those used by Washington’s staff and enslaved workers, and the recipe, like in the 18th century, is 60 percent rye, 35 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley. Unlike in Washington’s day, some of the whiskey is now aged. (The unaged stuff is clear.) Bottles of Washington’s Whiskey (and brandy) are available for purchase at the Mount Vernon distillery. They’re not sold online, and they sell out quickly. (A large distillery in 1799 is small by today’s standards.) But if you try a tipple, be careful. As Steve Bashore, Mount Vernon’s director of historic trades and current head distiller, told Food and Wine, “For some people, unaged whiskey is a little strong.” As for Washington himself, he was known to enjoy his whiskey on occasion. But he was more of a Madeira man. Know Before You Go The distillery and grounds are open to the public seasonally. Note that the distillery and gristmill are located a short distance from the main Mount Vernon entrance."
"Located on the Mount Vernon estate, this faithful reconstruction of the original post-presidential distillery—once the largest in America—produces small-batch spirits and runs compelling, history-rich tours. Visits are seasonal (open to the public April through October) and tickets are available online, making it an appealing stop for those interested in early American history and traditional whisky-making methods." - SilverKris
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