Thanks, George – mine’s a double!

A LITTLE-KNOWN fact about George Washington – the man who led England’s 13 American colonies to independence – was his post-war life as a whiskey producer.

The distillery on George Washington's Mount Vernon estate

In 1797, he hired a Scottish plantation manager, James Anderson, who encouraged him to build a whiskey distillery next to the gristmill at his Mount Vernon estate.

This distillery was the largest in America, produced almost 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799. Five copper pot stills produced whiskey using Washington’s original mash bill (60% rye, 35% corn and 5% malted barley) which was sold to neighbouring farmers and in Alexandria. It was one of the most successful business enterprises at Mount Vernon.

When Washington died, an inventory listed peach, apple and persimmon brandy, plain whiskey, and cinnamon whiskey stored in the Mansion’s basement. It is thought that all this booze was made at Washington’s distillery and served to guests. The stone distillery has been reconstructed and operates seasonally, mashing, fermenting, and distilling grain as it was done in the 18th century.

Washington's Mount Vernon estate is 15 miles south of Washington DC on the banks of the Potomac River.

For news about events and tours at Mount Vernon, go to www.mountvernon.org

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