George Washington, President and Distiller

George Washington operated one of the largest and finest whiskey distilleries in early America, producing 11,000 gallons in 1799. He wrote the “demand… is brisk,” for his rye whiskey.

In 1797, George Washington’s farm manager, James Anderson, convinced his employer that producing whiskey made from corn and rye grown on the estate would be a natural complement to his milling business. 

Washington was initially skeptical but soon granted permission to build the 2,250-square-foot distillery, making it among the largest whiskey distilleries in early America.

By 1799, Washington produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, worth the then-substantial sum of $7,500. 

The distillery ceased operating in 1814 when the building burned.

Beginning in 2000, with a $2.1 million grant from the Distilled Spirits Council and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, Mount Vernon began the excavation and restoration of the distillery.

Since 2008, when Virginia legalized spirits sales at the distillery, Mount Vernon has sold more than 23,600 bottles of whiskey and brandy and 8,000 whiskey gift sets. 

These sales have raised almost $1.5 million in revenue, which benefits the ongoing preservation and restoration of Mount Vernon and its educational programs.


                                                    

                                                      Check out the virtual tour here

https://www.distilledspirits.org/george-washington-distiller/
http://www.mountvernon.org/site/virtual-tour/