MOUNT VERNON - August 2008

Washington estate to sell whiskey

The Mount Vernon estate will begin selling whiskey this week at George Washington's rebuilt distillery, which opened to the public last year. Mount Vernon is allowed to sell the whiskey under a special measure signed this year by Gov. Tim Kaine, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Washington got into the whiskey business when he returned to his riverfront estate after his two terms as president. By 1799, he was producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year.

The distillery fell into disrepair after Washington's death and eventually burned to the ground. After a nearly 200-year hiatus, it was rebuilt and opened in March last year.

Beginning Monday, (Aug 11) the estate will sell $25 commemorative gift sets of whiskey, made from combining and re-aging some of America's most famous brands.

George Washington, Whiskey Entrepreneur
By JOHN H. FUND / WSJ
February 21, 2007
Mount Vernon, Va.

Although George Washington was born 275 years ago this year, most Americans think they know a great deal about him. He led American soldiers in winning our independence from Britain. He was the nation's first president. He adorns our dollar bill and a new dollar coin. But how many people know he was also a leading businessman, probably the No. 1 whiskey producer in all of colonial America? Indeed, Washington was a prosperous farmer and entrepreneur throughout his life. "He thought like an American businessman," says Jim Rees, the executive director of Washington's Mount Vernon estate. "He was a true disciple of the free enterprise system, and he sensed that our new system of government would encourage people to think creatively, take chances and invest."

View of the George Washington's Distillery from the nearby gristmill

Mr. Rees is proud that Mount Vernon is helping showcase our Founding Father's business career by opening a complete reconstruction of his 75-by-30-foot distillery, which at its peak turned out 11,000 gallons a year of corn and rye whiskey along with fruit brandy. (The distillery and accompanying museum open to the public on March 31.) James Anderson, a Scot who was convinced making whiskey was a growth industry, pitched the idea to Washington just weeks before he retired from office. Import taxes had reduced the consumption of molasses-based rum and made home-grown hooch popular. At the time, the average American consumed five gallons of distilled spirits every year, compared with only 1.8 gallons today.

Washington admitted in a letter he wrote to Anderson that liquor was "a business I am entirely unacquainted with," but the advice of a rum distiller friend of his persuaded him to invest in two stills that produced an initial 80 gallons of whiskey. Sales were brisk enough that within months Washington decided to build a distillery on the site of one of his unprofitable farms. The building housed five copper stills, a boiler and 50 mash tubs.

I sampled the re-created product -- made of 60% rye, 35% corn and 5% malted barley -- during the recent dedication of the rebuilt distillery. Truth to tell, while the color was a pleasing amber with reddish tones, the taste was more reminiscent of moonshine than today's bourbons. In Washington's time, "quality" was a term that referred to the alcohol content far more than the complexity of the distilling process.

For all of Washington's success in selling liquor, Mount Vernon guides are quick to note that he was a light drinker who refused to tolerate alcohol abuse among his employees or soldiers. "He appreciated the benefits of drink and also recognized the need for moderation," says Peter Cressy, the president of the Distilled Spirits Council, which put up $1.5 million toward the distillery restoration. The council views the Washington site as the crown jewel in a new "American Whiskey Trail," a collection of whiskey-related tourist sites that dot Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

But for all of Washington's commendable belief in moderate alcohol use, he very much appreciated its utility. Esther White, a Mount Vernon archaeologist, told me Washington once lost a 1755 campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates because he didn't treat prospective supporters to a drink. Two years later, he rolled out 144 gallons of refreshment. He won with 307 votes, a return on his investment of better than two votes per gallon. He never lost another campaign.

During the Revolution, Washington was also convinced of the salutary effects of alcohol on his troops: It kept them feeling warm and upbeat and discouraged desertions. In 1777, he instructed the purchasing officer of the Continental Army that "there should always be a sufficient quantity of spirits with the army." He noted in a letter to John Hancock that the "benefits arising from moderate use of liquor have been experienced in all armies and are not to be disputed."

But when he became president, Washington found liquor to be at the center of the biggest rebellion his young government faced. Southwestern Pennsylvania, where a fourth of America's stills were located, rose up against a 7.5-cent tax on every gallon of whiskey that was imposed by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Historian Bernard Weisberger notes that distillers were furious not so much at the tax but that "it allowed collectors to snoop in barns, closets and cellars" to catch evaders. The farmers formed their own army, marched on Pittsburgh and captured it. Washington had to send 15,000 militiamen to suppress what became known as the "Whiskey Rebellion."

Interior view of George Washington's Distillery. Photo by Shannon Bell

When it came to his own future career as a distiller, Washington paid careful attention to the business. Mount Vernon owns the original financial ledger for the operation. This was no retiree's hobby; the ledger shows many important local families were customers and made the distillery very successful. The good times ended after Washington's sudden death in 1799 at age 67. His distillery passed into the hands of other owners and by 1814 had been dismantled to provide construction materials for nearby homes. Had Washington lived longer, who knows how big his infant whiskey operation could have grown? At the dedication of the rebuilt distillery, Mr. Rees spoke of what might have been: "If Washington had lived another five or maybe 10 years, I think one of his descendants would be sitting right there, in this audience, right next to the other CEOs of the nation's best distilleries."

But today's whiskey barons have nothing to fear from a new Mount Vernon-sponsored whiskey line. Mr. Rees says he plans to limit the new output of Washington's brew to a few commemorative bottles that will raise money at auction for Mount Vernon's educational programs -- which attract over a million visitors a year to the historic site and the new museum complex next to it.

"We have no plans to enter the high-stakes liquor business," says Mr. Rees, "even though it's tempting, given that the name of George Washington would certainly provide us with a sensational marketing advantage: We could say he was First in War, First in Peace and First in Smooth Libations."


More Information on the Distillery...

George Washington's Distillery Wins Multiple Awards for Architectural Excellence and Historical Preservation
Source: DISCUS
Feb 8th, 2008

George Washington's Distillery at Mount Vernon, which opened to the public in the spring of 2007, recently received several important awards for architectural excellence and historic preservation from The Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, The Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Wood Design &Building Magazine.

"After almost a decade of painstaking research, careful planning and devoted attention to the minutest detail of historical accuracy, it is gratifying to know that our efforts have been appreciated by our colleagues in the preservation, design and construction fields," said Dennis Pogue, Mount Vernon's chief historian and director of preservation. "George Washington's record of achievement in all of his many pursuits is a remarkable chapter in American history, and these awards confirm that we have created an equally remarkable building where part of that story can be told."

The Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects presented the distillery with the 2007 "Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation" for excellence in preservation strategies and technology. Builders employed late-18th century building techniques to authentically reconstruct the distillery. The renovation project was celebrated not only for design and execution, but for the extraordinary academic effort in archaeology, documentation and research.

The Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects honored the distillery with its "Craftsman Award," which honors the renovation project for the highest standards of craftsmanship in new construction. The distillery received this award over all newly constructed projects in the region and it was the first time in five years the award was given at all.

Additionally, Wood Design & Building Magazine recognized the distillery as a Merit Award winner in the 2007 Wood Design Awards. The distillery was one of 15 projects selected from more than 200 entries. The Wood Design Awards program is the only North American wide program that fosters growth in the quality of architectural practices by recognizing achievements in wood architecture. Nearly a dozen different species of wood were used in the construction to recreate the structural and aesthetic qualities of the original 18th century distillery.

Mount Vernon began the excavation and restoration of the $2.1 million distillery project in 2001 with a grant from the distillery spirits industry. The distillery was dedicated by Britain's Prince Andrew on September 27, 2006, and officially opened to the public in March 2007.

"Mount Vernon's expert team of builders and historians resurrected the distillery with the highest degree of authenticity," said Distilled Spirits Council President Peter Cressy. "We are very pleased that the craftsmanship and detail that went into the reconstruction of this unique building has been acknowledged, and George Washington's role as a distiller restored to American history"

Washington erected the 2,250 square foot distillery in 1797, making it among the largest whiskey distilleries in early America. In 1799, Washington produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, worth the then-substantial sum of $7,500.

The reconstructed distillery marks the only historic site in the country capable of showing the early American distilling process from seed to barrel. George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill is open for tours March 15 through October 31 daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m

Joe Rogalsky, The Examiner
Mar 12, 2007

Whiskey To Flow At George Washington Home

MOUNT VERNON, Va. - Whiskey soon will flow from the stills at Mount Vernon, just as it did when George Washington operated one of the young nation’s largest distilling operations. Starting March 31, Washington’s reconstructed distillery will be fired up. Mount Vernon will be the only place in the country showing the complete 18th-century distilling process, which starts with grain and ends with a powerful drink. No operating distillery from the 18th century exists in this country,” said Dennis Pogue, Mount Vernon’s associate director for preservation. “Washington’s whiskey distillery

is the first in North America to be systematically excavated and reconstructed, so this is really uncharted territory.”

Washington started his distillery in early 1797 as a way to use some of the grain he was producing. The operation quickly took off and he soon had to purchase grain from other farms so he could produce more whiskey.

“Two hundred gallons of whiskey will be ready this day for your call, and the sooner it is taken the better, as the demand is brisk,” he wrote a nephew in 1797.

The distillery hit its peak production in 1799, when 11,000 gallons of whiskey worth $7,500 were produced. In modern dollars, Washington’s profit from the distillery that year totaled $800,000.

“It was the most profitable economic venture at Mount Vernon,” said State Sen. Linda Puller, D-Fairfax, who successfully sponsored legislation this session permitting the sale of whiskey at the historical site. “Now we can go to Mount Vernon and have a toddy if we want.”

The two-story distillery also features a storage cellar with barrels, an office and two bedrooms where the site manager and assistant would have lived in Washington’s day. It sits on the site of Washington’s original distillery, which is near his famous gristmill about 3 miles from the Mount Vernon mansion.

Washington’s distillery will be a highlighted stop on the American Whiskey Trail, which runs through historical distilling sites in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.


By Matt Stearns
McClatchy Newspapers

MOUNT VERNON, Va. - George Washington: General. President. Whiskey purveyor? Yep. In his later years, Washington's Mount Vernon estate housed one of fledgling America's largest and most profitable distilleries, capable of producing 11,000 gallons a year at a time when most liquor makers could muster only a few hundred.

"It was a major commercial operation . . . it was as good as any whiskey that was being made," said Dennis Pogue, a historian at Mount Vernon.

Now, the distillery at Mount Vernon has been rebuilt to exacting historical specifications. Built using the plans for the 1797 distillery on the footprint of the original building after a five-year archeological effort, it will open to the public in April. The official dedication on Wednesday featured a visit from England's Prince Andrew.

The building's first floor will have costumed interpreters explaining to visitors Washington's liquor business and how the distillery worked. On the second floor, a museum will guide visitors through a history of the distilled spirits industry during Washington's time.

Mount Vernon officials say it will add an important new element to Americans' understanding of Washington.

"George Washington's story is so rich," Pogue said. "Most of what Americans think they know about Washington is wrong. This is an opportunity to give insight into Washington that people don't have. It fleshes out the picture of what life was like at Mount Vernon and in America at the time."

About 1 million visitors a year go to Mount Vernon. Officials hope that the distillery and adjacent grist mill eventually will entice 50,000 of them annually to their location two miles down the road from the main estate.

Bluenoses might blanch at the prospect of the Father of our Country being touted as a liquor producer, but Pogue noted that Washington "knew alcohol was a part of American life, part of society. He drank himself."

The distilled spirits industry, which paid for most of the $2 million-plus project, hopes the distillery will broaden people's understanding of the place of alcohol in American history.

"We're proud of our heritage," said Peter Cressy, president of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the liquor manufacturers' trade association that underwrote the project. "It gives us the opportunity to, in a very authentic way, show something about the heritage of our industry."

Philip Lynch, a spokesman for liquor maker Brown-Forman Corp., said, "It puts distilled spirits in context for people. Probably 75 percent of the farmers in this country were distillers."


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Duke of York Honors New Inductees to George Washington Spirits Society at Mount Vernon Celebration

9/27/2006 2:01:00 PM
Source: DISCUS

MOUNT VERNON, Va., Sept. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- His Royal Highness, The Duke of York bestowed medals and honored new inductees of the George Washington Spirits Society during an evening industry heritage celebration at Historic Mount Vernon, the Distilled Spirits Council announced.

The 2006 Inductees are: Paul S. Walsh, Chief Executive of Diageo, plc.; William Goldring, Chairman of the Republic Beverage Company; Marvin R. Shanken, Chairman of M. Shanken Communications, Inc.; and Sidney E. Frank, founder and former Chairman of Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc. (posthumous award presented to his daughter, Cathy Halstead and nephew, John Frank).

"We are delighted to have His Royal Highness join us at George Washington's historic home to honor these four exemplary individuals," said Distilled Spirits Council President Peter Cressy. "The George Washington Spirits Society recognizes distinguished individuals who best exemplify the outstanding qualities exhibited by our nation's first President in his life, his business enterprises, and his service to his country."

The honorees were inducted into the George Washington Spirits Society, which was created in 2002, during a special reception and dinner at Mount Vernon hosted by the Distilled Spirits Council and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America. Attended by more than 700 guests including legislators, industry leaders and the media, the evening raised more than $225,000 to support the educational programs of Historic Mount Vernon.

The highlight of the event was a special tasting and auction of commemorative bottles of both George Washington's Distillery Vatted American Whiskey - a blend of America's best-known Bourbons and whiskeys, vatted, aged and hand-bottled on the grounds of Mount Vernon; and, George Washington's Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey - made from George Washington's recipe for the first time since 1799.

Each honoree was inducted as "Guardian of His Spirit" and presented a medal created by the world-renowned Lenox designers. The medals, made through an antique process using burnished silver over pewter, featured an image of George Washington with the words "Heritage, Responsibility and Integrity" on one side and a replica of George Washington's copper pot still on the other side.

The inductees were selected by the Board of Trustees of the George Washington Spirits Society, which is made up of representatives of America's leading distillers and Historic Mount Vernon.


Real Distilling Starts for Two Weeks at George Washington's Distillery
Source: DISCUS
Feb 12, 2009

Authentic distilling begins this week at George Washington's Distillery for a two-week period. The goal of this session, not open to the public, is to generate 100 gallons of whiskey using Washington 's recipe. Half of the supply will be bottled and sold at Mount Vernon starting this summer (likely in June) as George Washington's Rye Spirit. This product will be un-aged, just like Washington 's version of whiskey. Pints will be sold for a price still to be determined but most likely just under $100. The remaining half will be aged in oak barrels for future sale as whiskey, also in pints at a price to be determined.

Master distiller Dave Pickerill, formerly of Maker's Mark, will lead the team of Mount Vernon employees - historians, historic trades interpreters, archaeologists, and educators - who will work to make Washington 's recipe at the reconstructed Distillery. A daily blog will document their efforts: http://makinggeorgewashingtonswhiskey.blogspot.com/

Starting last August, Mount Vernon began offering for sale a commemorative gift box set that includes a shot glass and a 50 mL bottle consisting of 11 different whiskey brands blended and aged at Mount Vernon in 2005. The gift sets are $25 and are available for purchase in person with a valid ID at the Shops at Mount Vernon or George Washington's Distillery. Mount
Vernon's first attempt at distilling in the summer of 2007 yielded roughly a dozen gallons, which are being aged and will be sold as whiskey starting in the fall.

Mount Vernon's Distillery and Gristmill Opens April 1, 2009

George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill open for the season on April 1. Visitors will be able to see costumed distillers operating copper stills, stirring mash tubs, and managing the boiler as they demonstrate 18th-century distilling. The two-story building also features a storage cellar with barrels, an office, and two bedrooms where the site manager and assistant would have lived. On the second floor, a History Channel video called "George Washington's Liquid Gold" and a museum exhibit, "Spirits of Independence: George Washington and the Beginnings of the American Whiskey Industry," tell the story of whiskey at Mount Vernon and its history in America . The Distillery is adjacent to George Washington's Gristmill, a water-powered mill. At the Gristmill, costumed millers operate four floors of machinery to show visitors how Washington 's complex farming operation expanded to include a commercial gristmill which produced flour that was exported around the world.

George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill are located three miles from the main Mount Vernon Estate on Route 235 South. Admission to the site is $4 for adults, $2 for children ages 6-11, and free for children 5 and under. When combined with admission to Mount Vernon , tickets are $2 for adults, $1.50 for children ages 6-11, and free for children 5 and under. The site is open April 1 - October 31, 2009.

George Washington was the only founding father to commercially operate a whiskey distillery, and its size and volume of production rank the building among the most important structures of its kind in 18th-century America . One of the most successful economic components of Mount Vernon , the distillery at peak production in 1799 utilized five stills and a boiler and produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey valued at $7,500. George Washington's desire to pursue the most innovative and creative farming practices of his time is demonstrated by his commitment to building such a large structure.

Mount Vernon archaeologists began their investigation of the site in 1997, a project which accelerated in 2001 with a generous donation from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). In addition to contributing a total of $2.1 million to the project, DISCUS has named the Distillery the gateway to its newly developed American Whiskey Trail.

And below... read all the background on getting this far!