Measure allows whiskey samples at Mount Vernon

George Washington may be best known for his role in building a new nation, but visitors to his Mount Vernon estate should soon have the chance to taste one of the Founding Father’s lesser known talents: making rye whiskey.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, is expected to sign into law a measure that would allow Mount Vernon to sell small amounts of Washington’s Whiskey at the rebuilt George Washington’s Distillery, which is scheduled to open to the public in a ceremony next month.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Linda T. “Toddy” Puller, Fairfax County Democrat, unanimously passed the House and Senate.

“By allowing us to sell George Washington’s rye whiskey, our visitors will be able to taste an authentic flavor of the 18th century, while learning more about Washington’s entrepreneurial spirit,” said Dennis Pogue, chief historian at Mount Vernon.

After his two terms as the nation’s first president, Washington returned to his farm in 1797 with an interest in pursuing lucrative ventures.

The nation’s foremost statesman already had a water-powered grist mill, where grain was ground into flour. At the urging of his farm manager John Anderson, who was experienced in distilling, Washington converted the grain from the mill into his own brand of white lightning.

“He came to distilling with a great deal of suspicion but was convinced by his friend that if his Scottish plantation manager knew what he was doing, that there was a profit to be made,” said Frank Coleman, senior vice president of the District-based Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Located about three miles from Mount Vernon, the distillery flourished, eventually making the former military commander the biggest whiskey purveyor in the new nation.

The finished product was put into barrels constructed at the site and marketed to merchants in Alexandria who had “come from far and wide to acquire Washington’s whiskey,” Mr. Coleman said.

In 1797, Washington described the demand in a letter to his nephew.

“Two hundred gallons of whiskey will be ready this day for your call, and the sooner it is taken the better, as the demand for [these parts] is brisk,” he wrote.

By 1799, Washington was producing about 11,000 gallons of spirits on an annual basis and producing a profit that would be equivalent to $800,000 annually, Mr. Coleman said.

“He was a phenomenal entrepreneur,” he said.

Washington died later that year and the distillery fell into disrepair.

In 1997, archaeologists found the footprint of the distillery, and its blueprints were discovered in Washington’s records.

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