The DC Traveler

America’s first President, George Washington, was a whiskey maker.

During the American Revolution, run was the alcohol drink of choice. Around 90% of the alcohol consumed by the American colonies was British rum, imported from the West Indies.

In the 1790s, whiskey was quickly becoming the alcohol of choice for Americans, moving rum from the number one spot, mostly due to a higher cost for the British impost and, partly from a sense of nationalistic pride (whiskey was made locally, using American grain).

As a result in the change of taste, thousands of distilleries were built by 1800, but most were small operations producing just a couple hundred gallons a year.

By 1820, whiskey was king, accounting for over 85% of the alcohol consumed by Americans.

And George Washington rode the whiskey wave. Besides growing tobacco, wheat and corn on his on his Mount Vernon Estate, he built a 4,000 square foot whiskey distillery to try to to satisfy America’s new thirst for whiskey.

He erected the distillery next to the grain gristmill that had been built 20 years earlier along Dogue Creek. The creek was (and still is) a reliable source for water to power the mill, but as whiskey production grew, a well was needed to supply the amount of water required. Fuel for fire was collected from the surrounding wooded area, and the mill was a reliable source for grain. With Alexandria nearby, a market for the finished product was just a short wagon ride away.

The distillery, using five 120-gallon stills, a boiler and wooden mash tubs, allowed production to grow from only 600 gallons in 1797, to over 11,000 gallons just three years later.

The distillery building had three main functions — mashing and fermenting the grain; distillation of the whiskey; and the business operations office.

Both the original gristmill and the recently opened recreation of the original distillery are in operation and open for tours.

George Washington’s Whiskey Distillery and Gristmill
5514 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway (Route 235)
Alexandria, VA 22309 (map it)

Dates and Times – March 15 to October 31, Daily - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Tickets - Adults and Seniors - $4.00, Kids 6 - 11 - $2.00, 5 and under – FREE. Combination tickets of the Estate and gristmill and distillery are also available.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Huntington - Yellow line, the catch the Fairfax Connector #152 bus to the distillery and mill (about 20 minutes). Or take a cab from Vernon for the final 3-mile ride.

Parking - Free

Images - from personal collection - ©2008, Jon Rochetti

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