George Washington  Whiskey and Brandy
Recently, experts from around the U.S. convened at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery, where they tried their hands at recreating the brandy - using the same processes and methods that would have been used during Washington’s time. That includes using buckets to transfer liquid instead of pumps and not using gauges to indicate when the correct temperature has been reached. About half a dozen people took part in the effort, which was intended to be an educational experience.

The father of our country not only led his men across the icy Delaware, he also produced a lot of alcohol. In 1799 alone, Washington’s distillery put out 11,000 gallons of whiskey. Recently, George Washington’s distillery produced and sold a limited edition rye whiskey - made exactly the way our first president would have done it 200 years ago. The distillery was able to follow a recipe to make Washington’s rye whiskey, but there is no known recipe for his brandy. Another batch of the whiskey will be made next month. Those $85 limited edition bottles sold out in two hours, by the way.
 

George Washington's Distillery
George Washington was the only founding father to commercially operate a distillery, and the size of this building and volume of production rank it among the most important structures of its kind in eighteenth-century America. Mount Vernon took over the site in 1995, and an archaeological survey of the area in 1997 uncovered the "footprint" of the distillery, revealing an unusually large structure and a well-preserved site. We began an archaeological and documentary research program to find out as much historical data about the building as possible in 1999. Mount Vernon began a five-year program of archaeological and documentary research in 2001, supported by a generous grant from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, with the goal of reconstructing and interpreting George Washington's distillery.

The initial results of our research were both exciting and encouraging. Here are some highlights:
 
The level of historical documentation about George Washington's distillery is unusually detailed for the eighteenth century. For example, George Washington's distillery ledger documents the families who frequented the distillery and the quantities of and prices paid for the whiskey. Weekly farm reports from 1797 to 1799 also provide a detailed record of the distillery's construction and operation.
  
The archaeological evidence of the distillery is very well preserved. The ongoing work at George Washington's distillery is the first eighteenth-century distillery in North America to be systematically excavated by archaeologists.
 
At peak production, the distillery utilized five stills and a boiler and produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, yielding George Washington a better-than-average profit of $7500 in 1799. This made the distillery one of the most successful economic components of Mount Vernon.
 
The distillery is located down slope from the millrace of Mount Vernon plantation's gristmill (built in 1771 and reconstructed in the 1930s). The gristmill and distillery complex also included a cellar for storage, a malt kiln, a cooperage for making barrels, hog and cattle pens, and quarters for millers, distillers, servants, and slaves.
 
The 75-by-30-foot distillery was among the largest structures of its kind in the eighteenth century. No operating distillery from the eighteenth century exists in America.