George Washington's Gristmill and Distillery
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Reconstruction of George Washington's 1771 gristmill near Mount Vernon, Virginia
Another view of the reconstructed gristmill
Reconstruction of Washington's Distillery
Artist's depiction of the gristmill and distillery
The Whiskey Rebellion by William Hogeland
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
History of Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill
George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill symbolize the time in America’s history when the young nation was transitioning from a colonial market into a nationalized economy. For example, in early 1770 and 1771, George Washington wanted to not only move his plantation to self-sufficiency but also start selling flour to local and export markets. Also, Washington wanted to move away from tobacco plants and instead focus on wheat. As such, in 1771, he built the large gristmill. The mill was capable of producing upwards of 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of flour and cornmeal every day. Washington made several improvements for the gristmill over the decades since its construction. The last of these improvements involved the purchase the newly patented automated milling system, invented by Oliver Evans.
While managing Washington’s farm, James Anderson urged Washington to produce whiskey at the site as a new source of revenue. Washington was hesitant in terms of the economic venture but trusted Anderson’s history in the distilling industry in Scotland before immigrating to America. Thus, in early 1797, Anderson purchased to stills and set up the small operation next to the gristmill. The initial 600 gallons of whiskey proved profitable, and so Washington agreed to a larger distillery over the 1797-78 winter. By the year of Washington’s death in 1799, the distillery produced nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey, which Washington sold for $1,800 (equivalent to about $120,000 today). Washington’s whiskey distillery was the largest in America.1
George Washington’s Whiskey
Today, workers at Mount Vernon use Washington’s distillery to make whiskey just as Anderson and his team did in the 18th century. Moreover, the try to keep to Washington’s original rye recipe as much as possible. The grains for the whiskey (rye grain and corn, mostly), are ground in the gristmill and then added to barrels in the distillery. Malted barley is added afterward. About 1,000 bottles of unaged rye generally go on sale at Mount Vernon in mid-May.2