Who knew that our first president, George Washington, after retiring from office began another career as a whiskey entrepreneur and became probably the No. 1 whiskey producer in colonial America?
Mount Vernon is opening on March 31 a complete reconstruction of his distillery.
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.
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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.
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We could say he was First in War, First in Peace and First in Smooth Libations."
George Washington, Whiskey Entrepreneur