Our best-tasting whiskey yet! This Straight Rye Premium Whiskey was distilled at Mount Vernon’s reconstructed Distillery using George Washington’s original recipe, then aged on-site for five years. While whiskey was not aged in Washington's time, this spirit was aged for five years in charred oak barrels and is one of a limited number of bottles made on site. Size of bottle: 375 ml. Alcohol content: 43%. Proof: 86 proof.
The original recipe for Washington’s whiskey was discovered by researchers examining the Distillery ledgers from 1798 and 1799. His whiskey consisted of 60% rye, 35% corn, and 5% malted barley. The records also indicate that George Washington’s whiskey was distilled at least twice before being sent to market. During Washington’s lifetime whiskey was not aged and was sold in its original form. By 1799, George Washington had become one of the largest whiskey producers in the United States, producing nearly 11,000 gallons (valued at $7,500 - approximately $120,000 today).
Today Mount Vernon continues the tradition of producing whiskey at our historic Distillery. Our historic trades staff use Washington’s original recipe and traditional 18th-century methods to produce Washington’s Rye Whiskey. Mount Vernon's staff grinds the grains in Washington's water-powered gristmill, sets the mash in 120-gallon wood fermentation vats, and runs wood-fired copper pot stills to produce a rye whiskey as close to the original recipe as possible.
Must be 21 or older to order, shipping currently limited to Virginia, District of Columbia, and select military bases.