George Washington's Estate Releases New Historical Spirit For Semiquincenntenial

MOUNT VERNON, VA – George Washington’s Mount Vernon will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States by releasing a new cask-strength bourbon, the first to be produced from the site in more than 200 years.

According to the estate’s website, George Washington's Spirit of '76 Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey will be available for purchase starting on July 4 and costs $1,000. Fewer than 350 bottles were made and purchases are limited to 1 bottle per person.

The bourbon was aged for 7 years and distilled and bottled by hand using 18th century techniques, George Washington’s Mount Vernon said in a press release. It explained that the new bourbon reflects some lesser-known aspects of the first president’s life. “By the end of the 18th century, George Washington operated the largest whiskey distillery in America, producing nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799 alone,” the estate said.

Americans might, however, recall another whiskey-linked episode from Washington's life: the 1791-1794 Whiskey Rebellion, an armed attempt to resist a tax imposed on spirits distilled in the brand-new nation. Washington himself led a militia force into Western Pennsylvania to quell the resistance.

See more from George Washington’s Mount Vernon here.

George Washington's Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization (501c3) founded in 1853 and the oldest national historic preservation organization in the country.