Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Virginia Alexandria George Washington's Distillery
Gastro Obscura

George Washington's Distillery

The only place for a truly presidential dram.

Alexandria, Virginia

Added By
Rohini Chaki
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  MostlyDross/CC BY 2.0
  MostlyDross/CC BY 2.0
  Eric Benson/Used with permission
  Nagesh Raut/Used with permission
Cornerstone   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
I have a bottle.   jmook / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque on distillery   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

You can still buy a bottle of small-batch whiskey at a re-creation of one of the largest whiskey distilleries of the late-18th century United States. Even better, it was owned by George Washington, the only Founding Father who, when he wasn’t building a nation, was trying to lift its spirits.

Immensely popular during its time, Washington’s distillery was located three miles from his estate in Mount Vernon. Records show that it produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799, the year of his death. It also produced such delights as peach and persimmon brandy. The distillery was destroyed in a fire in 1814, but resurrected in 2007, and today, conducts tours and whiskey tastings.

The distillery sits next to Washington’s gristmill. Ground corn and rye from the mill went to the distillery, where staff and enslaved workers mashed and cooked them in large wooden vats. The cooked mash was fermented with malted barley and put into copper stills fired by burning wood (the distillery had five of these stills). A tap running water from the stream outside cooled the gaseous alcohol and brought it back to liquid form through condensation. Then, it could then be poured straight from the barrel and imbibed.

Washington’s rye whiskey wasn’t aged, so it didn’t have the rich amber tone of typical whiskey, and the distillery maintains the tradition of unaged, clear whiskey today. (It also now makes and sells the aged kind.) The whiskey, made for sale, is produced only twice a year, so bottles of George Washington’s beloved tipple are truly collector’s items. Proceeds from sales go toward maintaining operations at Mount Vernon.

In 2017, Terry McAuliffe, the governor of Virginia at the time, declared George Washington’s Rye Whiskey the official state spirit of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Related Tags

Whiskey Distillery Presidents Alcohol

Know Before You Go

The gristmill and distillery is open April through October. Tickets are included with general admission to Mount Vernon.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rohini Chaki

Edited By

jmook, blimpcaptain

  • jmook
  • blimpcaptain

Published

April 19, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/dining/13george.html?searchResultPosition=1
  • https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/distillery/ten-facts-about-the-distillery/
George Washington's Distillery
5514 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy
Alexandria, Virginia, 22309
United States
38.713451, -77.129781
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Pope-Leighey House

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Jackson M. Abbott Wetland Refuge

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Remagan Bridge

Fort Belvoir, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alexandria

Alexandria

Virginia

Places 34

Nearby Places

Pope-Leighey House

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Jackson M. Abbott Wetland Refuge

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Remagan Bridge

Fort Belvoir, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alexandria

Alexandria

Virginia

Places 34

Related Stories and Lists

7 Restaurants and Bars That Celebrate American Presidents

List

By Sam O'Brien

Related Places

  • Check out the distillery’s equipment.

    Newburgh, Scotland

    Lindores Abbey Distillery

    One of the youngest whisky distilleries in Scotland may also be the country’s oldest.

  • Entries in the Punishment Book.

    Midleton, Ireland

    Punishment Book at Jameson Distillery

    The whiskey producer's archives includes a historical list of infractions committed by and associated penalties exacted upon employees.

  • Van Brunt Moonshine

    Brooklyn, New York

    Van Brunt Stillhouse

    Micro-distillery in Brooklyn produces New York’s first homemade rum since Prohibition.

  • Casks for aging rum.

    Cane Garden Bay, British Virgin Islands

    Callwood Rum Distillery

    The oldest operating distillery in the BVI.

  • In a small town in southern West Virginia, descendants of the famed Hatfield family distill moonshine the same way their ancestors did over 100 years ago.

    Gilbert, West Virginia

    Hatfield & McCoy Moonshine

    Sample original Hatfield family moonshine at this distillery in southern West Virginia.

  • The exterior of the facility.

    Bowmore, Scotland

    MacTaggart Leisure Centre

    If you can’t dive into a whisky cask, this swimming pool might be the next best thing. 

  • New Florence, Missouri

    Wood Hat Spirits

    Come for the heirloom-corn whiskey, stay for the wood hats.

  • Bayfield, Wisconsin

    Copper Crow Distillery

    Sip whey-based vodka at the first Native-owned distillery opened on a reservation in centuries.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.