Did You Know George Washington Ran a Major Whiskey Distillery?
George Washington’s retirement included a surprising business chapter: a commercial whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon. His letters show that farm manager James Anderson proposed the venture in 1797 and that Washington approved a small trial before expanding it. By 1799, estate records listed sales totalling 10,942 gallons. The full story, however, extends beyond the famous owner. Anderson supplied crucial expertise, while enslaved distillers Hanson, Peter, Nat, Daniel, James, and Timothy performed hot and exhausting work. A surviving ledger, contemporary correspondence, archaeology, and reconstruction help separate evidence from legend. The practical takeaway for family historians is to look beyond familiar job titles. Letters, receipts, ledgers, tools, and other ordinary records may reveal a late-life experiment—and the overlooked people who made it possible....