George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill

As much as I loved the Mount Vernon grounds, I think I loved the distillery and gristmill a bit more (probably because I do love whiskey/​whisky) as well. As with the main grounds, all the reenactors are passionate and knowledgeable.
The gristmill was rebuilt in the early 1900s and do make sure to go in and take a tour to see this amazing thing in action. The guts of the gristmill are all wood and actually functions as a real gristmill (you can buy the cornmeal/​pancake mix at the gift shop). This water powered mill is truly a wonder to behold and a great feat of engineering, one that Washington himself procured the patent for when president.
The distillery itself was rebuilt on the foundations of the original that was uncovered by fairly recent archaeological activities. Like the gristmill, it is a working distillery, but sadly they can only sell so. much whiskey due to Virginia law (it sells out quick). It is fun to view those copper stills and to amaze at the arduous and, dare I say, divine task that was whiskey making in the 18^th and 19^th century. The distillery makes a white whiskey, which was more prevalent at the time, and an aged as well.
Sadly Washington’s hapless nephew, who inherited the distillery, was too lazy to renew the fire policy George had placed on it, so when racked by a fire in the 1800s, it was not rebuilt until only recently.
I say that visiting the Gristmill and Distillery is a must if you are to venture out to Mount Vernon, and hopefully you are lucky enough to come away with some whiskey too.

This is not on the grounds of Mount Vernon, we had to take a short car ride to the Distillery. It is not very big and will take less than an hour to hour the whole thing. The Gristmill was really cool and it was a great experience to see how everything worked back in the day. My elementary school aged children were old enough to appreciate it. We then took a short walk to the Distillery which was a small dark house with a couple guides inside. They showed us how a working distillery would have been operated and were quite knowledgable. The spirits they make sell out super fast so we were not able to purchase any during our visit.

If you are from bourbon country this place is a must see if you are in the DC area! I highly recommend this place.

I have been meaning to stop by this one for quite some time. It was a wonderful tour (about 15 min) and very informative. I loved learning about the history of Mount Vernon Distillery, and I have a new found respect for George Washington as a businessman. However, it seems that the people of George’s day really knew a thing of two about booze. On the tour you will learn such fun facts as in the 1700s the average amount of hard spirit consumption was 6.3 gallons/person/year…Today we only consume 2.3 gallons/​person/​year-​must be all that yoga and bottled water Americans enjoy today.
The grounds of the gristmill and distillery are beautiful, the perfect place for a picnic. For $ 5, you really can’t go wrong with this tour; of course, I would have loved to have had a taste of George’s whiskey, but that would have cost a fortune as a pint goes for well over $ 100 at Mount Vernon’s gift shop.

Loved the tour and more than worth the ticket price. We had planning a trip to Mt. Vernon, but after some difficulty finding parking, we proceeded on to the much more serene Gristmill with its more than ample parking. Tours seemed to leave every 15 minutes. The buildings were recreated on original foundations and are in fully working order. It was really incredible to watch the gristmill in action. The historical interpreters were a wealth of knowledge. The distillery was also very interesting, although I wish there was a little more action going on in there, but I completely understand why there isn’t. The exhbits upstairs were mostly meh for me, but they’re easy to walk through. The giftshop was surprisginly large, and my boyfriend and I had fun playing with George Washington bobble heads, foam swords, and colonial hats. I only wish you could actually taste some of the whiskey! I semi regret not buying some of the corn meal ground on site. If you also visit Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, you can check two sites on the Historic Whiskey trail off. I definitely have a new bucket list item! Bonus… the drive out from Alexandria is absolutely lovely. You could also take the very nice looking bike trail!

This is one of those quick and simple attractions that is fun. It is in a great area to drive to, and the location has tons of parking. There is a small gift shop that sells many of the items the main gift shop at mount vernon has. You purchase tickets here if you don’t already have passes from mount vernon. The tour takes you through the gristmill first. Always cool to see a functioning mill wheel powered by water turning the giant stones to grind the corn. Loud, serious vibrations, but cools. The tour guides provide pretty interesting information. The distillery is simple but also cool to see. The stills which they have named 6 different ladies names. A quick overview of the process. They actually produce whiskey which is offered for sale in limited quantities every so often. The unaged is about $ 85 for the 375mL bottle and the original recipe Washington would have used. Which also means it’s more like moonshine or rotgut. I’d say avoid. The 2 year aged is what you probably want. Pricier though at $ 185 for 375mL. A slightly different spin on the original recipe as it’s aged and has some different steps taken. A more modern twist. Keep in mind the master distiller here now used to work for Makers Mark. Some just went on sale 4^th of July. Not sure if any is still left. Sign up for the email and be notified when they release both products.

The tour is great. But the 2 year aged whiskey… that was $ 185 of liquid gold that was good to the last drop. OMG. I can say after having sampled whiskeys at just about every price point in my life, that I was a bit stunned to see the small bottle after committing to the purchase. But omg… did I already say omg? Made on site, by hand, using the original recipe AND original methodology leaves today’s modern day whiskeys lacking in every way. Pappy Van Winkle, nyet. Makers Mark, double nyet. Templeton’s…sorry…nyet. That whiskey made from the recipe based on those bottles found in the ice caps of the Antarctic, sorry… WAY off the mark. The smoky oak barrel flavor is beyond compare. Oh wait, this review is supposed to be about the tour. Go through the tour to learn about the milling process and the distillery. But if you plan to leave the site without a bottle, you are missing out.

Gorgeous! If you are looking for Washington as in George and Martha history or simply a beautiful place to gaze at or take family pictures for your holiday cards– the grist mill will fit the bill. Superior in restoration.

History

This site is a good ways to conclude your visit to Mt Vernon. The period costumed interpretors obviously enjoy their jobs. I must give the folks during Washington’s era credit for their engineering. A demonstration of the water powered mill is given which is quite educational. After seeing the grinding of the corn, one views the boiling and distillation.

In it’s day it was the largest whiskey distillery in America and whiskey was a currency thus this place is money.
It is beautifully reconstructed thanks to the Distilled Spirits council, group of your well known whiskey’s and bourbons. Pretty cool that they sponsor the heritage. I’d check them out too on the respective whiskey and bourbon trails. The grounds and building are in working order and seeing the grain be ground and barrels ready for some manual labor is quite cool.
I was there just prior to the first batch being ready so I missed out but if it’s too pricey like it sounds then perhaps a local white whiskey wherever you can track one down will give you an approximation. These are white whiskeys (white dog), and Wisconsin’s Death’s Door makes one among others.

George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill is completely worth the $ 4 entrance fee. The ‘historical interpreters’ do a fantastic job of explaining the history and context of the mill and it’s place in Washington’s life. They run the mill and you get a guided tour of all four floors while the mill is in operation. All the wooden gears and contraptions reminded me of Goonies, and the Distillery has been reconstructed quite well. They’re even producing small batches of the original recipe that are scarce, but sell for $ 84/​pint. Word is, last time they went on sale, they were all gone in three hours. If you’re making a trip to the main Mt. Vernon estate, don’t forget to stop by here on your way out, you won’t regret it.