Which American president operated a commercial whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon?

George Washington operated a commercial whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon.

The distillery was built in 1797 near Washington’s Virginia estate after his farm manager, James Anderson, proposed expanding whiskey production. By 1799, the operation had five stills and was producing more than 11,000 gallons of whiskey, making it one of the largest whiskey distilleries in the young United States.

Washington used surplus grain from his farms, converting it into a product that was easier to store and sell. The whiskey was generally unaged or only briefly matured by modern standards, because American commercial whiskey in the eighteenth century did not follow today’s bourbon-aging conventions.

The reconstructed distillery at Mount Vernon now interprets this history for visitors. Washington’s distillery should not be confused with the modern legal definition of bourbon, which includes requirements concerning corn content and new charred oak containers.