George Washington's Gristmill opening July 1!

[dmarkle]

This is my first post to the forums!

I didn't see any reference to this anywhere else, but I just thought that I should let anyone who doesn't know that they're going to be selling the first bottles of Rye made out of the reconstructed Washington Gristmill/Distillery on July 1 at 12:00 noon. They're having a free tasting. I know I'm going. A perfect extended lunch trip away from the office.

http://www.mountvernon.org/calendar/...ent/calID/223/

I'm not expecting the Van Winkle 13 year quality (I think it's only going to be maybe 3 years old?), but it should be a lot of fun to check out and taste what they have wrought!

FAIR WARNING: you may have to listen to a guy wearing knickers and a powdered wig if you show up...

[Dramiel McHinson]

What a nice celebration of history. Even if the whiskey isn't a world beater, it will be bragging rights for the next 30 years to say you were there on that first day when George's whiskey came back.

[jinenjo]

I first heard of this on Mark Gillespie's podcast. He said it's 4 y.o. IIRC, but it's hard to believe it's been that long already.

Let us know what it was like (the rye, not the powdered wig re-enactments).

[harshest]

John Hansell has a post about this on his blog this morning as well.

http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2010...on-distillery/

85 George Washingtons will get you 375ml.

[Josh]

John Hansell has a posted about this on his blog this morning as well.

http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2010...on-distillery/

85 George Washingtons will get you 375ml.

I cannot tell a lie, that's really expensive.

[tmckenzie]

Sounds and looks like this is rye white dog.

[sku]

Sounds and looks like this is rye white dog.

From the WhiskyCast story, it sounded like they distilled the stuff a few years ago.

[harshest]

Alittle more reading and listening on the subject.

DISCUSS website on the GW distillery - http://www.discus.org/heritage/washington.asp

WhiskeyCast podcast - http://www.whiskycast.com/files/WhiskyCast_20100627.mp3

[MikeK]

I've been emailing with a guy who works there / runs the distillery operation.

What they are selling next week is white dog. Very cool of course, but way too expensive to be anything other than a collectable.

They are aging some of it as well which will be sold down the road.

[cowdery]

When the whole restoration project began, Vendome made a small pot still for them (picture below). They made rye in it the first year and subsequently made rum too (that's what they're doing in the picture). They only got about 20 gallons of the rye, which they did barrel. I'm not sure what happened to that. I tasted some when it was about a year old.

This is apparently spirit made in the restored distillery. It must have a touch of age, in new charred oak, or they couldn't call it rye whiskey. Not much, though, as the press release says it was made in 2009.