All the President's Whiskey: George Washington the distiller
All the President's Whiskey: George Washington the distiller
What is Presidents Day?
Here in the United States, we just celebrated Presidents' Day on February 17. Celebrated every third Monday in February, you'd be forgiven for not really knowing what the point of Presidents' Day is, or for just assuming it's a day for us to … celebrate our President? It really isn't one of those holidays that makes what it celebrates crystal clear from the outset, like Valentine's Day or Independence Day.
Then, what’s Presidents’ Day all about?
Mattress discounts? A day off in February? Singing “Hail to the Chief?” Originally, it was as a celebration of the United States' first President, George Washington. Officially, the holiday is referred to as Washington's Birthday (which was February 22, 1732*), and it sometimes is used to celebrate all presidents in general. However, not all presidents have a connection to whiskey the way Washington does.
Good Ole George Washington
Obviously, celebrating Washington makes sense: he led the Continental Army to victory against the British and he was the country's first president, but did you know that he was a distiller too? Yes, the Virginian farmer built a distillery at his Mount Vernon home, but it was more that just for personal consumption. Washington was looking for ways to increase his income, and one of his farm managers, James Anderson, convinced him to try distilling surplus grain. According to historians working from an old ledger found at Mount Vernon, the mash bill for his whiskey was 60% rye, 35% corn, and 5% malted barley. At its peak, his distillery was considered the largest in America, producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799.
The Whiskey Rebellion
Despite Washington's own success in distilling, his legacy surrounding spirits isn't without stain. In March 1791, urged by Alexander Hamilton, Congress levied a tax on distilled spirits that was intended to curb the national debt. Farmers, especially in western Pennsylvania, argued they lacked representation, and compared the tax to British taxes in the time before the Revolutionary War. By 1794, threats and violence against tax collectors boiled over. Washington led state militias into Pennsylvania, capturing 150 rebels. Both John Mitchell and Philip Wigle were sentenced to hang for their roles in the rebellion, but Washington pardoned them both.
Whiskey in America
Whiskey's place in American cuisine is intertwined with its place in American politics and entrepreneurship. Popular demand for corn- and rye-based spirits, as much as high taxes and even an outright ban on alcohol, have been a part of whiskey's history in America. Use Washington's Birthday as a chance to reflect on the tension between freedom and government, taxes and whiskey, individuals and society, but also consider the legacy of the man who was the first to shape the American Presidency. Just make sure you do it with a glass of whiskey in hand.
*Fun fact: Washington was born before the British Empire had adopted the Gregorian calendar, which meant that the recorded date of Washington's birth was actually February 11 not February 22. This is because the old-style Julian calendar in use at the time actually drifted because it had too many leap years. The Julian calendar assumed one orbit around the sun takes the Earth approximately 365.25 days, but in reality it is much closer to 365.242, which means fewer leap years. Further, when the calendar changed, the start of the year moved from March 25 to January 1, which meant that any dates between those two would advance one year, meaning Washington's birthday changed from February 11, 1731 to February 22, 1732. The change was made in the British Empire and when it took effect Wednesday, September 2, 1752 was followed by Thursday, 14 September 1752. They “lost” eleven days of the calendar. Wild! None of that has to do with whiskey, but calendars are fascinating, so I had to include this footnote. Cheers!
-Written by Ryan Blackwell