Found in the Ground
Archaeologists recovered Native American stone projectile points of the Savannah River tradition in a five-foot-square test unit in the yard between the salt and spinning houses, representing several thousand years of human occupation at the site. The estimated age is between 4,800 to 3,200 years. Mount Vernon’s efforts at preservation of sub-surface archaeological resources are especially important in a region impacted significantly by modern infrastructure changes.

Winning Spirits
George Washington’s Rum recently won two awards for design at the 2021 World Rum Awards, taking the silver in the Limited Edition category and the bronze in Bottle Design. The World Rum Awards are part of the World Drinks Awards, which select the very best in internationally recognized styles of drinks.

Members of Mount Vernon’s Historic Trades Department, working with consulting distillers Lisa Wicker of Widow Jane Distillery and Maggie Campbell of Privateer Rum, began the process at George Washington Distillery in February 2018. They fermented high-grade molasses in 120-gallon wood mash tubs, then distilled it in wood-fired pot stills to create George Washington Rum. That spring, 165 bottles of silver (unaged) rum were bottled and labeled in support of the printing of Washington’s Barbados diaries. The remaining rum was matured for 28 months to fill 330 bottles of George Washington Oak Cask Aged Rum in August 2020. The 750 ml. bottle is an exact copy of a rum bottle design of the 1750s.

According to Steve Bashore, Mount Vernon’s director of historic trades, “The traditional fermenting and distilling methods we use in our reconstructed 18th-century distillery lend a distinctive taste to our rum, differentiating it from anything on the market today. We also matured this rum in used bourbon barrels, imparting another layer to the flavor.”

Released in 2020, the batch is currently sold out. To be notified of future release dates, sign up at mountvernon.org/whiskey.