One of the few remaining letters in which George Washington discusses his distillery at Mount Vernon will be on display every Friday until July 31 at the Decatur House in Washington, D.C.
We were part of a small crowd of about 100 people who came together at a preview event at Decatur House sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. and the White House Historical Association. The historical association, founded by Jacqueline Kennedy when she was First Lady, not only maintains Decatur House but also raises funds to repair and rehab antique furniture in the White House.
The George Washington letter was loaned to the Historical Association by DISCUS, which purchased it at Christie’s, the New York auction house, about 20 years ago.
At the time of its construction, Washington’s distillery was “likely the largest distillery in the U.S.,” Steve Bashore, director of historic trades at Historic Mount Vernon, said. In 1799, Washington produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, yielding a profit of $7,500. In today’s money, that would be $217,70, after adjusting for inflation, according to OfficialData.org, which notes that the average inflation rate between 1790 and today was 1.47%.