The Whiskey Trip - Season 2, Episode 22 - Steven Bashore - George Washington's Distillery

The Bourbon Life

This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes a ride to the historic Mount Vernon, Virginia to visit Steven Bashore from George Washington’s Distillery.

Steven takes the big man through the history of George Washington’s famous homestead and his distillery. With a new farm manger, came new ideas. One of those ideas was a way to profit from their gristmill and grains. A whiskey as bold as our first president was born.

The distillery would become the largest of its day, distilling 11,000 proof gallons in 1799. Imagine un-aged whiskey being sent to taverns all over Northern Virginia. The distillery operated until 1814 when it burned and was buried in time.

They start the show with George Washington’s Rye Whiskey. The mashbill was discovered by researchers examining the distillery ledgers for 1798 and 1799. His whiskey consisted of 60% rye, 35% corn and 5% malted barley.

They move into the break sipping on George Washington’s Straight Rye Whiskey aged in a 25-gallon barrels for two years. This straight rye whiskey was double-distilled in copper pot stills heated by wood fires, making this rye whiskey as close to the original recipe as possible.

Steven and Big Chief finish the show with George Washington’s 5-Year Premium Rye Whiskey. Aged in 53 gallon barrels, it’s bottled at 93 proof and non-chill filtered, this single barrel release marks a new benchmark for George Washington's Distillery.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip showcases Big Chief’s desire and passion to bring whiskey history to life.

Cheers!