
History of Rum
George Washington’s political, military, and personal relationship with rum exemplified the centrality of the drink to colonial society and American independence
While rum was never produced at Mount Vernon during George Washington's life it was the preferred alcoholic drink of American colonists.
The colonists produced rum from molasses made in the Caribbean, and Washington purchased it by the hogshead (a cask of more than 100 gallons). By one estimate, colonists consumed 3.7 gallons annually per head by the time of the American Revolution.
In early February of 2018, Mount Vernon's historic trades staff distilled rum at George Washington’s Distillery for the first time. Their historic recipe used period-appropriate rum yeast and molasses made in Barbados, which were distilled using 18th-century methods. The historic trades staff distilled the rum in conjunction with the publication of the George Washington's Barbados Diary. This diary documented Washington's voyage to the island with his half-brother Lawrence in the fall and winter of 1751-1752.