Tickets include complimentary snacks and wine to enjoy throughout the program.
VIP tables are available for $150Â and include seating for four people, snacks, and sparkling water (with self-service for wine).
From modest beginnings in the first decades of the 17th century, the production of alcoholic beverages in America expanded and matured until by the early 1800s it was one of the most important industries in the young nation. Over time whiskey made from locally grown grain replaced rum distilled from Caribbean molasses as the preferred spirit. Few people know that George Washington was a pioneer in developing the American whiskey industry. The distillery that he established at his Mount Vernon estate in 1797 quickly grew to be one of the largest producers in the country. Washington’s largely unknown and unexamined career as a distiller forms the core of this detailed portrayal of the early years of Americans’ close attachments to beverage alcohol.
Dennis J. Pogue, Ph.D., has more than 45 years’ experience as an educator, archaeologist, historic site administrator, and historic preservationist in Maryland and Virginia. He holds the Doctorate in Anthropology, with an emphasis in historical archaeology, from The American University, in Washington, DC. Dr. Pogue taught at the University of Maryland for eight years and for three years was interim director of the Historic Preservation Program. During his 25 years working at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Museum & Gardens, he founded the archaeological research program and as Vice President for Preservation he oversaw all preservation related activities on the property. One of his signature projects was leading the effort to excavate the site of Washington’s still house and to faithfully reconstruct the building to serve as both an educational venue and an operating whiskey distillery.