River Farm Update

Last week, I met with Supervisor Dan Storck, Senator Adam Ebbin, Delegate Paul Krizek, representatives from the offices of Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Congressman Don Beyer, and the Fairfax County, the National Park Service (NPS), and Northern Virginia Regional Park Authorities (NVRPA), and the Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA). The purpose was to discuss a strategy to preserve River Farm.

The NPS owns a conservation easement on the front two acres of the property closest to East Boulevard Drive.  The American Horticultural Society (AHS) donated a conservation easement of seven acres along the river to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.  The remainder of the property appears to be unencumbered.  We have not been able to determine whether Ms. Haupt's gift to AHS contained a condition to keep the property open to the public, but if she did, such a restriction was not recorded in land records.

Mount Vernon Library Opening

One of the reasons it is an honor to represent the 44th District is that I get to represent part of the Mount Vernon Estate - the home of George Washington. 

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate to have been invited to attend the opening of the new $110 million Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon.

In the last few years of his life, General George Washington expressed interest in building a library to house his books and letters.  He never got around to building it.  About 217 years later, he finally got his library.

Below are my three favorite speeches from the opening.  The prominent historian, David McCullough,  really makes you think. My favorite quote:

When we choose leaders, we should always take a careful look at how they've handled failure.  Because failure is part of life.  Failure is part of history.  It's those people who lapse into self-pity and blaming others, but get back up keep the faith and keep going.  And [George Washington is] the prime example of that.

I need to remember that one.  He goes on to talk about the importance of honor. 

Senator Mark Warner and Senator Tim Kaine really make you think about this government shutdown which was about three days away when this event took place.

You can see all of the speeches and pictures from the entire ceremony here:

Mount Vernon Library Opening Ceremonies

General Washington's Whiskey is Back!

Last year, I wrote about the Mt. Vernon Estate's newest round of whiskey production.  You can read more about it here: 

The Dixie Pig: Rye Back of Sale At Mt. Vernon (Dec. 1, 2010)

I wrote about the history of General Washington's whiskey production and the legislative hurdles that were cleared to make it possible.  Senator Toddy Puller was a big part of making it happen. 

Last month, the Mount Vernon Estate sold their newest batch of rye whiskey made from General Washington's recipe (in the left picture, pictured on the left side, click to enlarge).  The newest batch was aged which is why it is brown in color.  However, General Washington did not age his rye - the stuff he produced was clear (in the bottle on the right).

The bottle on the right (the clear whiskey) costs $99/ea.  The newest aged batch runs $185/ea.  I bought several of each.  Apparently, among liquor afficiondos, they are a very in-demand curiosity.  They actually hand-number each batch so you can prove their authenticity.  The picture on the left side of the page shows the numbering. 

I'm not really much of a liquor drinker, so I can't really comment on how they taste.  I tried the first batch and I thought it tasted kind of "grassy" compared to what I'm used to - I think that's why they call it rye. 

As for my new bottles, I'm still trying to figure out when it's appropriate to drink something that costs about $20 per shot.  If you have any ideas, let me know.

Keep your eyes open for the next round.  Yet another part of our community that makes this area a unique place to live.

Virtual Tour of New Mt. Vernon Library

On April 14, the Mount Vernon Estate held a formal ground breaking for their new $30 million library that will be constructed in the forest between the Post Office and Mount Vernon Memorial Highway.

You can read some data points regarding the library here.

They have also posted this virtual tour of the new library which is pretty cool.

Rye Back on Sale at Mount Vernon

Today, I swung by the Mount Vernon Estate and picked up four bottles of their new line of Rye (Whiskey) made at their new distillery. The bottles are individually numbered and sell for $99/ea. When I left there were still about 300 left. Last year, they sold out in 3 hours.

I haven't tried it, but if I did, my comments would be "tastes like whiskey." Here's a review of the stuff by Dowd on Drinks who knows more about whiskey tasting:

Remarkable color for something only in the wood for a year. ... Obviously, the
maturation process had been sped up by using small, 10-gallon casks which
surround the raw whiskey with very accessible oak. ... Fine nose, promising
spiciness and herbal nuances. ... Much of the expected initial heat usually
present in young whiskey was missing, leaving a warm yet palatable initial
taste, along with the expected spice from the rye grain, and a satisfactory
finish. ... All in all, a definitely promising young whiskey that I'd love to
re-taste a year or two from now.

The Estate was able to manufacture and sell the whiskey on premises (instead of an ABC store) due to legislation shepherded through by Mount Vernon Senator Toddy Puller in 2008.

George Washington was formerly in the rye business and the estate has taken his original recipe and started manufacturing it again in Mount Vernon's replica 18th Century Distillery - the only one of its kind in the United States. The original recipe was 60% rye, 35% corn, and 5% malted barley. You can see part of the newly reconstructed distillery in this picture I took of the Grist Mill and Dogue Creek last year.

Here's more info from an article published on Yahoo:

The distillery was set up in the cooperage, which provided the barrels for the whiskey. Washington was so pleased with the results of this new venture that a new stone building was constructed to house five stills. The efficient farm used the waste products to feed hogs and cattle kept nearby. The first Mount Vernon rye whiskey was used locally, but was also shipped to other communities near and far. The businessman in Washington must have been very pleased with the 11,000 gallons of whiskey which returned a profit of $7500, a substantial sum in 1799.

His heirs let it deteriorate and fail. The death of George Washington in 1799 brought this venture to a close. If he had lived longer, or had more successful descendants, the country might have been drinking George's whiskey throughout its history. When he died, the distillery and gristmill were left to his step-granddaughter and her husband, but they were not equal to the
business sense of the clever Washington. The property was allowed to deteriorate, and the very successful financial venture of distilling whiskey failed.

Mount Vernon is the largest tourist attraction in Virginia with over 1,000,000 visitors per year. It is also one of the largest private employers in the 44th District with over 400 employees.

Liquor Production is Back in Fairfax

Last week, the Mount Vernon Estate sampled its first line of its new whiskey manufactured at its Dogue Creek Distillery here in the 44th District.

The whiskey is based upon George Washington's original recipe. Bottles went for $85 and all 471 sold out their first day on the market. You can listen to WTOP's story here.

The Bowman Company formerly distilled Virginia Gentleman Bourbon Whiskey in Sunset Hills, VA which is today known as Reston. In the 1960's, they moved their operations to Spotsylvania, VA.

The Gristmill and Distillery are part of the Mount Vernon Estate, but physically separated from the property. You can read an interesting description of the operation here.

Thank you to Mount Vernon's Senator Toddy Puller who introduced and shephered legislation through the General Assembly to make this possible.