MOUNT VERNON, Va., Aug. 3 /EMWNews/ -- Beginning on

Monday, August 4th -- for the first time in 200 years -- the public will be

able to buy whiskey at George Washington's Distillery

(http://www.discus.org/heritage/washington.asp), according to the Distilled

Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).



    Under special legislation supported by the Council and signed by

Governor Tim Kaine this year, Mount Vernon is now permitted to sell spirits

products in the gift shops at the Distillery and the Mansion visitors'

center as a special Virginia State ABC store.



    Going on sale Monday are special $25 George Washington Distillery

commemorative gift sets (http://www.discus.org/images/Mni-BottleSet.jpg),

which contain a unique "vatted" American whiskey produced from "marrying"

together and re-aging at Mount Vernon portions of eleven of America's most

famous brands including Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark,

George Dickel, Virginia Gentleman, Very Old Barton, I.W.Harper, Woodford

Reserve, Rebel Yell and Platte Valley.



    The unique product was created under the auspices of DISCUS by master

distillers on the banks of the Potomac at Mount Vernon on August, 17, 2005,

utilizing the contents of special barrels that had been aging in "an

undisclosed location," on the Mansion grounds since 2001.



    "On Monday, after 200 years, the public will again be able to buy

whiskey at George Washington's Distillery," said Council Senior Vice

President Frank Coleman. "These commemorative Vatted American Whiskey sets

are a totally unique product, available only at Mount Vernon. It represents

a union of the great American whiskeys, united in the Spirit of George

Washington, and I think he would have approved."



    George Washington's Distillery was the largest, most successful whiskey

distillery in early America. The reconstructed distillery is the only site

in North America that can demonstrate 18th-century distilling from seed to

barrel. The distillery and museum also serve as the Gateway to the American

Whiskey Trail (http://www.discus.org/trail/), a cultural heritage and

tourism initiative of the Distilled Spirits Council

(http://www.discus.org/) in cooperation with Mount Vernon.



    The Mount Vernon whiskey sales are part of the industry's ongoing

support of Mount Vernon's educational mission, which culminated in

reopening George Washington's Distillery to the public in 2007,

reconstructed through a $2.1 million grant from DISCUS and the Wine &

Spirits Wholesalers of America.



    DISCUS is the trade association representing producers and marketers of

distilled spirits sold in the United States.