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Experts try making George Washington’s peach brandy

Daryl Paranada Oct 6, 2010

The next time you step into the liquor store, you could be stepping back in time. Marketers are trying to recreate peach brandy made by George Washington.

Recently, experts from around the U.S. convened at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery, where they tried their hands at recreating the brandy – using the same processes and methods that would have been used during Washington’s time. That includes using buckets to transfer liquid instead of pumps and not using gauges to indicate when the correct temperature has been reached. About half a dozen people took part in the effort, which was intended to be an educational experience.

The father of our country not only led his men across the icy Delaware, he also produced a lot of alcohol. In 1799 alone, Washington’s distillery put out 11,000 gallons of whiskey. Recently, George Washington’s distillery produced and sold a limited edition rye whiskey – made exactly the way our first president would have done it 200 years ago. The distillery was able to follow a recipe to make Washington’s rye whiskey, but there is no known recipe for his brandy.

[RELATED: Va. governor wants to privatize liquor stores]

Another batch of the whiskey will be made next month. Those limited edition bottles ($85 if you’re wondering) sold out in two hours, by the way.

Our own Marketplace Morning Report host Steve Chiotakis asks: “I wonder if they have cherry flavor?”

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