The American Whiskey Trail

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The American Whiskey Trail

by David J. Hanson, Ph.D.

The American Whiskey Trail provides an educational journey into the history and cultural heritage of distilled spirits in America. It includes historical sites and operating distilleries that are open to the public for tours.

Alcohol has always been an important part of American history. For example:

The Puritans loaded more beer than water onto the Mayflower before they cast off for the New World. 1
While there wasn't any cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie to eat at the first Thanksgiving, there may have been beer, brandy, gin, and wine to drink. 2
A brewery was one of Harvard College's first construction projects so that a steady supply of beer could be served in the student dining halls. 3
The early colonialists made alcohol beverages from, among other things, carrots, tomatoes, onions, beets, celery, squash, corn silk, dandelions, and goldenrod. 4
The production of rum became early Colonial New England's largest and most prosperous industry. 5
Tavern owners enjoyed higher social status than did the clergy during part of the Colonial period. 6
The laws of most American colonies required towns to license suitable persons to sell wine and spirits and failure to do so could result in a fine. 7
Colonial taverns were often required to be located near the church or meetinghouse. 8
Religious services and court sessions were often held in the major tavern of Colonial American towns. 9
A traveler through the Delaware Valley in 1753 compiled a list of the drinks he encountered; all but three of the 48 contained alcohol. 10
The first Kentucky whiskey was made in 1789 by a Baptist minister. 11
Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in a tavern in Philadelphia. 12
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson all enjoyed brewing or distilling their own alcohol beverages. George Washington was one of the country’s first large commercial distillers. 13
The Colonial Army supplied its troops with a daily ration of four ounces of either rum or whiskey. 14
The heavy taxation of whiskey led to the first test of federal power, the Whiskey Rebellion (1794). 15
In the 1830's the average American aged 15 or older consumed over seven gallons of absolute alcohol (resulting from an average of 9 1/2 gallons of spirits, 1/2 gallon of wine, and 27 gallons of beer), a quantity about three times the current rate. 16
Abraham Lincoln held a liquor license and operated several taverns. 17

The American Whiskey Trail includes these historical sites:

George Washington Distillery Museum, Mount Vernon, Virginia. George Washington was one of the new country’s largest and most successful commercial distillers. Archaeological excavations at Mount Vernon demonstrate that Washington was a highly inventive entrepreneur and a reconstruction and museum are under construction.
Frauces Tavern Museum, Manhattan, New York. The Tavern is best known as the site where Washington gave his famous farewell address to his officers in 1783.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, Alexandria, Virginia. Prominent patrons of the tavern included George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and the marquis de Lafayette.
Woodville Plantation, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The plantation was built by General John Neville, a friend of both Washington and Lafayette, and a major defender of the U.S. Constitution in the Whiskey Rebellion.
Oscar Getz Museum, Bardstown, Kentucky. The museum includes a collection of rare whiskey artifacts dating from the Colonial period through post -Prohibition times.
West Overton Museums, Scottdale, Pennsylvania. The museums contain an 1838 distillery set within an intact pre-Civil War village.
Oliver Miller Homestead, South Park, Pennsylvania. Because the Miller family was so heavily involved in the Whiskey Rebellion, the house was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1936.