Arrive Magazine - May/June, 2007

COCK TAIL

dollars, and that his likeness is on every single one of them must be especially sweet.

As it turns out, the rebuilding of Washington’s long-abandoned distillery coincides with rye whiskey getting its own makeover. The many small distilleries that made rye, once a staple of early American life, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic states were shut down during Prohibition—and most never opened again.

George Washington opened his distillery at Mount Vernon in 1797, two years before his death. The Virginia distillery is once again producing its popular rye whiskey.

RYE’S WAKE-UP CALL

Rye’s long hibernation has been blamed on a host of causes, from thirsty Americans getting used to smuggled Canadian whiskey during Prohibition to the rise of clear spirits like gin and vodka. Rye, with its strong, sharp flavor, has fallen out of favor as a mixer during the last few decades and become an alcohol has-been.

“For a long time we were one of the small handful of distilleries that were making rye,” explains Larry Kass, director of communications for Heaven Hill Distilleries, the company that many say spearheaded rye’s revival. “All of us were in Kentucky and made bourbon anyway, and we like to say that even now, we spill more bourbon every day than we make rye whiskey all year long.”

Heaven Hill’s Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye

DWhisky is a kind of icon for rye’s newfound popu-on’t be fooled by the dour de- larity. In 2006, the drink won awards as best North meanor on every $1 bill—George American whiskey and best value in whiskey—a Washington was a lot of interest- rare pair of honors that makes sense for the exqui-ing things, including sitely complex and woefully under-whiskey-making appreciated rye. entrepreneur who presided over one “People who are looking for of the nation’s largest distilleries. Last that next frontier of flavor in September, the first two bottles of rye American whiskeys are discover-to come out of Washington’s Mount ing rye,” Kass says. “Because peo-Vernon distillery in more than 200 ple have become so interested in years were auctioned off for $100,000 bourbon and so educated—and so at a fundraising event—probably the appreciative—they’re wondering most expensive bottles of American what else they didn’t know about whiskey, ever. American spirits.”

Somewhere, Washington might In 2006, members of the Distilled be smiling over the fact that his busi- Spirits Council of the United States ness venture is again raking in the (Heaven Hill is not a member) sold