26110 Rebellious Spirits

Day One:

Southwestern Pennsylvania was the staging ground for a young George Washington’s military career, and later on was the setting of the first challenge to his new federal government as the nation’s first president. This tour traces Washington’s Trail as a 21-year-old British soldier whose folly led to the firing of the first shots of the French and Indian War, a global conflict centered on the strategic control of the plot of land that would become downtown Pittsburgh.

Washington would return to the region again in the midst of his presidency, once again ready for battle to quell an uprising of farmers and residents who were incensed by Alexander Hamilton’s excise tax on whiskey stills. While some tax collectors were tarred and feathered, Washington’s presence restored order - and ensured that whiskey would remain a key part of western Pennsylvania’s cultural fabric. This tour connects historic sites with contemporary, award-winning whiskey distilleries to create a smooth-sipping journey through the history of the French and Indian War and the Whiskey Rebellion.

You will arrive at Oliver Miller Homestead. The Miller family are famous for having more or less provoked the Whiskey Rebellion, which broke out into open hostility when the federal marshal showed up at the nearby home of Oliver’s son William in 1794 (Oliver had died in 1782) to serve a writ for failing to pay the whiskey tax.

At the Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitor Center, and The David Bradford House you will learn about  a force of 400 disaffected whiskey rebels, mainly from Washington County, who attacked and destroyed the home of a tax inspector just south of Pittsburgh.  One of the leaders of the rebellion, Washington attorney David Bradford and his family lived in the historic Bradford House.

Lunch and tasting will be at the B&B Distillery. Located in the Heart of Washington, PA. B&B Distillery stands as a testament to the art of crafting fine spirits.

There will be more tastings, and tour of the Liberty Pole Spirits, with the final stop being the Woodville Experience. Just outside of Pittsburgh sits Woodville - a National Historic Landmark and Southwestern Pennsylvania's oldest house museum. Here you will learn about the Whiskey Rebellion and life from 1780-1820.

L=Lunch