Drawing from the archaeological records of known whiskey production sites, Mount Vernon Assistant Director for Archaeological Research Luke Pecoraro will offer a brief introduction to distilled products made in colonial America, with specific reference to George Washington’s distillery. A five-still commercial operation on one of Washington’s farms from 1797 to circa 1802, the distillery burned to ground in 1814, and was lost until re-discovered by Mount Vernon archaeologists in 1997. Intensive excavations uncovered the entire structure, revealing information about the layout of the stills, drains, and living quarters, and sparking renewed interest in spirits distillation in America. A generous grant from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) helped enable reconstruction of the distillery, which is completely operational—one of the few places where whiskey is made just as it was in the early Republic. The recipe for Washington’s whiskey survives, and is faithfully reproduced in small batches, twice a year, at the distillery (pictured below.) Following the lecture on Monday, February 23, beginning at 6 pm, five whiskeys are offered for tasting. The Boston University free event, part of the Pepin Lecture Series in Food Studies and Gastronomy, will be held in Room 117 at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline. Enroll at www.bu.edu/foodandwine.