As George Washington wrapped up his presidency, he picked up another endeavor, perhaps a bit less noble but just as thrilling: making top-notch booze.

In January 1797, Washington had a whiskey distillery built near his Mount Vernon mansion, at the recommendation of his newly hired manager, Scotsman James Anderson. By the time it was up and running in the spring of the following year, Washington owned the largest whiskey distillery in the U.S., according to Steve Bashore, Mount Vernon’s director of historic trades.

“In 1799, Washington produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, yielding a profit of $7,500,” Bashore said in a statement.

Washington died that year, so he didn’t live to see the whiskey-driven riches he was working to build. Now, the White House Historic Association’s Decatur House is displaying some rare distillery artifacts to showcase just how serious the first president’s operation had become.

Every Friday from now until the end of July, the Decatur House will display a letter Washington penned to his nephew in 1799, on loan from the Distillery Spirits Council. In it, he requests help getting more grain and adds: “Two hundred gallons of Whiskey will be ready this day for your call, and the sooner it is taken the better, as the demand for this article (in these parts) is brisk.”

The Decatur House, located on the edge of Lafayette Square, will also display a 1776 Continental Army Commissary List, which laid out in detail Washington’s liquor purchases while he was still a general during the Revolutionary War.

Together, they’re some of the few remaining pieces of Washington’s correspondence that shows his interest in the distilling business.

“We are pleased to loan this rare piece of distilling history to the White House Historical Association to shine a light on America’s most celebrated distiller, George Washington,” said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council, in a press release. The letter and list were purchased at a New York auction house, he said.

Swonger continued, “It is our hope that visitors who view the letter, will leave with a better understanding of the rich heritage of the distilled spirits industry and the important role our Founding Father played in this great tradition.”

Those interested in learning more about Washington’s whiskey production can also visit the actual distillery — located less than 3 miles from Mount Vernon. A $2.1 million grant from the spirits industry allowed Mount Vernon to excavate and restore the distillery, which opened to the public in 2007.

The letter and commissary list will be on public display from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Friday, May 28 – July 31. Decatur House, 748 Jackson Pl NW.