When we talk about American Whiskey, the conversation is often focused on whiskey made in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. In fact, whiskey is made in all 50 states, including right here in California! Old Potrero Rye was one of the first craft whiskies produced in the United States, made by San Francisco-based Anchor Distilling, now known as Hotaling & Co. This quarter’s selection is an exclusive single barrel hand-selected by their Master Distiller Emeritus, Bruce Joseph, who retired earlier this year.
Cheers!
Sam Crocker
Spirits Buyer
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Old Potrero Single Barrel Toasted Rye |
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Location: San Francisco, CA |
Anchor Distilling was founded in 1993 by Fritz Maytag and was located inside of Anchor Brewing on Potrero Hill. The distillery operated alongside the brewery for 24 years before the brewery and Anchor intellectual property were bought by Sapporo in 2017. Anchor Distilling remained independent and changed its name to Hotaling & Co., a name that reflects San Francisco’s whiskey history. It is named after Anson Parsons Hotaling, a significant figure in San Francisco’s history of spirit production, distilling, warehousing and distribution. In 2020, the Hotaling distillery moved from its original location on Potrero Hill to Pier 50, a move that allowed the distillers of Old Potrero to continue operating and innovating. Bruce Joseph started his career at Anchor Brewing in 1980, starting out on the bottling line before quickly being promoted to cellar worker. When Fritz Maytag opened Anchor Distillery, Bruce became its first full-time employee, and remained a fixture there, even as its parent brewery saw a tumultuous several years. In February 2025, Bruce retired from his role as master distiller, passing the baton to a dedicated group of distillers, among them Kevin Aslan. This Single Barrel was selected by Bruce Joseph for the Old Potrero Rye Trail, which incorporates historic watering holes around San Francisco. It was aged in medium-toast American Oak barrels for 8 years and 1 month before being bottled at 131.6 proof. |
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Price: $69.99 (club member price) One jar of Luxardo Maraschino cherries also included this quarter |
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Proof/ABV: 131.6/65.8% |
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Tasting Notes: Nose: bitter almond, maraschino liqueur, toffee, cinnamon, chestnut, sage. With a splash of water, sweet notes of s’mores emerge Palate: cherry cola, cinnamon bark, salted caramel brittle Finish: lingering cinnamon spice |
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