Old Potrero 6 Year Rye

Buy!

DISTILLERY	HOTALING & CO. DISTILLERY
REGION	San Francisco, CA
AGE	6 Years
STRENGTH	48.5% ABV (97 Proof)
MASHBILL	100% Malted Rye
MSRP	$60

---

GLANCE

Clear with medium intensity. Dark gold to brown color

NOSE

Clean with medium intensity. Right away you get dark fruit notes and raisin cake. There were notes that reminded me of rum raisin ice cream. These are three main notes I got. Stewed dates, raisins and rum raisin ice cream (specifically reminded me of the rum raisin ice cream from Häagen-Daz!) As I let it open up I got the classic rye notes with dark chocolate, espresso and then hints of clove + nutmeg spice.

PALATE

I believe here is where this dram really shines! Medium sweetness because the rye spice and some oakiness balances the sweetness well. Coats your tongue well. Beginning of the palate I got rye spice but in a soft sense (didn’t punch me in the mouth with spice). Here the spices were what I got on the nose – nutmeg, clove with a touch of cinnamon. Then towards the middle and end of the palate I got dark chocolate, dates, strawberries dipped in chocolate with soft nuttiness (cashews, toasted almonds) and oak.

FINISH

Overall medium in length with some complexity. There is sweet nuttiness, chocolate notes and rye spice. I personally wasn’t able to nail down any individual flavors.

CLOSING REMARKS

Old Potrero a brand that is distilled under Hotaling Co. (formerly known as Anchor distilling) has been relatively recently launched/revamped.

The original Anchor Distilling Company was established in 1993 by Fritz Maytag, the same beverage visionary who sparked the craft beer movement with his purchase of Anchor Brewing in 1965. Maytag had rescued the struggling brewery and its iconic steam beer, and after several decades of exclusively producing beer, Maytag saw an opportunity to expand into the distillation of spirits.

Hotaling & Co.’s Website

Fritz Maytag and team put down the first barrels of whiskey in 1994. Under his direction three more whiskeys entered the portfolio, all made from 100% malted rye. Today with head distiller  Bruce Joseph, Old Potrero comes to us revamped – aesthetically and with an age statement of 6 years. With an unusual mashbill and being aged in SF climate are things that already make this offering stand out from the rest. Craft distillers in the bourbon/whiskey industry in US are just start to take a foothold (while others are being bought out by larger corporations – Diego for example), the team at Hotaling & Co. are not completely new to the game and can deliver unique expressions that can’t be found everywhere. If Old Potrero 6 Year is a prelude to what is to come, I am excited to say the least.

---