SAN FRANCISCO, March 18, 2025 – San Francisco is a city of resilience – as evidenced by its perpetually pioneering spirit and ability to rebuild after even destructive earthquakes. To recognize this strength of character and commemorate the 119^th anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake, San Francisco’s hometown artisanal spirits producer, Hotaling & Co., announces this year’s release of Old Potrero Hotaling’s Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey (50% ABV; 700ml; $199 SRP). While the earthquake destroyed most of the city, it notably did not damage A.P. Hotaling’s whiskey warehouse, leading Hotaling & Co. to mark the occasion with a special limited annual release of the pot-distilled whiskey made from 100% malted rye every year. Available in advance of the April 18 anniversary date at Old Potrero’s ecommerce website and in select fine spirit retailers, this year’s expression, which comes in a commemorative box with metal bottle topper, was distilled at Hotaling’s original Potrero Hill distillery, where it also aged in once-used, charred fine-grain, American oak Old Potrero barrels for 13 years.

“Each year, we aim to celebrate the anniversary of San Francisco’s rebirth after the devastating earthquake of 1906,” says Liz Brusca, Vice President of Marketing at Hotaling & Co. “This special expression, which is packaged in a commemorative gift box, is our way of toasting San Francisco’s continued pioneering and resilient spirit.”

Old Potrero Hotaling’s Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey, Aged 13 Years

50% ABV; 700ml; $199 SRP; 431 bottles produced

Nose:               Elegant, citrus, baking spice, sandal wood

Palate:             Sweet upon entry, soft stone fruit, bright, hint of peppercorn, creamy spice

Finish:             Orange flower water, delicate rye spice, black tea, crisp

“We release a very limited amount of Hotaling’s Whiskey each year, which is determined by tasting the barrels and deciding if we believe the spirit is ready.  This year, we loved the distinctive flavors of sandal wood, stone fruit and orange flower water that were coming from these 13-year-old barrels,” says Head Distiller Kevin Aslan, who joined the Old Potrero team the year this expression was put into barrels.

“Bottled in bond” reflects a federally mandated designation that stipulates and certifies the whiskey has been made by and at one distillery, aged in a bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at precisely 50% ABV.

The History of A.P. Hotaling & the 1906 Earthquake
In 1906, earthquake, fire, and dynamite ravaged San Francisco, claiming 28,188 buildings and an incalculable number of lives. After the disaster, several clergymen asserted that the catastrophe had been divine retribution, visited upon the City by the Bay for its sinful ways. Thanks to the pluck and ingenuity of its staff, the San Francisco fire department, and the Navy, A. P. Hotaling's Jackson Street whiskey warehouse survived. And so, "while millions of dollars’ worth of normally non-inflammable material was reduced to ashes," the Argonaut observed, thousands of "barrels of highly inflammable whisky were preserved intact in the heart of the tremendous holocaust." After the fire, UC Berkeley professor Jerome B. Landfield bumped into Stanford grad Charles K. Field. “He accompanied me to Berkeley,” Landfield recalled, and I put him up at the Faculty Club for the night. As we walked down to the station on our way back to San Francisco, Field asked me for a blank piece of paper on which to write. I handed him a used envelope.  On the back, he penned these lines:

“If, as they say, God spanked the town

For being over frisky,

Why did He burn the churches down

And save Hotaling’s whiskey?”

Formerly named Anchor Distilling Company, Hotaling & Co. renamed itself in 2018 to acknowledge this history and its position as the oldest, and currently only, distillery in San Francisco’s city limits and the first U.S. producer of crafted copper pot-distilled whiskey after prohibition.

“We chose the name Hotaling & Co. to pay tribute to our organization’s past as it has been the name of our rarest and most sought-after expression of Old Potrero Whiskey, Hotaling’s, and celebrates our deep connection with San Francisco,” says Dan Leese, CEO of Hotaling & Co.

Old Potrero Hotaling’s 13 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Rye Whiskey is available for pre-order online.

The Hotaling & Co. distillery is located at Pier 50 in San Francisco. For more information on Old Potrero, visit OldPotrero.com; for more information on Hotaling & Co. visit HotalingandCo.com.

About Old Potrero
Old Potrero Rye Whiskey is a testament to the power of the pioneering spirit and the celebrated return of pot-distilled whiskey in the United States. Created by Fritz Maytag, the same beverage visionary who sparked the craft beer movement with his purchase of Anchor Brewing in 1965 and the founder of the original Anchor Distilling Co., now Hotaling & Co., Old Potrero is credited as the first American craft whiskey to hit the market since Prohibition. Old Potrero whiskies are distilled in a small copper pot stills at the Hotaling & Co. Distillery in San Francisco from a mash of 100% malted rye.

About Hotaling & Co.
A born and bred San Francisco original, Hotaling & Co. is the leading distiller and importer of artisanal spirits and cocktail essentials. With dedication to artisanal spirits first started in 1993 under the name Anchor Distilling Company, which heralded the return to copper pot distilling in the U.S. with the original craft introductions of Junipero Gin & Old Potrero Rye Whiskey, Hotaling & Co. carries on a pioneering legacy through its name, giving a nod to the local legend A.P. Hotaling, who ventured West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the most reputable spirits dealers in the country and a notable figure in American drinking culture. Fueled by a passion for beverage expertise, education, and hospitality, Hotaling & Co. carries on this tradition of artisanal excellence by bringing together a family of like-minded spirits that share a commitment to craft and care. Today, Hotaling & Co.’s portfolio is synonymous with brands of unmatched quality and character, including Luxardo Liqueurs & Cherries, Nikka Whisky, HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys, Junipero Gin, HINE Cognac, Convite Mezcal, Fiero Tequila, Kavalan Whisky, Denizen Rum, Writers' Tears Whiskey, Old Pulteney Whisky, Speyburn Whisky, Balblair Whisky, Arran Whisky, Old Potrero Rye Whiskey, and more. Visit www.HotalingandCo.com to explore the full range of brands.