San Francisco's Hotaling & Co. Shutters Its Distillery

The pot stills at Hotaling & Co., the San Francisco distillery known for its Old Potrero rye and Junipero gin labels, have gone silent after 33 years. Head distiller and blender Kevin Aslan first announced the closure on his Instagram account earlier this week. In a statement, Hotaling said it would now focus on its import portfolio, which includes Nikka Japanese whisky, Kavalan Taiwanese single malt, and single malt scotch whiskies Arran, Daftmill, and Lagg, among other spirits. It also owns the Hirsch American whiskey brand, which is produced under contract, mainly in Kentucky.

The house-made brands, Old Potrero and Junipero, will now be produced for Hotaling under contract by a local distiller, the company said, and will continue to be part of the Hotaling portfolio. As for the distillery itself, located at San Francisco’s Pier 50, the company said it’s open to discussions "regarding the lease and/or equipment as part of a responsible transition process.”

Founded by Fritz Maytag as Anchor Distilling in 1993, today Hotaling is widely recognized as being among the nation’s foremost craft distilling pioneers. The distillery was an offshoot of Anchor Brewing, Maytag's 1960s venture aimed at reviving the Anchor Beer brand, which had been a longtime San Francisco institution. His successful efforts earned him fame as the father of America’s craft brewing movement.

Anchor Distilling was originally located in a small corner of the Anchor Steam brewery in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood. There, Maytag and former master distiller Bruce Joseph created Old Potrero rye, a 100% rye whiskey with a recipe based on historical American ryes. Maytag sold Anchor Distilling in 2010. It was rebranded in 2018 as Hotaling & Co., in honor of the historic Bay Area wine and spirits wholesaler A. P. Hotaling, and moved to its current location in 2020.

For some reason, Old Potrero rye hasn’t achieved the notoriety of other craft whiskeys despite generally achieving high scores and positive critical commentary. Regardless, Anchor’s closing marks the end of an era for local distilling. As for Anchor Brewing, it was acquired by Japanese brewer Sapporo in 2017, which liquidated the operation in 2023. The end of Anchor Distilling represents the final page in this story of San Francisco brewing and distilling.