A sweeter, smoother Whiskey made from malted grain.

Anchor Distillery is one of the very first small, craft brewing and distilling houses… ever. The original Anchor Brewery was founded way back in 1896 in San Francisco. It survived the famous earthquake, the Prohibition era, and several ownership changes. But in 1965 it needed saving once again. Fritz Maytag—3rd generation entrepreneur—stepped up. He re-marketed their iconic Anchor Steam beer and is credited with launching the micro-brewery revolution.

Fritz did not stop there. In 1993 he launched a new arm of the business, Anchor Distillery. Well, Fritz sold the business, and then that business sold off the beer business to Sapporo and — somewhat accidentally — lost the naming rights to “Anchor.” Barry Bros & Rudd increased their stake in the business and renamed it after the legendary original Anchor guy — AP Hotaling.

Back when “Anchor” was Anchor, they released a special expression Rye Whiskey to commemorate the hill in San Francisco where their distillery is located. Old Portrero 18th Century Style Whiskey is the continuation of that Spirit under the new name. It’s a Single Malt. But while we Whiskey-lovers are hard-wired to instantly think of barley, Single Malt doesn’t “have” to be barley at all. This is a single malt Whiskey and — if you think about it — malting rye makes a ton of sense. Rye-based whiskies are generally spicy and herbal and malting makes the mash smoother and sweeter. So Old Portrero 18th Century Style has all the flavor of a rye, but more.

Smartass corner:
Hotaling & Co renamed the business after AP Hotaling — a Spirits dealer in San Francisco during the 1800s who is famous for his Whiskey and for his warehouses surviving the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.