It is produced by a California "craft" distiller - Hotaling & Co., formerly known as Anchor Distilling Company before the sale of its sister company, Anchor Brewing Co., to Sapporo in 2017. But, unlike most craft distillers, this one has been around for a long time, having opened its doors in 1993.
Given that it is one of the veterans of the craft distilling movement, Anchor has released some whiskies - that it actually distilled - that have reached into the teenage years of maturity under its Hotalings line. This particular bottle of its standard straight rye does not carry an age statement, although the company's marketing materials peg it as having spent at least four years and six months in new charred oak barrels.
In addition, Old Potrero is a pot distilled single malt whiskey. But, it is decidedly not malt whiskey in the Scottish sense of the phrase, being a product of 100% malted rye (rather than malted barley).
The distillery describes this whiskey as its take on America's original whiskey.
Bottle: 48.5% ABV, No Age Statement (marketing materials indicate 4 years and six months of age), ~$60, "single malt straight rye whiskey", 10-SRW-ARM-O
Nose: Sweet and zesty with grain-forward bread and malt notes, coupled with a big pop of mint. Stone fruits - peaches, perhaps apricots. Strawberries and cream. Subtle notes of baking spices. All over the place, but not in an unpleasant way.
Taste: Continues with the sweet yet minty flavor combo, with menthol and baking spices, in this case Ceylon cinnamon and nutmeg. Medium-rich mouthfeel and a pleasant, lingering finish with toffee, hops (a slightly hoppy porter, not an IPA) and a bit of pine. Definitely definitely has some "craft" notes - grain forward with pine - but on balance pulls it off in an interesting way.
Thoughts: I expect that this is a very polarizing whiskey. If you are considering buying this as a substitute for a reasonably well aged Kentucky or Indiana rye, you are likely to be disappointed. But, if you go into this with an open mind about drinking an interesting spirit, you might find this to fit the bill quite well. It's the type of whiskey that I would imagine a grappa or rhum agricole lover might enjoy as a cross-over spirit. For me personally, I find it to be rather cravable - I don't have it too often, but when I'm in the mood for this little else will do.
I intend to pick up another bottle of Old Potrero, although I wish it didn't cost so much to do so. While price is not a factor in the score below, I can't really argue that this is a great value for the average bourbon drinker in comparison to other whiskies of a similar age.
Rating: B
Regarding the grading scale, my grades loosely track the LAWS Scale, and the threshold for what constitutes a "good" or "recommended" spirit will be set in the C+ to B- range. Price is not considered in assigning a rating.
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