Hotaling & Co., announced the reintroduction of Old Potrero 18^th Century Style Whiskey, now called Old Potrero Toasted Barrel Whiskey, distilled in a small copper pot still from a mash of 100 percent rye malt and aged in new, toasted, 24-month air-dried, handmade, extra-fine grain American White Oak barrels for a minimum of 6 years.

Old Potrero Toasted Barrel Whiskey will be released on Thursday, July 4, to commemorate American Independence Day and pay homage to America’s leadership in craft whiskey distilling.

“America’s first great whiskey was rye and it was originally made in copper pot stills. But by the late twentieth century, the spirit was barely hanging on for life. Just as it seemed that it might completely disappear, Anchor Distilling, now Hotaling & Co., came to the rescue and kicked off the rebirth of rye with the launch of Old Potrero Whiskey that is even made in copper pot stills,” Noah Rothbaum, author of The Art of American Whiskey and the forthcoming Whiskey Bible, said in a news release.

“We originally called it 18^th Century Style Whiskey because in 18th-century traditional barrel making, the cooper heats the staves over a fire of oak chips, allowing them to be bent and formed into a barrel,” Master Distiller Bruce Joseph said. “During this process, the inside of the barrel becomes lightly toasted. Charred barrels weren’t created until the 19^th Century. We are reintroducing Old Potrero Toasted Barrel Whiskey at a much older age than the original 18^th Century Style Whiskey, and it continues to be the only rye on the market aged entirely in toasted oak barrels.”

Old Potrero is bottled at 51.2% ABV; it has a $64.99 SRP for a 700ml bottle.

“Our dedication to artisanal spirits first started 30 years ago, and today, the Hotaling name remains a part of San Francisco drinking culture as we carry on that pioneering legacy with Old Potrero,” Dan Leese, CEO of Hotaling & Co. said. “Old Potrero Whiskey, like its birthplace, San Francisco, embodies boldness and innovation. Old Potrero Toasted Barrel Whiskey continues to represent how integral we are to the city’s history and the timeless traditions of American whiskey.”

For more information on Old Potrero, visit OldPotrero.com; for more information on Hotaling & Co. visit HotalingandCo.com.

Read more: Hotaling Remembers 1906 Earthquake with Special Rye Release

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 whiskies are distilled in a small copper pot stills at the Hotaling & Co. Distillery in San Francisco from a mash of 100% rye malt.