Review: Old Potrero Hotaling’s Bottled in Bond Rye 16 Years Old

Since they began distilling in 1993, Hotaling & Co. has grown a portfolio of in-house and imported brands across American, French, Mexican, Scottish, Taiwanese, Irish, and Japanese spirits (a non-exhaustive list!). At the core of their home-distilled labels is Old Potrero, which the company states is the “first U.S. producer of crafted copper pot-distilled whiskey after Prohibition.”

The San Francisco-based operation churns out pot-distilled rye whiskey from 100% malted grain, which is then aged in once-used American oak barrels.

While more common Old Potrero expressions are a fun (and in my experience, relatively infrequent) sighting on shelves, their latest special release is something rare indeed: a 16 year-old bottled-in-bond rye, only 432 bottles of which were released.

Old Potrero Hotaling’s Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey comes in a 700 milliliter bottle with a $199 suggested retail price; the distillery has previously released a 17 year expression.

Let’s see how this version stacks up!

Grain-forward on the nose, the whiskey is immediately rich in hot multi-grain cereal and buttered Irish soda bread; a difficult-to-verbalize pot still “funk” lends an offbeat, tangy characteristic that screams craft without compromising quality. Rye spice sits just underneath the malty, fatty notes: white pepper, dusted cinnamon, smoked paprika, allspice, and a tiny dose of Szechuan peppercorns. Apple butter bridges the spicy and sweet, and once I detected that on the nose, it stuck around heavy in both my nostrils and mind.

This 16 year expression noses similar to Old Potrero’s standard (commonly close to six year) releases, with aromas dialed way up in both spice and underlying fruit.

On to the palate. Light, borderline tropical fruit — papaya and pineapple-infused syrup more than the real things — kick things off on a surprisingly light and sweet note. Those fruit flavors build toward the midpalate until the spice comes out to play, particularly the same white pepper, paprika, and allspice as on the nose. Intermingled with the rye spice, the fruits are distinct from yet slightly reminiscent of some notes common to well aged Speyside Scotches.

Some of the bready character remains, less buttery than on the nose, along with small pops of salinity that coalesce after the early fruit syrups subside.

The finish lingers via oak tannins, though without much of the sweetness that helps to keep the esoteric palate composed. Spice, salinity, and minerality (bordering on but not crossing into metallic) build as the fruit quickly subsides.

For those who can find a bottle, fans of American craft whiskey will find a lot to dig their teeth into here. Old Potrero stands apart in the domestic whiskey landscape, and this 16 year version leans heavily into that unique flavor profile. As such, it brings some lovely (and memorable) highs while losing just a touch of composure at the end. I doubt I’ll try anything similar to it for quite some time.

100 proof.

B+ / $199 (700ml) / oldpotrero.com

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