Old Potrero Releases 16-Year-Old Rye Whiskey Celebrating San Francisco’s ‘Resilient Spirit’ After Catastrophic Earthquake of 1906

Old Potrero unveiled a bottled-in-bond rye whiskey commemorating the San Francisco earthquake, which took place on April 18, 1906. (Photo: Old Potrero)

On Thursday, the San Franciscan whiskey brand Old Potrero announced the release of a Bottled in Bond Rye with a 16-year age statement commemorating the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake that rocked the city by the bay.

“We originally launched this expression to celebrate the anniversary of San Francisco’s rebirth after the devastating earthquake of 1906,” Hotaling & Co. Vice President of Marketing Liz Brusca said in a statement. “We are relaunching it this year to toast San Francisco’s continued pioneering and resilient spirit.”

The whiskey hosts a percentage of 50% ABV and just 432 bottles were produced. Old Potrero’s limited-release offering hosts a suggested retail price of $199. It was distilled at Hotaling & Co. Distillery in San Francisco.

“From the very first days of our distilling experiments with 100% malted rye mash, we loved the flavor and aroma of the new spirit,” Master Distiller Bruce Joseph said. “It was complex and bursting with bold flavors. Old Potrero Hotaling’s Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey presents those flavors in a mature, complex and well-integrated way.”

On April 18, 1906, San Francisco experienced a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that totaled 28,188 buildings. Shortly after the earthquake broke out, a fire swept through San Francisco. United States Geological Survey claimed that the initial estimate of 700 deaths appears to be underestimated by factors of 3 or 4.

Old Potrero claims that clergy members cited the earthquake as “divine retribution,” as San Francisco had the infamous reputation of being a city of sin in California. Interestingly enough, A.P. Hotaling’s warehouse on Jackson Street survived with the barrels of whiskey inside. In reference to the fire, UC Berkeley Professor Jerome B. Landfield  wrote the following poem and shared it with the folks at Old Potrero:

“If, as they say, God spanked the town,

For being over frisky,

Why did he burn the churches down,

And save Hotaling’s whiskey?”

Old Potrero Hotaling’s Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

Nose: Rye and pepper spice, cinnamon, fruit with honey.

Taste: Sweet and spicy, yet integrated with the malted rye.

Finish: Lingering and complex, with an opulent texture.

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