Hotaling & Co. (pronounced ho-de-ling) is a reference to one of Anchor Distilling’s most beloved small batch whiskies and to the San Francisco legend A.P. Hotaling, who went West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the most reputable spirits dealers in the country.
Born in 1828, Hotaling moved from New York to California in 1852, where he found his calling in San Francisco as a purveyor of fine whiskies and proceeded to build the largest liquor wholesaler in the West. In San Francisco drinks culture, Hotaling’s name became immortalized when his whiskey warehouse on Jackson Street survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. In 2006, on the 100th anniversary, Anchor Distillery released a special aged expression of Old Potrero named Hotaling’s to commemorate the event.
“The Hotaling name pays tribute to our organization’s past as it has been the name of our rarest and most sought-after expression of Old Potrero Whiskey, Hotaling’s, and celebrates our connection with San Francisco.” says Dennis Carr, who remains the company’s President and CEO, and oversees a staff of 47 people. Hotaling & Co. will also remain under the recently announced ownership of London’s Berry Brothers & Rudd and Tony Foglio.
Founded in 1993, the now-named Hotaling & Co. is credited with creating the first American craft whiskey (Old Potrero) and gin (Junípero Gin) after Prohibition. Over the last eight years, Anchor Distilling Company has grown 500% through its distilling and importing business.
In August 2017, as Anchor Brewing was sold to Sapporo Holdings Ltd., Anchor Distilling became a fully independent company. A new executive team was appointed in October, and in November announced its new ownership poised to take the company into the future.