Anchor Steam - Old Potrero 19th Century Style Straight Rye Whiskey

Silver Winner at the
San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Rye LD POTRERO^® SINGLE MALT STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY is a part of our endeavor to re-create the original whiskey of America. This release was distilled in a small copper pot still at our distillery on San Francisco's Potrero Hill, from a mash of 100% rye malt. Rye was the grain of choice for America's first distillers, and using a mash of 100% rye malt produces a uniquely American whiskey.

This straight rye whiskey was aged in new handmade charred oak barrels. In traditional barrel making, the cooper heats the staves over a fire of oak chips, allowing them to be bent and formed into a barrel. During this process, the inside of the barrel becomes lightly toasted. By the early 19th century, coopers had learned that if they allowed the heat to continue, the inside of the barrel would burst into flames and become charred. At Anchor, we have found that handmade oak barrels–charred in this traditional manner–impart a rich color and unique character to our rye whiskey. We hope you will enjoy comparing it to our other releases.

The Anchor Distilling Company is dedicated to creating very small batches of traditionally distilled spirits of many types and styles.

Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey is aged in handmade charred oak barrels. Traditional barrel making involves heating the staves over a fire of oak chips to help the cooper bend them, lightly toasting—but not charring—the staves in the process. Continuing the heat until the barrels burst into flames and become charred is a later innovation.

Probably by accident,
distillers discovered the interesting character imparted to whiskey by barrels whose staves had actually caught fire and become charred.

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OLD POTRERO SINGLE MALT STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY, 45% ALC/VOL (90 PROOF), IS DISTILLED, AGED AND BOTTLED BY ANCHOR DISTILLING COMPANY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA.

View PDF of Straight Rye Whiskey Flyer

Aging whiskey for any considerable period was very unusual in the 18th century. Serious aging and charred barrels were 19th-century innovations, and probably evolved together.

The first whiskey in America was made along the Atlantic Coast and from rye. "Bourbon" came later, from west of the mountains, where corn was the preferred grain.