SF's Hotaling & Co. distillery keeps city's rich history alive

SAN FRANCISCO — In a city with a bustling cocktail and culinary scene, San Francisco’s Hotaling & Co. stands out with its innovation-first approach and one of the only distilleries operating at scale in the city.

Hotaling & Co., formerly known as Anchor Distilling Company, was originally part of the Anchor Brewing legacy. After Anchor Brewing was bought by Sapporo in 2017, Hotaling & Co. was created. It became an independent distillery, where distillers have the freedom to get creative and design any spirit you can imagine.

Simply put, “It’s very cool,” said Hotaling & Co. Innovation Distiller Kevin Aslan.

The distillery moved to Pier 50 in 2020 and, despite the change in name and location, they continue to produce high quality spirits. “The most important thing is the quality of the product. Products that we’ve created have really been from a source of inspiration. The two original products are Old Potrero Rye Whiskey and Junipero Gin, and we’ve done some other things over the years, but those are the two main products we produce ourselves,” said Hotaling & Co. Master Distiller, Bruce Joseph.

While the distillers spend their days on research and development, bottling, and gin and whiskey distillation, they can draw inspiration from their backyard. “It’s unreal honestly. We’re right on the Bay. You can see Oakland from our backdoor. It just feels very San Francisco and honestly, I feel like we’re really lucky to be here,” said Aslan.

Joseph echoed that sentiment, “These products are San Francisco products and should be made in San Francisco.”

You can learn more at their website.