Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Old Potrero 18th Century Single Malt
(Credit: Hotaling & Co.)

Anchor Distilling’s (now Hotaling & Co.) Old Portero is craft whiskey before there was craft whiskey, predating the movement we know today by almost two decades. However, it took the explosion of small distillers for Old Potrero to pursue brand expansions. After all, you need to know a market is there.

Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey is the distillery’s attempt to take their malted rye approach and use it to create a whiskey more authentic to colonial and revolutionary times, or “America’s original whiskey.” What that means is that this is a young whiskey, aged for just two years, but aged in new and used oak barrels that have not been charred, but instead were merely toasted. It’s also bottled at a relatively high proof of 102.4 (51.2% ABV). Beyond that, not that while it’s a rye whiskey, it’s 100% malted rye, so it’s also technically a single malt… at least in the United States.

The Whiskey
Once in the glass, this Old Portrero has the look of a richly endowed white wine, and coating the glass puts down some big, heavy legs. The nose is thick with that molasses scent I’ve come to expect from malted rye-heavy whiskeys (to say nothing of 100% malted rye), plus a pumpernickel bread note and a certain vague fruitiness.

On the palate, that mix of undefined fruitiness, molasses and pumpernickel (quite like an earthy, boozy fruitcake really) came forward, followed by a spicy, cinnamon Red Hots note. After it sat on my tongue for a bit, green wood and a pinch of astringency came up too.  The finish ran with spicy heat over to a layer of that non-descript fruit.

The Price
Expect to pay $69.99 for a bottle of Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey.