A Singular Rye Discovery: Old-School and Inspired

“At this age, rarity, and quality range it’s easily worth twice the price, but right now we’re able to offer it to you for an unbelievably reasonable price.”
— David Othenin-Girard

Hotalings 16 Year Old “Old Potrero” Bottled In Bond Single Malt Rye Whiskey (700ml) ($179.99)

For those seeking mature, rare, and collectible whiskey, few options on today’s market can match this 16-year-old from Hotaling. With only 432 bottles produced, this rye impresses with its richness, complexity, and depth. If it had been bottled by one of the major houses, it would command a significantly higher price—making it an exceptional find for discerning whiskey drinkers and collectors.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 12, 2024

There’s no question that Hotalings/Old Potrero is one of the quintessential American whiskies. In fact, I had lunch the other day with the illustrious T.A. Breaux, who single handedly relaunch the absinthe category worldwide, and we got to talking about pre-prohibition rye. Thru his travels and exploits analyzing old absinthe for recreation, he’s been lucky enough to try numerous American Ryes from the 1800s and his contention was that they’re absolutely nothing like modern whiskies. There are so many specific reasons for that -malted rye, three chamber stills, farm production, fermentation, barrel toasts, etc.- but he mentioned that the only American whiskey that tastes anything like the old style was Fritz Maytag’s famous 100% single malted rye, now sold by the Hotalings company. And this barrel is the perfect example of old bottled in bond style that would have been served up during that period.

Let’s have a go. The color is a beautiful pale gold. The nose is extremely pretty and complex. Huge fresh mint and sweet orange oil. Its almost brandy like in its aromatic profile. Behind that an array of rich spice, rare barks, and aromatic oils – lanolin, hyssop, geranium, cinchona, sandalwood, sweet dill, white pepper. Balancing that gorgeous pungency is a sweet apricot note and a creamy fudge. The palate is punch and bright with so much freshness and zingy citrus it almost feels like Highland Scotch. Then the bold spice takes over and you’re smack down back in old school rye land – medium body but an oily texture. This is one of the truly great American craft whiskies and we typically be prohibited from buying more the 6 bottles at a time. But someone forgot to click that button so we snagged the entire stock. At this age, rarity, and quality range it’s easily worth twice the price, but right now we’re able to offer it to you for an unbelievably reasonable price. There’s no question that all spirits lovers should take account of this extremely unusual offer.

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