Fruit cake | Apple | Malt | Cocoa powder | Evergreen | Gumdrop

Hops | Fruit cake | Cocoa powder | Light chinquapin syrup | Toasted oak

Roasted malt | Light leather | Chocolate malt | Evergreen | White peppercorn

Hotaling & Co., which is best known for their Old Potrero whiskey and ryes distilled from 100% malted rye mashbills, switches things up with the release of their Christmas Spirit whiskey. The whiskey is twice distilled in copper pot stills from the now defunct and beloved Anchor Steam Christmas Ale from 2015. Unlike last year’s release which was aged 12 years, this years release sees the spirit spending 9 years in used Old Potrero rye barrels. 

There aren’t enough holiday themed whiskeys on the market, and you have to hand it to Hotaling & Co. to uphold this rare tradition. Anchor Steam beer and especially their seasonal Christmas Ale are thoroughly missed by fans, and Christmas Spirit Whiskey helps keep the memory alive. Unfortunately, the whiskey doesn’t scream Christmas Ale as it puts forward its malt characteristics much more energetically. Anyone that has had redistilled beer before or is familiar with Charbay whiskeys will know what Christmas Spirit Whiskey’s flavor profile entails. 

‍Hops and malt are at the forefront of the whiskey. From there, though, gentle notes of fruit cake come forward and help tie the theme of the whiskey together. Cocoa powder, chinquapin syrup, toasted oak, and evergreen further add to the overall seasonal stylings of the whiskey. Old Potrero 2025 Christmas Spirit Whiskey never goes full on with its spiced flavors, or other common holiday cocktail flavors that some may expect. The whiskey is thoroughly unique tasting, resulting in a sip that won’t be for everyone, but remains fun nevertheless. 

Old Potrero 2025 Christmas Spirit Whiskey is a 484 bottle release