San Francisco’s Hotaling & Co., the importer and distiller formerly known as Anchor Distilling Company, has introduced J.H. Cutter Whisky.
In the mid-to-late 1800s, among the most popular whiskeys in stock at the A.P. Hotaling liquor warehouse in San Francisco was J.H. Cutter, the company says. The company has brought back this American brand, with its original spelling of “whisky.”
This blend of American whiskies, bottled at 48% ABV, brings together 73% sourced bourbon from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers aged 3.5 years, 17% Old Potrero 18th Century Style Rye Whiskey aged a minimum of 2.5 years, and 10% Old Potrero Port Finish Rye Whiskey aged 2.5-to-3 years.
Aromas are sweet and spiced with hints of pear, the company says, with notes of brown sugar and caramel once the spirit opens up. The palate is smooth and creamy, with a distinctly rye backbone, a balance of spice and sweetness with soft stone fruit in the middle.
The suggested retail price is $50 per 750-ml. bottle.
Hotaling & Co.’s J.H. Cutter packaging, which includes an amber glass bottle, takes inspiration from the original J.H. Cutter Whisky. In the 1800s, A.P. Hotaling & Co. began embossing its bottles to prove their products’ authenticity, the company says. The bottle top is a nod to the porcelain tops of the time with a silver-colored capsule that is reminiscent of the metal that once adorned the tops of whiskey bottles.
When Hotaling & Co. adopted its new name, it drew inspiration from A.P. Hotaling, a spirits dealers in the second half of the 1800s whose whiskey warehouse on Jackson Street survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.
