Anchor Distilling Company was founded in 1993 by Fritz Maytag, the visionary entrepreneur who had previously rescued and revitalized Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco after purchasing it in 1965. Driven by a deep fascination with rye whisky and early American spirits, Maytag established Anchor Distilling as a small offshoot of the iconic brewery, setting out to reconnect with America's rich distilling heritage. When Anchor Distilling began producing spirits in 1993, it was the only manufacturer of rye whiskey in the United States utilizing traditional copper pot distilling — a bold move that helped herald the return of artisanal, small-batch spirits production in America. The distillery became the birthplace of celebrated expressions such as Old Potrero Whiskey and Junipero Gin, earning a reputation as a true pioneer of the American craft spirits movement throughout the 1990s and beyond. In 2014, the company was acquired by new ownership, and in 2018 Anchor Distilling was rebranded as Hotaling & Co., marking a new chapter while honoring its 30-year legacy of artisanal distilling. The brand remains a landmark in American craft spirits history, widely credited with helping ignite the craft distilling renaissance in the United States.