San Fran distillery doubles rye whiskey production

San Francisco’s Anchor Distilling Company is doubling its production capacity to meet demand for rye whiskey Old Potrero.

The distillery, which is part-owned by the UK’s Berry Bros. & Rudd, will be installing a new wash still in the spring to bring production up to 50,000 cases annually.

According to David King, president of Anchor Distilling, Old Potrero, a 100% malted rye whiskey, is one of the group’s fastest-selling brands.

“Right now the hottest category in the states in terms of whisky is domestic whiskey. I’m doubling my Old Potrero but I could probably sell 100 times that if I had the liquid, but I’m not prepared to stop the quality so it will take a few years.”

Rye whiskey has been in high demand over the past few years, with sales growing 41% in 2012 to 275,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.

While sales have been mostly driven by the cocktail renaissance, with bartenders keen to use rye in classic cocktails such as the Sazerac and Manhattan, increasing consumer interest in brown spirits is sparking further growth for the category.