Old Potrero Christmas Spirit (2025) Whiskey Review

Distillery: Hotaling and Co — San Francisco, CA

Proof: 100.0 (50.0% ABV) 

Age: Nine Years 

Mashbill: See below

MSRP: $140

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Evergreen, Orange and Winter Mint – A True Christmas Expression

Old Potrero’s 2025 Christmas Spirit Whiskey is built on a most unusual foundation….a distilled Christmas beer.  The base spirit originates from the 2015 release of Anchor Brewing’s annual Christmas Ale, a long-running tradition where the brewery revised the beer’s recipe every year using varying combinations of roasted malts, winter spices, evergreen elements, and seasonal add-ins.  Because Anchor altered the recipe annually and later discontinued the beer entirely in 2017, this expression is a piece of brewing and whiskey history.

The 2015 ale was fermented, then distilled twice in copper pot stills.  The resulting whiskey was aged nine years in once-used Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey barrels, to provide a mild rye-barrel influence.

With that background, Christmas Spirit Whiskey becomes more than a seasonal release.  It is literally a 484 bottle piece of history.  The question now is how that history and process translate into the glass.

Old Potrero Christmas Spirit (2025) Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes

Nose – 4.5/5

Roasted malt.  Soft pine needle.  Spiced orange.  Nutmeg.

Strengths:  The roasted malt is unmistakable as toasty and grain rich.  Hints of evergreen, think soft pine needle, not the kind that’s dry and dusty from being on the ground a long time.  Rather, it is the Nose of a fresh cut pine tree.
Why It’s Not Higher:  Does not evolve dramatically with extended time in the glass.
Rating Justification: The strength of this expression is the unusual and highly complex Nose.  A distinctive profile that you won’t soon forget.

Palate – 4.5/5

Chocolate-malt sweetness.  Mandarin peel.  Wintergreen.  Ginger.

Strengths:  Roasted malt on the Nose carries through as silky-smooth chocolate-malt on the mid-Palate. 
Why It’s Not Higher:  The malt-forward profile is compelling but can come across as rigid.  Complexity doesn’t evolve from first pour.  That said, the complexity is enough, more isn’t really needed.
Rating Justification: A flavorful, unusually expressive Palate with strong continuity from its beer origins and excellent integration after nine years of aging.

Finish – 4.3/5

Sweet mint.  Dark malt.  Light oak.  Gingerbread spice.

Strengths:  The Finish delivers on a slow, steady taper rather than a sharp drop-off.  The cooling and warming play off each other and create a significant contrast.
Why It’s Not Higher:  The sweet mint cooling can overshadow the subtler malt details.
Rating Justification:  Long.  Well-balanced.  Complex and surprisingly satisfying.

Value – 4.0/5

At $140, this sits firmly in the premium tier.  What you’re paying for is process-driven uniqueness:  a distilled holiday ale, pot-stilled, and nine years in once-used rye barrels.  The quality is high, and the whiskey is unlike anything else on the market, but the value will resonate most with enthusiasts who appreciate experimental distillates and high malt expressions.

Old Potrero Christmas Spirit (2025) Whiskey Review: The Verdict

Old Potrero’s 2025 Christmas Spirit Whiskey is one of the rare cases where an experimental distillation results in a genuinely compelling whiskey.   Old Potrero’s 2025 Christmas Spirit Whiskey delivers an experience that is unmistakably seasonal.  And yet , it’s a whiskey that feels very much grounded in true craftsmanship.  Definitely not a gimmick whiskey.

Verdict – 4.3/5

We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.

Scoring System:

• Platinum – 4.5 – 5
• Gold – 4 – 4.5
• Silver – 3 – 4
• Bronze – <3