Hotaling & Co. will close its Pier 50 San Francisco distillery, ending in-house production of Junipero gin

Distillery closure scheduled for late February

Hotaling & Co., the San Francisco spirits business formerly known as Anchor Distilling, is set to close its distillery at Pier 50 at the end of February 2026. The final bottling run of Junipero gin at the site took place on February 10, marking the wind-down of operations at the waterfront facility.

Layoffs and a transition away from on-site distilling

The company has confirmed that its entire distilling team has been laid off, though it has not disclosed how many positions were affected. The closure also follows a period of leadership transition: longtime master distiller Bruce Joseph, a central figure in the development of Old Potrero and Junipero, retired in 2025 after a decades-long tenure that began during the early era of Anchor’s spirits operation.

What happens to Junipero and Old Potrero brands

Hotaling has stated that Junipero and Old Potrero will remain in its portfolio and continue to be distributed. For Old Potrero, the company has been using contract production: Old Potrero is currently distilled and aged by Sonoma Distilling. For Junipero, Hotaling is seeking a new distilling partner and has indicated that it has enough bulk and bottled inventory to maintain market supply during the transition.

• Junipero gin: previously distilled and bottled at Pier 50; future production to be arranged through a contract distilling partner.
• Old Potrero whiskey: currently produced through a contract arrangement with Sonoma Distilling.
• Inventory: the company says existing stock is sufficient to support near-term availability.

Why Hotaling is known by more than one name

The firm’s current identity reflects a corporate split that reshaped San Francisco’s historic Anchor beverage legacy. When Anchor Brewing was sold to Sapporo in 2017, the distilling business was separated from the brewery and later rebranded as Hotaling & Co. after losing rights to the Anchor trademark. Anchor Brewing subsequently ceased operations in 2023, and the brewery’s assets were purchased in 2024 by entrepreneur Hamdi Ulukaya; the brewery has not reopened.

Potential for a successor operator at Pier 50

Hotaling has signaled openness to discussions with interested parties regarding taking over the Pier 50 lease and potentially acquiring or using the distilling equipment as part of a transition process. The company has also said it will remain headquartered in San Francisco, at 550 Montgomery Street, even as distilling at Pier 50 ends.

The Pier 50 closure leaves Hotaling positioned as a brand owner and importer/distributor without an operating distillery, relying on partners to keep long-running San Francisco-born spirits labels in production.