View this post on Instagram
Sitting serenely overlooking the tranquil waters of Mission Bay is the premier distillery of Junipero Gin, which is not only locally beloved, but is also just one of the many ingenious triumphs of our own Hotaling & Co. As San Francisco's leading importer and distiller, Hotaling & Co. devotes their skillful craft, careful research, and appreciation of our local community into creating the most delicately refined spirits that truly capture the delightful charm and playful personality of the city.
While Hotaling & Co. was originally known as the Anchor Distilling Company until 1993, the trailblazing spirit was always consistent, pioneering our country's first ever craft whiskey and gin since Prohibition. These two are Old Potrero and Juniper Gin respectively, and since then, Hotaling & Co.'s ambitious success has only further skyrocketed, now celebrating its 29th year of distilling and 12th year of collaborating with other cutting-edge distillers worldwide.
View this post on Instagram
The remarkable company has also expanded into other thirst-quenching endeavors, boasting a robust artisanal portfolio that now includes Luxardo Liqueurs & Cherries, HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys, Convite UNA mezcal, Morris Whisky, HINE Cognac, and so much more.
We had the brilliant chance to tour the Juniper Gin distillery and chat with the Chief Marketing Officer Brian Radics, whose impressive 25+ year career in marketing and former brand leading for Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Jose Cuervo lends effortlessly to the company's powerful presence. Read our interview below all on about what makes Junipero Gin so distinct and quintessentially San Francisco, what's next in store for Hotaling & Co., and more.
See also: SF Staple Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey Gets A Fashionably Modernized Bottle Upgrade
Hi Brian, thank you so much for taking the time to talk. This facility looks stellar! Seeing as how your gin is innovatively crafted in copper stills, I would love to know, in what other ways does Junipero Gin stand out, and how it's elements embody San Francisco, from the botanicals, the bottle design, etc.?
Junipero is a proud product of San Francisco in every sense of the word. A pioneer in American gin, Master Distiller Bruce Joseph invented Junipero in Potrero Hill in 1996, which is still distilled in San Francisco to this day – almost 30 years later.
An entrepreneur to his core, Bruce sought to bring craft back to American gin, as he scoured the globe for the most expressive botanicals and used a small copper pot still for the distillation. He then made two critical moves that differentiates Junipero from the crowd: it is bottled at 98.6 proof and intentionally unfiltered. In a city that’s known for breaking convention to pursue an original path, Junipero’s mission to be “bold, challenge established norms and Live Life Unfiltered” aligns with San Francisco’s heart.
In 2020, we gave Junipero a facelift with a bold new bottle design to match the unique liquid inside and more accurately reflect today’s modern and discerning gin drinker. This year, we became the official gin partner of the San Francisco Giants and we also launched our first-ever Junipero Martini Week in San Francisco, celebrating the birthplace of this iconic cocktail with some of the best and brightest bartenders in the Bay Area while also giving back to the San Francisco community with a significant donation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
How does it also reflect Hotaling & Co.'s mission and core values as well?
To that point, everything about Junipero Gin reflects the mission of Hotaling & Co. to unite a culture of likeminded spirits where the people, product and purpose of the brand come together. Junipero also symbolizes the entrepreneurial spirit that has come to represent San Francisco’s creative class – from its origins on the forefront of the revitalized American gin movement to its bottling, packaging and marketing.
View this post on Instagram
Now, what is the significance of leaving Junipero unfiltered?
Most gin brands filter the product for purely aesthetic purposes however, it was important to the distillers of Junipero that we don’t risk extracting any of the flavor imparted by the complex cocktail of botanicals. Junipero embodies the idea of doing things different – and while our liquid may not be crystal clear like competitors, the taste of our product is unmatched. Our sentiment is this: We don’t worry about doing things the same way as everyone else, a testament to the culture of San Francisco. This attitude spawned our tagline to ‘Live Life Unfiltered.’
I understand this distillery is in the process of getting a gorgeous facelift! With a goal to establish a seaside community patio and garden near the new Mission Rock neighborhood, what are you most excited for with this development?
The Hotaling & Co. Distillery – home of Junipero Gin – is located on Pier 50, directly in the middle of the Mission Rock development and in the shadow of Oracle Park. This area started out bold and raw, much like Junipero Gin, and has slowly developed over time. In the future, we will upgrade our distillery to include amenities that allow for us to host the San Francisco community and with our expansion we plan to offer a place for locals to taste and experience our array of amazing artisanal spirits. San Francisco already has a robust and well-regarded cocktail culture, so our mission is to help put the Bay Area on the map as a West Coast destination for craft distilling – much like Portland, Oregon. There is so much potential for dynamic “spirits tourism” in a city like San Francisco and we want to be at the forefront of this movement with our distillery.
View this post on Instagram
We certainly love our "spirits tourism!" I also know Hotaling & Co. is establishing a Cocktail Council with renowned professionals as a skilled resource. What innovations and inputs will this team bring to San Francisco's vibrant cocktail culture?
The history of cocktails in San Francisco is very cool – such rich stories of the role of cocktails from the Gold Rush until today. As a SF-based company, Hotaling & Co.’s portfolio of artisanal spirits has always been a favorite of bartenders and cocktail lovers. In an effort to provide value to the community of cocktail enthusiasts, we‘ve recently formed our Cocktail Council, including industry heavyweights Shannon Mustipher, Glendon Hartley, Alex Jump, Erika Flowers, and Erik Tennyson (who is based in San Francisco).
The Council members will share their knowledge of spirits education, innovation, cocktail making, and industry trends with likeminded members of the trade (and consumers) creating a peer to peer network of category experts and brand advocates. There is so much potential to create educational opportunities for the bartending community and the Cocktail Council is one way we hope to expand our footprint. One of those ways is through our Convite Mezcal brand where we recently launched our Bartender Residency program with bartenders immersing into all things mezcal at the home in Oaxaca, Mexico. As a nod to the spirit's undeniable growth trajectory and increasing popularity on cocktail menus, Convite will be at the forefront of the mezcal movement in America.
View this post on Instagram
Lastly what is your favorite part of being on the Hotaling & Co. team, and what aspects do you see make it different from other distilleries?
My favorite part of working at Hotaling & Co. is being a part of a mission-driven company to unite a culture of likeminded spirits – and we think of spirits as a play on words (the physical products themselves and then the entrepreneurial spirit of our employees and the dedicated craftspeople who bring these special products to life).
It may sound a bit corny, but we truly play a meaningful role in bringing together people, products and purpose under the idea of passion for quality spirits and cocktails. I have had the chance to meet the 7th generation family members of Luxardo, the leaders of 250-year-old Hine Cognac, the current leaders for one of two continuous family-run tequileras in Casa Don Roberto (who make our Severo and Fiero brands), and our 30-year master distiller Bruce Joseph. These people pour their souls into making a quality liquid. In return, we at Hotaling & Co. do our best to represent that craft to distributors, retailers, bartenders and ultimately the people who drink it. Using our mission as a common thread throughout all of our work, we have created a big family that strives to make a meaningful difference through all we do together.
In addition, I relish the fact that Hotaling & Co. focuses on helping people “drink better” – which leans into the notion of drinking less but trading up for a more premium experience through higher quality spirits. The marketplace, aided by COVID-19, is moving in this direction and we’re well positioned to facilitate that movement. Now coming out of the pandemic with people returning to the bars they love, we find ourselves in rapid growth, which is much more fun as a marketer.
We appreciate your honest and thorough answers, Brian, and we can't wait to enjoy the distillery's sleek patio!
View this post on Instagram
You can view all of Hotaling & Co.'s winning inventory here.
See also: The Ultimate Guide To SF's Dogpatch Neighborhood
Photography by: Hotaling & Co.
