The Original 209 Distillery was established in 1882, when William Scheffler, owner of the Edge Hill Winery in Napa Valley, added a stone and brick distillery to his Wine-making facilities at the Edge Hill site.
The distillery was registered with the government and given license number 209, which Scheffler proudly painted over the door of his new building. His Spirits, like his Wines, won numerous awards at the time.
Skip forward to 1999, when Leslie Rudd became the owner of the old Edge Hill site, which he’d bought for the vinyards. It was only when renovation works began that Rudd spotted the faintly painted ‘Registered Distillery No. 209’ on the wall.
The original building was indeed restored, but it simply wasn’t big enough for the planned growth. Instead, the team started a new distillery in an old warehouse on Pier 50. Placing the distillery over 13 feet of cool San Francisco Bay water ensures that temperatures are perfect for distilling all year round.