No. 209

United States
Founded in: 2005

All about No. 209

No. 209 Gin is named after the registration number of the distillery where it was first produced in the late 1880s.

Today, production takes place at San Francisco’s Pier 50, using a one-shot process which takes approximately 11 hours (plus overnight maceration of the botanicals before the distillation even takes place).

Made with cassia bark, bergamot orange peel, cardamom, angelica seed and more, No. 209 Gin is very typical of an American Gin – lighter on the juniper and heavier on the citrus than some of the traditional London Dry Gin styles.

The exact recipe and number of botanicals is kept a secret, but we do know that the base Spirit is made with American corn and distilled four times before the botanicals are macerated and the fifth and final column-distillation takes place.

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All about No. 209 distillery

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.

Distillery info

  • Country: United States
  • Established: 2005
  • Address: Pier 50, Shed B, San Francisco, California, United States
  • Phone: (415) 369-0209
  • Website: https://www.distillery209.com/