Fritz Maytag who owns Anchor Distilling is also the head of the very successful brewery, Anchor Brewery. The distilling operation has been a sideline, or off-shoot, to the latter. He sold the whiskey young because he felt it was sold that way in the 18th and 19th centuries, he had historical circumstances in mind, not commercial, I am quite sure (because the profits of the brewery could easily have supported the distilling venture in its early phase). I am not sure about the 19th century, not the middle and later parts of it ayway, but he is right I think about the earlier part and the 1700's. But surely he could have reserved enough spirit to age and sell as four year old whiskey if not much older by now (the distillery is about a dozen years old). So I think it was more a purist impulse than anything driven by commercial considerations. Still, from what we are reading here it sounds like older spirit is making its way to the consumer. I respect the interest to make a historical product (the Michter's Quarter Whiskey in the 1980's was something similar) but from the 1840's on at least, both in rye and bourbon country, whiskey aged to a deep red or brown colour, and showing maturation characteristics in flavor associated with such aging, became the norm for straight whiskey (quality straight whiskey). I hope Anchor Distilling will ultimately release 4 year old whiskey and older-aged whiskey to reflect this part of tradition, too.
Gary