Blinking Owl Distillery
Our Story
The Blinking Owl is the first craft distillery in Orange County and one of the first in California to hold a Type 74 Craft Distillers License, allowing it to operate a tasting room and sell bottles on site. It makes vodka, gin, several types of whiskey, and aquavit. Longtime Santa Ana residents Brian and Robin Christenson founded the distillery paying homage to the midcentury "Blinking Owl Bar" that once stood on the corner of Birch and Third Streets in Santa Ana, known for an owl sign that would blink, inspired by the craft cocktail and farm-to-table movements.
The Founders
Founder Brian Christenson had a bootlegging great-grandfather, Fred P. Armbrust, who ran a still hidden behind secret passageways in the basement of his dairy farm and covertly supplied local farmers with his own spirits. Brian's dream in starting Blinking Owl was to carry on that passion legally, for his own neighborhood.
How We Make It
Blinking Owl makes its spirits grain to glass rather than from purchased pre-made base spirit: milling, mashing, fermenting, and distilling in house, and barrel aging in the case of whiskey. As of February 2018 all grain used is certified organic and sourced from California farms, and other ingredients are sourced locally where possible, including oranges from the Heritage Museum of Orange County and Nisson Ranch.
Details
- Location
- Santa Ana, CA
- Founded
- 2013
- Website
- blinkingowldistillery.com
Gallery
Meet the Team
Brian Christenson
Founder & CEO
Intrigued by stories of his great-grandfather's bootlegging, Brian spent a decade in marketing, branding, and advertising while moonlighting in beer and wine making before taking the leap to open Blinking Owl, Orange Cou…
Robin Christenson
Co-Founder & CFO
An accomplished entrepreneur whose former therapy company was acquired by Hoag Hospital in 2014, Robin studied wine and spirits alongside Brian for several years and now leads business development, space planning, and in…
Ryan Friesen
Head Distiller
Ryan began his distilling career at Journeyman Distillery in Michigan, interned at Black Swan Cooperage to study barrel making, and did a rare internship with famed Japanese whiskey maker Ichiro Akuto at the Chichibu Dis…
Kirsten Vangsness
Business Partner
Kirsten is a business partner known for playing Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds, and can occasionally be found giving tours or working the tasting room bar at Blinking Owl.
Our Spirits
4 expressions
Blinking Owl Gin
Blinking Owl Aquavit
Blinking Owl OC Orange Flavored Vodka
