Blinking Owl Vodka
Blinking Owl Vodka comes from Orange County's first craft distillery — a true grain-to-glass operation in Santa Ana, California, where founders Brian and Robin Christenson mill, mash, ferment and distill everything themselves. It's made from organic durum wheat with a touch of malted barley in the mash bill, distilled exactly twice ("to keep the stunning earthiness that transfers to your glass"), and bottled at 42.5% ABV (85 proof) in 750mL. Since February 2018 every grain has been certified organic from California farms. It's available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 42.5% (85 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Base: organic durum wheat with malted barley in the mash bill
- Distillation: double distilled — deliberately twice, to preserve earthiness
- Distillery: Blinking Owl Distillery, 802 E. Washington Ave., Santa Ana, CA — Orange County's first craft distillery; one of California's first Type 74 Craft Distillers Licenses
- Grain-to-glass: milled, mashed, fermented and distilled in-house; 100% California organic grain since Feb 2018
Orange County's Original Craft Distillery
Founded in 2014 by Santa Ana locals Brian and Robin Christenson — self-described "locavores, grain nerds, and control freaks" — Blinking Owl took its name from a midcentury local bar's neon blinking-owl sign and became Orange County's first craft distillery, one of the first in California to hold the Type 74 Craft Distillers License that lets a distillery sell bottles from its own tasting room. The vodka philosophy is restraint: double-distilled, not ten times, so the organic durum wheat's earthiness survives into the glass. Explore more vodka and craft spirits, or shop the Blinking Owl line at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
No official tasting notes are published; the distillery's own copy describes the goal as a clean pour with "stunning earthiness" carried through from the durum wheat — a vodka with actual grain character.
How to Enjoy
Chilled neat to taste the grain, or in a vodka martini where the wheat backbone shows. A natural fit for a Bloody Mary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Blinking Owl Distillery?
802 E. Washington Ave., Santa Ana, California — Orange County's first craft distillery, founded 2014.
What is Blinking Owl Vodka made from?
Organic durum wheat as the primary grain with malted barley in the mash bill; all grain certified organic from California farms since February 2018.
What is the ABV?
42.5% ABV (85 proof).
Is it grain-to-glass?
Yes — Blinking Owl mills, mashes, ferments and distills everything in-house from grain; no pre-made neutral spirit.
Craft-distilled in Orange County from organic California grain — order Blinking Owl Vodka online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.