courtesy of Blinking Owl Distillery AirTalk |
May 25, 2021
The food and beverage industry has been rocked by the pandemic. We recently heard from restaurants and breweries about their outlook as Americans continue to get vaccinated and states chip away at restrictions.
Now weâre hearing from distillers. Some say temporary loosened restrictions saved their businesses, but itâs going to be a long and slow recovery as tasting rooms reopen and states consider approving permanent laws that could benefit distilleries.
Do you operate or work in a distillery? What has been your experience over the last year and what do you think the future holds for the industry? Tell us your thoughts by commenting below or call 866-893-5722.Â
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Is there anything hotter than a culinary power couple? Orange County has a bunch, but to mark Valentine’s Day, we decided to ask three about their romance and what it’s like when your work partner is also your home partner.
We talked with Amelia and Florent Marneau,
who own Marche, the award-winning French restaurant in Newport Coast, Brian and Robin Christenson, who own
Blinking Owl, the distillery/kitchen in Santa Ana, and Candace and Allan Tea, who founded Hello Kitty Cafe and their new Cali Dumpling Delivery in Irvine.
Candace and Allan Tea,
Cali Dumpling Delivery
Q: Relationship status?
Blinking Owl Distillery is set to release a limited edition bottled-in-bond bourbon, a rare single barrel expression available only to customers in California.
The Batch 1, Barrel 2 Blinking Owl Bourbon derives its name from its origins. The whiskey comes from the first batch that the Santa Ana, California distillers produced when they opened their doors around four years ago. The release is dubbed “Birthday Bourbon” as the first Blinking Owl barrel was filled on September 29, 2016, the birthday of founder Brian Christenson.
Blinking Owl Bourbon (image via Blinking Owl Distillery)
The 100 proof whiskey is made from organic California corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley, and then aged in new American white oak barrels that were toasted and then charred. This release is also Blinking Owl’s first bottled-in-bond expression, and the distiller claims that it is the first “legally distilled, aged, and bottled-in-bond bourbon crafted in Orange County.”
Why this $250 bottle of bourbon may help save a Santa Ana distillery [The Orange County Register]
Jan. 19 Buddy, can you spare $250?
Beleaguered Blinking Owl Distillery in Santa Ana has had a run of ups and downs, from its temporary shut down by California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in November of 2019, to opening a hand sanitizer business to pull in some extra scratch at the beginning of the pandemic.
Now it’s fallen on hard times again. “Unfortunately, we had to furlough the entire staff this time around,” said Robin Christenson, who co-owns the business with her husband Brian Christenson and their friend, former “Criminal Minds” cast member Kirsten Vangsness.
Hearts + Tales Announces Exclusive U.S. Import of The Netherlands’ Fluère Non-Alcoholic Spirits
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San Francisco, CA (Dec. 8, 2020) Hearts + Tales Beverage Co., a unique company focused on an individualized “hand-crafted” approach to sales and marketing artisanal beverage brands in the U.S., has been appointed the exclusive U.S. importer for Fluère Non-Alcoholic Spirits. A premium spirito non alcolico from The Netherlands, Fluère (pronounced “flu-air-e”) replicates the distilling techniques used for spirits with alcohol such as gin, whisky, rum, tequila and/or mezcal. Each Fluère product is made with the best ingredients and botanicals that issue a complex yet balanced taste and ensure the particular after-bite typical to alcoholic drinks. Fluère is currently sold on Amazon and will be available at select brick and mortar locations in California, Illinois and Massachusetts in time for Dry January.