Distilled California

by Dylan Almendral and Ryan Friesen

Distilled California began as a joke. A historian and a distiller walk into a tasting room. What do they do? The historian says to the other. Do you know the story of the liquor that's in that glass? "No," says the distiller, do you know how it got into the glass in the first place? Do you know what it takes? "No," says the historian. And the rest is well... Distilled California is the distiller-driven podcast for the booze ne ...   ...  Read more

Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • Distilled California Episode 4 | Sonoma Distilling Co. Cherrywood Rye Whiskey

    Distilled California Episode 4 | Sonoma Distilling Co. Cherrywood Rye Whiskey

    Join hosts Dylan Almendral (The Gentleman Historian) and Ryan Friesen (distiller) as they introduce you to Distilled California, a podcast + vidcast devoted to the artisanal spirits of California. You'll get a look at the bar, the variety of spirits in the back bar, and some of the unique historical pieces around the bar. Today we will be tasting Sonoma Distilling's Cherrywood Rye Whiskey. Sonoma is a famous wine region in Northern California and necessarily isn't the the first place you think of when distilled spirits enters the chat. This rye whiskey has a a mash bill of 80% California Rye, 10% California Wheat, 10% Cherrywood Smoked Malted Barley hailing from Wyoming. This rye is special, for its flavors and texture and its unique bite. Check us out on YouTube!

  • Distilled California Episode 3 | Blinking Owl Distillery Bourbon

    Distilled California Episode 3 | Blinking Owl Distillery Bourbon

    Join hosts Dylan Almendral (The Gentleman Historian) and Ryan Friesen (distiller) as they introduce you to Distilled California, a podcast + vidcast devoted to the artisanal spirits of California. You'll get a look at the bar, the variety of spirits in the back bar, and some of the unique historical pieces around the bar. Today we will be tasting the first bourbon made in Orange County, California and waxing nerdy as always. The Blinking Owl is the very first distillery in Orange County. In addition to that, they also are one of the first distilleries in the state of California to hold the Type 74 Craft Distillers License allowing which allows them to operate a tasting room and sell a few bottles. The distillery makes Vodka, Gin, several types of Whiskey, and the Scandinavian spirit, Aquavit. Blinking Owl's ownership are locavores, grain nerds, and control freaks so they decided to make their booze the long way: from grain rather than pre-made spirit. The team mills it, mashes it, ferments it, distills it, and, in the case of whiskey, barrel ages it. All of the grain is sourced from certified organic California farms. Blinking Owl's Founder, Brian Christenson, had a bootlegging great-grandfather, Fred P. Armbrust. Fred had a still on his dairy farm hidden in the basement behind secret passageways. He would covertly provide his local farmers with his “good spirits”. Through Blinking Owl, Brian is able to fulfill his dream of carrying on Fred’s passion by providing “good spirits” to his own neighborhood (legally, of course)!

  • Distilled California Episode 2 | The Spirit Guild Astral Pacific Gin (aka Star Keeper Gin)

    Distilled California Episode 2 | The Spirit Guild Astral Pacific Gin (aka Star Keeper Gin)

    Join hosts Dylan Almendral (The Gentleman Historian) and Ryan Friesen (distiller) for this week's episode as they share some news about Dylan's new mode of transportation, rules about the production of bourbon, and chat in depth about The Spirit Guild's Astral Pacific Gin (now known as Star Keeper Gin). Bonus- you'll get a chance to meet King Size Dylmand and hear about his affinity for The Whiskey Vault. Don't miss the part where Ryan loses his mind about terroir. About Star Keeper Gin (Formerly Known as Astral Pacific Gin) All gins start with a base spirit. Typically, it is grain-based and industrially manufactured to be as flavorless as possible. Star Keeper Gin's base spirit is made from clementines, and is purpose distilled to subtly retain some of the character of its source fruit. With a silky texture and a slight lingering sweetness, its proprietary distillate allows our head distiller to compose a gin with structure, a longer finish, and greater definition of component flavors. It is a gin in the classic style, while welcoming some novel flavors to the mix. About The Spirit Guild Dedicated to celebrating the fruits and flavors of California through the traditional art of distillation. Their tasting room and distillery are situated in Los Angeles’ Arts District on a site where once thrived the state’s first commercial vineyards and orange groves, just blocks from the scenic Los Angeles River.

  • Distilled California Episode 1 | Blinking Owl Rye

    Distilled California Episode 1 | Blinking Owl Rye

    Join hosts Dylan Almendral (The Gentleman Historian) and Ryan Friesen (distiller) as they introduce you to Distilled California, a podcast + vidcast devoted to the artisanal spirits of California. You'll get a look at the bar, the variety of spirits in the back bar, and some of the unique historical pieces around the bar. The Blinking Owl is the very first distillery in Orange County. In addition to that, they also are one of the first distilleries in the state of California to hold the Type 74 Craft Distillers License allowing which allows them to operate a tasting room and sell a few bottles. The distillery makes Vodka, Gin, several types of Whiskey, and the Scandinavian spirit, Aquavit. Blinking Owl's ownership are locavores, grain nerds, and control freaks so they decided to make their booze the long way: from grain rather than pre-made spirit. The team mills it, mashes it, ferments it, distills it, and, in the case of whiskey, barrel ages it. All of the grain is sourced from certified organic California farms. Blinking Owl's Founder, Brian Christenson, had a bootlegging great-grandfather, Fred P. Armbrust. Fred had a still on his dairy farm hidden in the basement behind secret passageways. He would covertly provide his local farmers with his “good spirits”. Through Blinking Owl, Brian is able to fulfill his dream of carrying on Fred’s passion by providing “good spirits” to his own neighborhood (legally, of course)!