Blinking Owl Distills Sanitizer Over Spirits Amid Coronavirus

SANTA ANA, CA — A local Santa Ana distillery has a new product on their shelves: Dirty Bird Hand Sanitizer. Though their industrial-glam designed tasting room is shuttered to their typical clients, the distillery is far from dormant. They're pumping out gallons of the FDA approved product for use by medical and essential businesses across Orange County and the country.

Any shopper in Orange County and around the nation knows that hand sanitizer is one of those hard to find products during the coronavirus pandemic. Along with toilet paper (which makes little sense), hand sanitizer is in real need for everyone.

It was never in their wildest imagination that they would use their operation to make hand sanitizer. The road leading to completely flipping their business was not a straight one. The trio of Robin and Brian Christenson and Kirsten Vangsness of CBS's "Criminal Minds" began their operation in 2016, bottling signature spirits such as vodka, gin, and aquavit from 100 percent organic California-grown grains. By 2018, Blinking Owl launched barrel-aged whiskeys and barrel-aged aquavit the following year. Customers filled their tasting rooms every weekend.

Then, the world caved in on Blinking Owl, as it did for many wineries and brewers across the southland. Tasting rooms would not remain open during mandatory government shutdowns. Forced to shut their doors for the second time in two months, a request of the County of Orange was a lifeboat.

Blinking Owl Distillery learned what they needed to do to keep the lights on and get the business humming. It wasn't through the production of spirits, they would be saved, but through producing hand sanitizer. They switched their brewing methods to manufacture much-needed hand sanitizer for those in need.

"Of course we said yes—we didn't know how but we wanted to help and do our part to fight this pandemic while also trying to stay afloat as a business during these challenging times," one-third owner Robin Christenson said.

Their partner, Kirsten Vangsness, fronted the $60,000 necessary to get started with the venture. The whimsical name suits the distillery: Dirty Bird Hand Sanitizer.

Now, the distillery expects to produce an estimated 4,000 gallons of hand sanitizer a week to meet the widespread demand.

Their "Dirty Bird Hand Sanitizer" is an alcohol antiseptic, 80 percent topical, non-sterile solution.

"The team has been inundated with requests and orders from all over the region," a spokesperson reported to Patch.

Over 40 hospitals, senior centers, restaurants, United States Postal Service, schools, fire departments, local grocer chains, police departments, the cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana, California Highway Patrol, Amazon, and local Tesla Dealerships have all reached out to them for orders.

Blinking Owl is donating hand sanitizer to local restaurants in need, as well as senior centers and other medical facilities.

Bulk orders can be made in 55-gallon drums if you inquire at info@blinkingowl.com. The general public can be order 16-oz bottles for pick up at the distillery during select times. They also can be shipped.

Blinking Owl manufactures their hand sanitizer under guidance from the Food and Drug Administration to make the hand sanitizer in accordance with the World Health Organization. For more information, visit: blinkingowldistillery.com

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How are you coping with the shut down in your town? Let your Patch Editor know by emailing: ashley.ludwig@patch.com

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