MEDIA KIT 2022
OUR STORY
At Gray Whale Gin, we believe a lovingly
handcrafted spirit can bring people
together — both for good times and for
good in the world.
It's a simple notion that we cooked up on
a camping trip to Big Sur. We were
humbled by California's stunning beauty;
we felt lucky to be on that rocky coast,
surrounded by ancient trees and the
endless blue of the Pacific Ocean.
Looking out past McWay Falls at the
turquoise sea, we spotted a Gray Whale
and its calf on their own road trip up
north. It’s a trip Gray Whales have made
for more than 30 million years, long before
we stood up on two legs.
Now, we celebrate their 12,000 mile
journey with a beautiful gin made of
botanicals foraged along their migratory
path. From Temecula limes to sea kelp
in Mendocino — as well as a few stops in
between — Gray Whale Gin honors the
awe-inspiring, natural beauty of our
world.
That’s why the proceeds of every bottle
of Gray Whale Gin supports Oceana,
which helps to protect and restore the
world's oceans.
It’s our hope that Gray Whales will
continue to make that epic journey for
another 30 million years.
 OUR FOUNDERS
Marsh and Jan Mokhtari met in a
bar in Chicago 20 years ago. It
might sound trite, but hey, they
make gin together, so now it
seems like kismet.

Marsh is a food & adventure show

host on the Food Network,
National Geographic and the
Travel Channel. Jan is an
award-winning creative director
and filmmaker, creating
campaigns and content for some
of the world's largest brands.

In 2016, they combined their

superpowers and founded Golden
State Distillery, a distillery that
celebrates California and supports
the Golden State through nature
and wildlife conservation.
 HOW WE MAKE IT
1
Base Spirit: 6x Distilled
Our ultra clean, six-times
distilled, gluten-free corn
base spirit provides the
perfect blank canvas to
allow our wonderful
Californian botanicals to
truly shine. This is where we
start our distillation process.
The Botanicals
2
After the base spirit is set, we prepare
the botanicals for distillation. Our
carefully selected botanicals are
sourced from sustainable farms or wild
foraged. First, our sun-dried botanicals
are weighed, inspected and poured
directly into the pot still. Then, we place
the fresh hand-zested citrus and
fir-tree needles into a vapor extraction
bag. This wonderfully fragrant giant tea
bag is carefully tied inside our copper
pot still helmet, directly above the
base spirit.
 3 IN VAPOR BASKET
Limes
Fir Tree
The Final - Botanical Distillation: 7x Distilled Mint

The final and most important step is

the botanical distillation. During
distillation, the alcohol vapors rise up
IN POT STILL
to the extraction basket and Juniper
delicately heat the fresh citrus and Kombu
fir, releasing all their wonderful Almonds
flavors. These rich vapors continue
across the line-arm and are cooled
and condensed. Gray Whale Gin then
rests for 48 hours until we bottle it.
 Juniper from Limes from
BIG SUR TEMECULA VALLEY

Our California Juniper is Limes, lemons and

wild foraged from the oranges from Temecula
rocky Big Sur coastline. Valley are lovingly
Juniper is super-packed hand-zested for each
with antioxidants, batch. These bright
praised as a natural citrus notes kick off our
detoxifier for centuries. gin journey.
BOTANICALS Juniper berries
handpicked from the
Golden State are the
Our botanicals are foraged along the heart of our superbly
migratory path of the California Gray smooth gin.
Whale – from Temecula in the South
to Mendocino in the North.

EVERY BOTANICAL USED IS

SUSTAINABLY SOURCED OR WILD
HARVESTED.
 Fir Trees from Sea Kelp from
SONOMA MENDOCINO COAST
Sustainably sourced from Our Kombu Seaweed is
a tree farm in Sonoma wild harvested from kelp
Valley, we harvest from beds on the Mendocino
living fir trees and Coast. Abundant in flavor
de-needle each one by and rich in mineral content,
hand. The fir imparts a Kombu is unlike any other
cool pine, coastal quality sea vegetable, earning it
to our gin’s flavor profile the title "The King of
– a breath of Northern Seaweeds." Kombu
California. Seaweed adds an earthy
umami flavor profile that
grounds our gin and
imbues a spray of the
Pacific Ocean to every sip.
Mint from Almonds from
SANTA CRUZ CENTRAL VALLEY
Mint is one of the oldest California makes more
culinary herbs known to almonds than anywhere
man, celebrated for its else in the world. Each
remarkable medicinal season, our almonds are
properties. California harvested from Capay
mint's native habitat is Valley. The almond trees
along freshwater stream bloom with white
banks, so refreshing flavor flowers in the spring
flows in every glass of our and the almond seed is
gin. Breathe in the aroma ready to be harvested in
and your mind is instantly August. These almonds
calmed, transported to an give our gin a delicate
oceanic overlook. mouthfeel and a creamy
finish.
 TASTING

ONE OF A KIND
An unmatched, singular profile delivering
balanced and bold botanicals.

AN ORIGINAL MEDLEY INSPIRED BY

THE COAST
Citrus aromas, juniper and a subtle hint of
cool coastal fir trees blend with fresh mint
and the umami flavors of kombu sea kelp.
Rounded out by a beautiful, lasting, creamy
almond finish.

VERSATILITY
A sippable and mixable gin for all purposes.
 COCKTAILS

The exceptionally balanced,

botanical-forward makeup of Gray
Whale Gin makes it innately
sippable and, of course, mixable.

Click HERE for cocktail recipes

 SAVING OUR OCEANS

At Gray Whale Gin, we believe in a world where even the small choices we make each day can leave
the planet in a better place than we found it. We believe in GIN FOR GOOD.

That's why every bottle of Gray Whale Gin is made with the environment in mind – inside the bottle
and out. We sustainably source our ingredients from local farmers we know, and our bottles are
thoughtfully designed with organic paint and a biodegradable cork.
We proudly support the conservation of our oceans and the incredible creature that inspired our gin
through partnerships with Oceana and One Percent for the Planet.

As the world’s largest organization devoted solely to marine conservation, Oceana’s vision is to
create the ideal environment for marine life like the California Gray Whale to survive. Partial
proceeds of each bottle of Gray Whale Gin support Oceana.
Through our membership with One Percent for the Planet, we've further pledged to contribute at
least one percent of our annual sales to environmental causes.
 CONTACT

Karlsson Banks
Karlsson.Banks@deutschfamily.com