Across the Golden Gate Bridge, tucked along Marin County’s rugged coastline, lies Sausalito — a seaside enclave known for its artists, yachts, and easygoing eccentricity. It’s here that Scott Jampol, a former marketing executive with a taste for good cocktails and great stories, set out to bring distilling back to the Bay Area. In 2023, he founded Sausalito Liquor Co., a brand that captures the town’s free-spirited charm and turns it into something you can pour into a glass.
From the ocean-bright Marin Coastal Gin to the Napa-finished Unsinkable Bourbon and Rye, and the indulgent Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur crafted with Bay Area chocolatier TCHO, Jampol’s spirits embody the kind of effortless luxury that defines Northern California cool. Each bottle is designed to be unapologetically drinkable—crafted for moments, not mixology manuals—and rooted in a genuine sense of place.
In this exclusive interview, Jampol shares how he traded Silicon Valley success for small-batch distilling, why simplicity is the ultimate sophistication in cocktail culture, and how Sausalito Liquor Co. is putting the soul back into California spirits.
Interview with Scott Jampol, Sausalito Liquor Co.
The Manual: What inspired you to launch Sausalito Liquor Co. in 2023, and how does the brand capture the “little offshore” spirit of Sausalito’s free-thinking, adventurous culture?
Scott Jampol: I founded Sausalito Liquor Company with the goal of returning the art of distilling back to the area (there was a large distillery in Sausalito from 1892 to 1963). Our brand was created to reflect the beauty, intrigue, and quirkiness of Marin, including Marin Coastal Gin, Unsinkable Bourbon and Rye Whiskeys, and Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur with TCHO Chocolate.
We create unapologetically drinkable spirits that are best enjoyed with just a few other simple ingredients in any glass you have around. Instead of requiring a PhD in mixology, we provide folks with delicious, bold, approachable, everyday-drinking spirits.
Our brand platform says it best – we’re a little offshore. We aren’t mainstream or mainland. We are striving to be different, but chill about it. And we embrace life’s quirky side. We celebrate the artists, musicians, writers, and bohemians who have flocked to our coast for decades.
The Manual: As a former marketing executive and part-time bartender, what unique insights from your background helped shape the company’s focus?
Scott Jampol: I spent more than a decade at OpenTable leading the marketing team. I saw what made some of the world’s best restaurants so great at what they do — the ability to provide a version of hospitality that transcends simply the food they serve, combining all aspects of the dining experience to deliver something memorable. I wanted to bring that magic to the spirits world through Sausalito Liquor Company. Our products are delicious to enjoy, incredibly easy to work with, look beautiful on the shelf, and let you focus more on the occasions and co-conspirators in your cocktail consumption rather than simply the arduous details of what’s in the bottle.
The Manual: Can you walk us through the development of your core lineup: Marin Coastal Gin, Unsinkable Bourbon, and Unsinkable Rye—and why you chose local ingredients like foraged Nori seaweed and Napa wine barrel finishes?
Scott Jampol: We decided to make a gin because it’s the most localizable and customizable spirit out there. Gin is required to be juniper-first by the ABC, but besides that, you can put anything approved by the FDA for consumption in it to truly make it your own. The vision for Marin Coastal Gin was that you are standing on a hilltop in Marin County, looking one way towards the ocean and the other towards the valley.
We chose to incorporate local ingredients from each of these contrasting vantages to create our delicious “bright happy gin.” We use California orange and lemon peels to capture our bright citrus notes and locally foraged Nori seaweed to deliver an amazingly smooth gin with a silky mouthfeel and a touch of sea salt on the finish. It appeals to both rabid gin drinkers and those who are gin-curious with its remarkably easy-to-drink (and cocktail) profile.
For our Unsinkable Whiskies, the goal was to capture the terroir of Northern California through wine-cask finishing. There are a ton of great whiskeys out there, and we did not simply want to create yet another one. We wanted to produce whiskeys that, like our gin, are incredibly easy to sip or use in cocktails and that are unique in their own right — just like the culture of where we are from.
Our Unsinkable Rye combines the delicious spice of rye (ours is made from 74% rye grain) with the sweetness of port-style wine from Napa. For our bourbon, we balanced the natural sweetness of the spirit with Napa Cabernet Sauvignon barrels to soak up the tannins of the wine and the flavor from the French oak. Both our whiskies deliver a cool blend of their natural ingredients with the richness of the wine-casks they finished in.
The Manual: The new limited-edition Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur is a collaboration with TCHO Chocolate. How did this partnership come about, and what made Ghana-sourced cacao nibs from their “Holy Fudge” bar the perfect base?
Scott Jampol: We launched Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur last holiday season with a partnership with TCHO Chocolate. I decided to make a chocolate liqueur because a truly delicious, versatile chocolate liqueur was missing from the liquor aisle. The ones I found on the shelf were overly sweet, syrupy and did not do the quality of the cacao justice.
I approached TCHO as I always felt they honored the complexity and richness of the cacao they use in their chocolate products, and they are just across the Bay from Sausalito. They had worked with beer makers in the past, but not a spirits make,r but were excited about the prospect of featuring their chocolate.
Last year, we made 1,000 bottles, and they sold out quickly. Given the response and the rising popularity of cocktails such as the chocolate and espresso martini, we decided to bring Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur back as a year-round product. We produced 3,000 bottles for the holiday season and updated our recipe to feature 50% more cacao and a blend of TCHO cacao from Ghana and Peru. This happens to be the combination that TCHO uses in their popular “Dark Duo” bar. The result is an even more chocolate-forward, rich spirit that chocolate lovers will crave!
The Manual: What makes Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur stand out from traditional crème de cacao, and how do you recommend enjoying it neat, in cocktails, or even in desserts?
Scott Jampol: As with all our spirits at Sausalito Liquor Company, we designed Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur to be incredibly approachable on the palate. It can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, in your coffee or hot chocolate, over ice cream, or as part of an amazing cocktail.
Twists on classic cocktails like the Chocolate Negroni, Chocolate Old Fashioned, or Chocolate Martini can be found on our website. We have also really enjoyed seeing it featured on cocktail menus around the Bay Area paired with mezcal, gin, and whiskey. We have also received a few recipes for baking with Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur from our fans.
The Manual: Sausalito Liquor Co. emphasizes sustainability, like using 100% recycled glass bottles. How does this align with the brand’s Northern California roots, and what other eco-friendly practices are you implementing?
Scott Jampol: When I first started working on Sausalito Liquor Co., there was an article in the New York Times about the reckoning coming for alcohol producers for not embracing sustainability. I wanted to ensure that the company I was creating would start off on a more positive, environmentally friendly approach.
In addition, eco-positive products have flourished in Northern California for decades, so I knew our consumers would care. We are proud that our bottles are all made of 100% recycled glass. Most of our corks are now 100% compostable, which is very rare in the industry, as they are made with a blend of cork and charcoal.
The Manual: In your first year, the company won over a dozen awards, including from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. What do these accolades mean to you, and how have they influenced your growth?
Scott Jampol: Our 2nd birthday is this October, and we are super proud of the progress we have made as a new spirits brand in the Bay Area. We are now in more than 320 retail locations — bars, restaurants, markets, and liquor stores and the feedback from consumers has been enthusiastic. We know there are a lot of choices on the shelf, but there’s no doubt that local, craft spirits like ours that bring a sense of place and purpose are in demand.
As for the awards, we also love the reception that we have seen from the experts and tastemakers in the market, recognizing that we are not only making spirits that bring out the best of the ingredients, but that are unique among a sea of competitors. We will continue to hold ourselves to a high standard to make spirits that shine at home and in bars and restaurants.
The Manual: You’ve supported more than 15 local organizations, from arts festivals to restaurant employee initiatives. Why is community involvement so central to the brand, and can you share a favorite example?
Scott Jampol: Two of our core values are authenticity and community. Core to these values is that we are involved and giving back to the communities we are a part of. We will work with more than 30 organizations this year to help raise funding and awareness for these organizations we are supporting. From Legal Aid of Marin, who provide pro bono legal counsel to those without the means and expertise to represent themselves, to helping launch the Sausalito Center for the Arts, showcasing the incredible art ingrained in our area, we love to donate our time, spirits, and energy to important causes in our area. And, it’s a great chance for people to learn who we are and what’s behind the brand.
The Manual: The Cocktail eBook features creative recipes like the “Peach Emoji” sour with spiced peach liqueur or the “Low Tide Negroni” twist. What’s your process for developing these, and which one best embodies the Sausalito vibe for a casual home bar setup?
Scott Jampol: We look to a variety of sources for creating cocktails that showcase our spirits, including spirits industry bartenders, consultants, and our own staff. As with our marketing, we don’t take ourselves too seriously and look for the lighter side in how we name our cocktails.
For example, we’ve published “The Scurvy Stopper,” a cocktail developed for the annual Fleet Week celebration, where a host of naval ships visit the San Francisco Bay. It’s a healthy dose of citrus via fresh grapefruit and lime juice paired with our Unsinkable Rye, local honey syrup, mint, and soda water. A refreshing whiskey drink that works year-round and keeps away that nagging Scuvy!
The Manual: For guys looking to elevate their at-home bartending without overcomplicating it, what simple tips would you give using your spirits?
Scott Jampol: Keep it simple. Focus on cocktails that only use a few elements and are flavors you crave.
Use fresh/local ingredients. Fresh juices, syrups, and garnishes make a huge difference.
Experiment — try swapping out spirits from the classics. If you’ll notice, many of the popular cocktails are created that way and are really just plays on others. For example, the Negroni vs. the Boulevardier. The primary difference is the base spirit: a Negroni uses gin, while a Boulevardier uses whiskey (bourbon or rye). Both are bitter cocktails made with equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth, but the gin gives the Negroni a light, fresh, citrusy character, whereas the whiskey provides a warming, spicy, and complex flavor profile to the Boulevardier.
The Manual: What’s next for Sausalito Liquor Co., and are there hints of more collaborations or new products on the horizon?
Scott Jampol: We have successfully begun to spread throughout California. While the bulk of places that serve our spirits are in the greater Bay Area, we can now be found down to Los Angeles and out to Lake Tahoe. We don’t have any announcements to make on new products right now, but I can assure you that we are in the lab and will share more soon. There are so many amazing food and beverage partners around the Bay Area. We are always looking for new collaborations.
The Manual: As someone who transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship, what advice do you have for men interested in starting their own spirits brand or pursuing a passion project in the food and drink space?
Scott Jampol: Well, when I first told my wife of my plans to leave technology and marketing and start a distillery, she asked me if I was having a midlife crisis. So I did what everyone should do when you have an idea for a new career based on a passion — I Googled “How do I know if I am having a midlife crisis?” (For the record, the tests listed said I was not.)
But seriously, I encourage people like me who are looking for a new start and to follow their passions to give it a try. I have been amazed at my ability to learn new things, the energy that comes naturally to me in building my own business, and the joy I get from sharing my products with others. Spirits entrepreneurship is not for everyone (you have to have a thick skin and a strong liver), but it combines art, science, and hospitality, and these are refreshing to be able to do every day.
