Science, the sea and gin: Meet Fathom Spirits, Watsonville’s newest distillery

An electrical engineer and marine biologist walked into a bar, bonded over their love of the ocean and channeled their scientific skills into an unlikely creative pursuit.

Gin. 

It’s no joke. Aquatic-themed Fathom Spirits is preparing to open on Hangar Way in Watsonville in early September, launching with four gins infused with Santa Cruz-inspired botanicals. 

Distilling started out as a COVID-era hobby for founders Chad Kecy, senior electrical engineer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Elisha Wood-Charlson, a biologist for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The two friends met in Hawaii in 2019 through fellow ocean scientists, and reconnected in Santa Cruz. 

When their favorite bars closed during the pandemic, the two channeled Kecy’s 25-year homebrewing knowledge into infusing liquors with botanicals and spices. Their passion for gin deepened. Six years later, Wood-Charlson and Kecy are bringing Fathom Spirits to the market. 

“This started as a retirement hobby, morphed into a retirement business, and became a pre-retirement business,” said Kecy.

Making gin is straightforward and can be quicker than spirits like whiskey and bourbon that are often aged. Kecy and Wood-Charlson start with an unflavored base spirit and add herbs and spices at different times during the distilling process. Robust ingredients like juniper typically steep overnight or longer and are boiled in the kettle. The aromas of lighter ingredients like citrus peel or flowers are captured in the gin basket. 

London dry gins, often used in martinis, are flavored solely through the gin basket, without adding ingredients to the kettle. This gives them a lighter flavor so the juniper and other aromas don’t fight with vermouth, olive juice or other additions to the classic cocktail. 

Guests can experience the differences between the two styles by sampling Death By Stereo, a botanical gin, and its London dry counterpart, Big Ben. The former — named after a line from Santa Cruz-filmed vampire flick “The Lost Boys” – boasts strong aromas of Meyer lemon and bay leaf. The latter, which got its name from both the famous London clock tower and a redwood on Fall Creek Trail in Felton – is more subdued and elegant. 

“We’re trying to make gin for people that don’t think they don’t like gin, and make it very approachable,” said Wood-Charlson. 

After months of searching, Kecy and Wood-Charlson found a home for Fathom on Hangar Way. Not only did it have all of the features required to be legally permitted as a distillery, it has the bonus of being within walking distance of several similar small, locally owned businesses, including Santa Cruz Cider Company, Buena Vista Brewing Co. and Integrity Wines. 

Although the city hasn’t permitted the tasting room yet to be open to the public for regular hours, Fathom Spirits will begin offering private tours on Saturdays by reservation, during which time guests can sample the gins. And, because state law prevents distilleries from selling directly to restaurants, Kecy and Wood-Charlson need to find a distributor who will take on their small quantities.

The duo’s love of the ocean is clear throughout the space, from the azure colors on the walls, bubbles featured in the logo and octopus tentacles on the labels, drawn by Santa Cruz tattoo artist Robert Klem. 

Salty Tart – which Wood-Charlson said she named after herself – is a citrusy blend of floral Buddha’s hand, rich bergamot and grapefruit. The sea salt addition is not noticeable on the palate, but opens up the other aromas. 

Midtown was steeped with botanicals harvested from Kecy’s neighborhood in Santa Cruz, including Meyer lemon from his own tree and a neighbor’s lavender and nasturtium. 

Both founders aren’t afraid to try unexpected combinations. They’ve brewed a Thanksgiving gin with rosemary, sage and shiitake mushroom broth, another called Thai Spice with lemongrass and Makrut lime, and one specifically for bloody mary cocktails with horseradish and garlic. 

“As an engineer and as a scientist, we love the experimental side of it,” said Wood-Charlson. “Our notes are very scientific, with lots of control variables,” added Kecy. 

A friend returned from a trip to Italy this summer and asked them if Fathom Spirits could make a Caprese salad-flavored gin with basil, tomato and balsamic vinegar. Their response: Why not?

“We truly want to be a craft distillery doing small experimental batches,” said Wood-Charlson. “So if someone gives us a good suggestion, we’re going to try it.”

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