Whale Oil Extracts is a single-source hash processor with a 100-acre farm in Jacksonville. The definition of a mom and pop business, Jonah and Elena Miller fill the roles of co-owners and operators of the organization, with Jonah overseeing lab operations and Elena managing the farm.
Jonah Miller’s storied history with extraction goes all the way back to 2009, when he lived in Whale Gulch, California, and made bubble hash. Despite producing everything related to Cannabis, from flower to BHO, he has a persistent passion and love for solventless processing. This last April served as a full-circle moment when Whale Oil Extracts dropped hash rosin on the Oregon recreational market for the first time. Since then, it has quickly become a favorite on dispensary shelves.
With an impressive record for competitions, the single sourcer earned multiple awards and accolades in the last year alone, ranging from a Dab Rite Invitational win to their sweeping of both the Rosin and Full-melt categories at this year’s Leaf Bowl. Whale Oil Extracts is no stranger to tournament formats, as they’ve competed with medicinal Cannabis and earned placements at prestigious events, like Ego Clash and Melting of the Heads, as far back as 2021.
“We just try to make the absolute best batch of something we can. The process starts with looking at the buds, smelling them while they are on the plant and seeing what we like through the whole process,” Jonah Miller explained.
Jonah Miller’s personal preference is one of the biggest factors when it comes to strain selection.
“I’m pretty critical from doing all the competitions over the years,” he explained.
With a palate developed and honed for assessment, he knows when a flavor expression will be a hit. But taste isn’t the only consideration; vigor in growth and viability for hash processing are also important variables, especially with the farm running just under 10,000 square feet of cultivation space. With size constraints and a crew of only three people outside of themselves, Jonah and Elena Miller have to work as smart as they do hard.
“I can come up and touch the plant with black gloves and usually see how it might wash,” Jonah Miller demonstrated. “You see how there’s no heads on this one? It’s just lotiony. This one is probably not a washer.”
When it comes to signature strains for the farm, Tropaya likely takes the crown, holding the most competitive wins and placements out of any individual cultivar in Whale Oil Extract’s lineup. A stunning cross of Tropicana Cookies and Papaya by Oni Seed Co., the flower exudes succulent orange and papaya fragrances with a candied aspect akin to Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers Gummies.
The Sherb, a cross of Girl Scout Cookies and Pink Panties bred by Sherbinski, comes in at a close second in terms of wins. Sweet and doughy with a bakery-fresh, pastry-esque profile that evokes notes of hot sugar and flour, the smell literally makes the mouth water. One of Whale Oil’s longest running selections, this one is considered a farm-favorite flavor.
Another cultivar worth highlighting is Strawguava, a delectable cross of Strawnana and Papaya by Oni Seed Co. It leans into the strawberry side of its genetics significantly, featuring a creamy, fruit-forward scent that radiates off the plant.
Outside of some of the aforementioned heavy hitters, this year’s harvest includes plenty of Blockberry and Candy Rain along with some newer selections to Whale Oil Extracts, like Honey Banana, Tangie Cookie Burger, Starfruit, Gorilla Glue #4, Dulce Papaya and the affably named Disco Roses. Notably, intentional effort is put into pheno hunting each year with a goal of discovering more farm-specific cuts to add to their genetic library.
In terms of growing practices, Whale Oil Extracts emphasizes using Master Han-Kyu Cho’s Korean Natural Farming method. It’s a low-tech, low-overhead strategy that employs fermented inputs, like fruit and fish juices as well as Oriental Herbal Nutrients. The process creates and habituates organic microorganisms, like lactobacillus, to enrich the soil, leading to a more robust living medium that Cannabis plants can thrive in.
Interestingly, some of the garden beds are actually hügelkultur beds, which are described as trenches dug out and and filled with layers of logs, compost and manure topped with soil. Over the course of a few years, the materials decompose and release a large amount of carbon and natural nutrients into the soil.
“This year we planted between them, and the seeds have just crushed,” Jonah Miller stated.
Polyculture is noticeably present in every corner of the farm with the biodiversity supporting a healthier, self-regulating ecosystem, per Elena Miller.
“We have cosmos, marigold, fennel for pollinators,” she pointed out. “Zinnias for ladybugs, herbs for bad bugs.”
An environment absolutely teeming with life, ladybugs, mushrooms and plants of all kinds can be seen throughout the garden.
Considering everything that goes into the farm, the brand’s leviathan-level splash this year comes as no surprise. Each jar contains a Whale-sized amount of passion and love.
