Distillers Lend a Helping Hand… Making Hand Sanitizer

By March 27, 2020Mixology News

Gary He on Behalf of Eater New York, featured image

In the face of the unprecedented global upheaval due to the Coronavirus, José Class, Bacardi’s Vice President of Operations, knew his company had to pitch in.

“When I was presented with this challenge, I didn’t have a doubt about doing this and I knew that we were going to support it,” he says of his brand’s recent mobilization. “This is a responsible company and industry. We step up when we are needed.”

Bacardi is one of many distilleries nationwide who are focusing their facilities on aiding in the creation of hand sanitizer. A main tool in the arsenal to fight against Coronavirus, the germ killing liquid has long been missing from the shelves and warehouses due to increased demand. As a result, the liquor industry has stepped in to fill that gap. “I think it was two weeks ago when we saw how things were going across the globe,” says Class.

San Diego's Cutwater Spirits Creates Hand Sanitizer, bottle on white

San Diego’s Cutwater Spirits Creates Hand Sanitizer

An idea was hatched. Since hand sanitizer mostly consists of alcohol (the CDC recommends a minimum of 60 percent), it’s an ingredient Bacardi has in copious amounts. Working in tandem with the Olein Recovery Corp., they dove into the task. “This is the fastest launch of a product at Bacardi I’ve ever done,” says Class. Today, Bacardi is creating alcohol for sanitizing production at eight of their distilleries to produce hand sanitizer, in all producing 1.1 million liters for donation, as well as donating 3 million dollars in aid to the restaurant and bar industry.

It’s not just companies like Bacardi stepping up. Across North America and beyond, a multitude of distilleries are shifting their focus to public health and safety with the production of sanitizer. British Columbia’s Empress 1908 Gin, New Jersey’s Claremont Distillery and Pennsylvania’s Eight Oaks Distillery are aiding in the production of sanitizer, as is Rochester New York’s Black Button Distillery, Fort Worth’s Blackland Distillery and California’s Endless West.

Maryland’s Sagamore Spirits is producing 54,000 liters of hand sanitizer for The Johns Hopkins Hospital alone, while Ron Barcelo is donating 32,000 liters of alcohol for sanitizer in the Dominican Republic.

In Brooklyn, New York, the New York Distilling Company is using their undiluted Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin to produce hand sanitizer, complete with gin-like notes of  juniper berries, citrus peels, and spices to boot. “The local demand (here in Brooklyn) for hand sanitizer, even just for first responders, is astounding,” says co-founder Allen Katz. “We decided if we could produce hand sanitizer safely we would pursue the possibility.”

Perry's Tot Hand Sanitizer

Perry’s Tot Hand Sanitizer

A blend of high proof alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and glycerin, New York Distilling has entirely shut down operations in order to make sanitizer. So far, Katz is frank about the demand. “We have received over 100 calls from more than 30 states from institutions like fire and police departments, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as hoards of individuals.”

Meanwhile, down in Austin, Texas, Desert Door Distillery has also shifted a large majority of their resources to making sanitizer. Founded by military veterans Ryan Campbell, Judson Kauffman, and Brent Looby, it was an easy decision.

Desert Door Distillery, still and classic ford truck

Desert Door Distillery

“The three of us have never watched from the sidelines in our lives and we are not going to start now,” says Campbell, who notes that not only does the product benefit the public at large, it also keeps the company running at a time when layoffs are commonplace. “I’m not sure if any of us anticipated how many organizations in our area were in need, but we know it is our social and moral responsibility to keep producing the hand sanitizer until there is no longer a need.” For Desert Door, their mission was bolstered by cocktail syrup company Liber & Co, who donated 1,000 bottles.

Tim Harrington, a Partner both at Kennebunkport Resort Collection and Batson River Distillery, is frank about their mission to create sanitizer and fight to help not only his laid off employees but the public at large. “We knew we had to get creative, not just to help support our Kennebunkport Collection Family that had been laid off, but to use our resources to help keep our community strong and safe.”

The post Distillers Lend a Helping Hand… Making Hand Sanitizer appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

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