Charlotte distilleries are making hand sanitizer to help during coronavirus pandemic
When Brad Shell decided to open a distillery, he never thought his first release would be hand sanitizer.
The founder of The Unknown Brewing Co. will eventually release small-batch gins, rums and other spirits, but for now he’s focused on filling a more critical need.
The brewery and distillery released the first bottles of Good Hands hand sanitizer at the taproom last week. It has also started shipping cases to suppliers, and this past Monday donated hand sanitizer to area hospitals in need.
Shell and his team were looking for a way to contribute, and hand sanitizer — which requires a distilled alcohol as its base — was a natural fit. They moved very quickly to make it happen.
“We came up with the idea ... and within one week we had the whole business operational,” Shell said. “That’s the American spirit of what’s happening right now.”
To produce Good Hands, Unknown uses its 80-gallon still to produce 160-proof (or 80 percent ABV) ethanol alcohol. That is then mixed with hydrogen peroxide, aloe, glycerin and some essential oils.
You can produce this neutral alcohol by distilling a variety of fermented liquids — including beer, which Unknown has in abundance. The distillery has thus far distilled mash washes (think hopless beer) that were slated to become bourbons and gins. Shell has even distilled a beer that was intended to become a draft-only release (many accounts around town are no longer ordering kegs, as packaged product is easier to move). If local breweries are sitting on old product due to COVID-19, he may even be able to help them out by purchasing it to distill.
Durham Distillery was one of the first distilleries in the state to produce hand sanitizer. After seeing this, Andrew and Liz Porter of Doc Porter’s Distillery reached out to the distillery to learn more about the process. They also published an online form in which first responders and companies in need could request the sanitizer.
“We were pretty surprised to find how much everyone was needing,” Andrew Porter said. “We didn’t really want to work with the general public just yet. We wanted to get the sanitizer to people who absolutely need it for helping others.”
Lowe’s Home Improvement is covering 100 percent of the distillery’s expenses for the next month so it can focus solely on sanitizer production. Doc Porter’s distributed 24 gallons this past Monday, and should have 25 more at the end of the week. It should be able to produce 50 gallons a week from here on out.
While many have reached out, the crew at Doc Porter’s has a simple request for those who want to help: You should stay home for now, but you can pledge to buy a bottle later.
Seven Jars Distillery normally distills rum, vodka and bourbon, but it has put production of those spirits on hold as it turns to producing sanitizer exclusively for the time being.
“We’ve been inundated with people wanting it,” co-founder Del Ratcliffe said. “It’s obviously a really critical need for a lot of essential businesses right now.”
Producing the sanitizer hasn’t been without its challenges, especially when it comes to acquiring the bottles and ingredients needed. Ratcliffe notes, however, that agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) have helped small distilleries more easily get sanitizers to market.
“I was very impressed by both the TTB and FDA working with us the way they have,”Ratcliffe said. “Both agencies have really done a fantastic job in streamlining the process.”
Though distilleries are most equipped to produce sanitizer due to the strength of alcohol they can produce, that hasn’t stopped some breweries from helping, as well.
Neil Gimon, co-founder of The DreamChaser’s Brewery in Waxhaw, plans to one day open a distillery. But for now, he’s doing his part by mixing glycerin with isopropyl alcohol, which many breweries use to clean their tanks. Though DreamChaser’s uses a different chemical, it was able to order it and mix up a 10-gallon batch for the county, which provided its own bottles. Gimon plans to make more to give out at the brewery.
While Shell said he’s been frustrated over political bickering and inaction at the federal level, he is proud to see how many around the country have taken matters into their own hands and found ways to help.
“It’s so cool to see local people working together,” Shell said. “I think that American spirit is still alive. People are still willing to fight and help each other.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 5:40 AM.
