Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Latest headlines

Coronavirus

Distillers turn to sanitizer production during coronavirus pandemic

Legal approval, technical know-how allow for quick transition

By Casey Laughman
Hawaii whiskey
Wilderness Trail
Wilderness Trail 2
Hawaii whiskey
Wilderness Trail
Wilderness Trail 2
March 25, 2020

As hand sanitizer continues to be in short supply during the coronavirus pandemic, a number of distillers are working to fill the gaps.

It’s a natural fit for distillers, who already have the legal approval to manufacture products containing alcohol and the technical knowledge of how to produce the needed alcohol base for sanitizer. Some distillers are producing liquid hand sanitizer, while others are providing the alcohol base for gels. In either situation, they can quickly change over to producing the alcohol base while still maintaining their normal production.

At Ko’olau Distillery in Hawaii, CEO Eric Dill saw shortages in hand sanitizer becoming widespread. With the added challenge of goods having to be shipped by air or water to the islands, he knew that it would be a challenge for hospitals, first responders and critical civil service workers to get hand sanitizer.

“Despite being a small distillery, we could fill some of the gap,” he says. “We didn’t think we would be shifting our entire production to it; we thought it would be part of our production. But right now everything we’re making is going to hand sanitizer.”

The distillery normally produces whiskey, which uses eythl alcohol. The World Health Organization provides specs for making either isopropyl or eythl alcohol based hand sanitizer, so the distillery was able to use those to quickly convert to making a liquid hand sanitizer. The company’s filling equipment doesn’t work with the small pump bottles the sanitizer is being produced in, so the staff and volunteers are hand-filling the bottles, which Dill says is actually a benefit.  

“The hand filling is good because basically you’re dunking the bottle into the solution, and that actually kills everything around the bottle,” he says.

The response has been brisk, with even FEMA asking if it could buy the sanitizer. To help manage demand, Dill and the other members of the company’s leadership team decided early on that the priority would be to provide sanitizer to first responders, health care workers and critical civil service employees such as sewer or power workers.

At Wildnerness Trail Distillery in Kentucky, hand sanitizer production is sharing time with bourbon production. The distillery is continuing its normal production of 215 barrels of bourbon per day, but also devoting days to making and bottling hand sanitizer.

The company can produce a vodka distillate that is 190 proof, which is a higher percentage than the 80% needed for hand sanitizer. The distillate is proofed down and glycerin and hydrogen peroxide are added to make sanitizer.

The company plans to produce sanitizer for at least the near future, says Emily Toadvine, brand marketing. The goal is to produce 4,000 gallons of hand sanitizer to help meet statewide shortages, then continue working with county officials to meet ongoing needs locally.

Employees have gotten on board quickly with the idea, she says.

“It’s really pretty easy to mix and there has not been any pushback, as we realize how desperate the healthcare industry is to receive the hand sanitizer.”

It’s not just small or craft distilleries that are getting involved. Diageo, which makes Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff, has pledged to donate up to 2 million liters of alcohol to manufacturing partners who will make hand sanitizer.

Distribution of the alcohol will be worldwide, with 500,000 liters provided to manufacturers in the United States alone. The same amount will be provided to manufacturers in India and the United Kingdom, with smaller amounts being distributed to other countries.

“Healthcare workers are at the forefront of fighting this pandemic and we are determined to do what we can to help protect them,” says Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive of Diageo. “This is the quickest and most effective way for us to meet the surging demand for hand sanitizer around the world.”

KEYWORDS: distilling

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Casey laughman0031

Casey Laughman is the former Editor in Chief of Food Engineering magazine. He has almost two decades’ experience as a writer and editor for mainstream and trade publications. He spent several years as a writer and editor for two news services before becoming the editor of a legal publication and managing editor of a trade magazine that covered the commercial facilities market.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

Cargill Cocoa Plant

Cargill Invests in its Cocoa Supply Chain

Chicken Alfredo Listeria Products

Listeria Outbreak Connected with Pre-Made Chicken Alfredo Meals Results in 3 Deaths

mechanical and chemical recycling

Clean Label Packaging Expands to Include Sustainability Considerations

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

July 10, 2025

Smarter Innovation With AI: How the F&B Industry Can Stay Agile

Join our webinar to explore how practical AI solutions are helping leading brands reduce compliance risks, streamline reformulation and accelerate time-to-market.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • COVID training

    How processors are adapting training during the coronavirus pandemic

    See More
  • Shawn Stevens

    Worker safety issues during the coronavirus pandemic

    See More
  • Edward Segal

    Effective communication during the COVID-19 pandemic

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • ready to eat.webp

    Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

  • download.jpg

    Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

  • GlobalData_logo_blue_header.png

    USA: Food & Grocery - Market Shares, Summary & Forecasts to 2023

See More Products
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing