kybourbontrail.com
When faced with hard times, the true giving spirit of Kentucky’s signature bourbon distilleries comes out in full force. This is apparent in the hard work of distilleries around the state that have retooled their production lines to produce hand sanitizer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few months, they have donated hundreds of thousands of gallons of sanitizer to our first responders, hospitals and other health-care facilities. The distilleries also offer the in-demand fluid for sale to businesses and the public.
Bourbon lovers shouldn’t worry: The amber liquid that we know as essential for old fashioneds, manhattans or mint juleps, or for enjoying simply neat, is still being produced. For now, sanitizer—with alcohol as its primary ingredient—is needed on the front lines of this pandemic war.
When coronavirus upended our world in March, people ran to the stores and stocked up on toilet paper and cleaning products. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guided people to wash their hands more often and issued this statement: “Cleaning hands at key times with soap and water or hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to those around you.”
Just like that, the stores were ransacked, and the only hand sanitizers people could find were astronomically priced on eBay.
“That is when the distilleries stepped up,” said Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. “It was almost instinctive. They knew they had the equipment and ability to make it, and they knew they could do it immediately.”
Gregory explained that there were some hurdles. Distilleries had to follow the guidelines created by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making sure they had accurate formulas and correct labeling.
Then there was an obstacle with taxes. Alcohol is taxed differently than other merchandise, and because, technically, hand sanitizer is an alcohol product, the distillers were going to get slammed in taxes. On March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act—known as the CARES Act—was signed into law, providing relief on many levels, including waiving the excise tax on the alcohol used in hand sanitizer.
Next, the distilleries had to figure out distribution.
In stepped the Kentucky Chamber, the Commonwealth’s largest business association. “Businesses were asking how they could get it, and distilleries were asking how to get it to them,” President and CEO Ashli Watts said. “We were able to quickly create a one-stop-shop website to get the product out.”
Gregory said everything came together quickly. KDA opened the distribution portal kyhandsanitizer.com, and within 48 hours, there were 500 requests for the product. By April 15, more than 125,000 gallons had been distributed.
The consensus of the distillers is that switching over from bourbon and spirits was not terribly difficult.
“We knew we had the unique ability to make hand sanitizer. Not every business has this ability,” said Royce Neeley, president and lead distiller at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta. “So we responded.”
Neeley said the distillery already had the pumps, tanks and equipment. It sent the sanitizer to local hospitals, police stations, nursing homes and factories. Neeley asked members of the general public to bring their own containers if they needed sanitizer, and a donation was requested in return. The donations allowed the distillery to continue giving.
“We never felt pressure to do this,” Neeley said. “Actually, we never thought not to do it. It seemed like the right thing to do, so we did it and will continue to do it as long as it is needed.”
The folks at Casey Jones Distillery know hand sanitizer saves lives, but they never thought it would save their business.
In Hopkinsville, like most places, things looked bleak in mid-March. The distillery laid off most of its staff, and the owners assumed they would shut the doors and ride out the coronavirus storm. Peg Hays, who owns and operates the distillery with her husband Arlon Casey “AJ” Jones, said that, after the unexpected crisis hit, things then fell into place.
“The CARES Act came through; we partnered with MB Roland Distillery and Old Glory Distilling to purchase bottles and ingredients; we brought back most of our staff; and by March 24, we sent our first shipment,” she said. “We just felt like God was telling us to make this.”
Although they still produce bourbon and moonshine, Peg and AJ have seen quite a bit of traffic for hand sanitizer as people travel to get the product. Peg said that the sales to the public have enabled them to continue donating.
“What a gift this has been to us,” she said. “We can be open and re-employ everyone. There is no telling what the impact of making hand sanitizer has been to tourism, the state and the bourbon industry, since it is such good exposure for our spirits as well.”
Casey Jones produces the sanitizer in 5-gallon buckets, half-gallon jugs and refillable spray pens that are small enough to fit into a pocket or purse. The distillery also mails sanitizer all over the country, which Hays said is ironic because it is 80 percent alcohol. By law, the distillery is allowed to send its regular spirits, which contain about 30 percent alcohol, to only seven states.
“But that is for another story,” Peg said with a laugh.
Watts said working on the hand sanitizer project was fulfilling because it was a scary time with businesses closing and so much uncertainty.
“The collaboration was amazing,” she said. “Bourbon is uniquely Kentucky, and the entire industry stepped up to the plate.”
“Kentucky bourbon distillers took their history of 200 years of camaraderie and friendship and, without being asked, jumped right in,” Gregory said. “It really warms your heart.”