Several local distilleries now producing sanitizer

These days, more people are rubbing alcohol on their hands than imbibing it at bars and restaurants. With a sudden drop in non-essential businesses and social gatherings, local distilleries and other businesses have flipped a switch to start pumping out batches of hand sanitizer. Enterprises ranging from The Farmhouse Inn and Kitchen in Whitefish to The Good Stuff Botanicals in Bigfork have all started producing their own hand sanitizer to address the shortage caused by COVID-19.

“Ethanol is ethanol is ethanol,” pointed out Tom Sefcak as he mixed up his latest batch of hand sanitizer at Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits in Evergreen.

Even though there are some key differences between drinking alcohol and hand sanitizing solution, Sefcak explained the ethanol basis for both products is similar, so distilleries like Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits could quickly transition into producing sanitizer.

The Tax and Trade Bureau recently relaxed restrictions on hand sanitizer and sent out guidelines throughout the state on creating the mixture, which opened the doors for non-traditional suppliers to make their own sanitizer to meet the needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“WE WERE able fortunately to transition and do something,” Sefcak said of his craft distillery’s contribution to fighting the coronavirus. “It’s cool to make spirits that people enjoy, but it’s also cool to make something that everyone took for granted that we can’t get.”

Sefcak started the switch to sanitizer when his mother-in-law, who works at an assisted living facility, asked him if he could help the sanitizer-strapped facility get access to the hard-to-find solution. Sefcak soon realized the widespread demand for the concoction and started filling orders for other health-care facilities. He eventually hopes to make it available to the public, too.

But there’s a limit to how much headway the small operation can make in addressing the global hand sanitizer shortage.

“We’re small. We’re craft,” Sefcak acknowledged. He estimated he has the capacity to produce 20 gallons of hand sanitizer a day, maximum.

Meanwhile, his wife is driving all over the state delivering bottles to other Montana health-care facilities. So to more efficiently address the need, the Sefcaks teamed up with J2 Business Products to combine the production and distribution side more effectively. Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits had the coveted product, while J2 had the extensive list of hand sanitizer customers from its normal orders, as well as the distribution setup to get the sanitizer into the hands that need it.

John Flink with J2 said the local company relished the opportunity to “partner with a business I never thought I’d be partnering with.”

AN UNLIKELY partnership was developed in Bigfork for the same purpose: The Good Stuff Botanicals skincare company recently joined forces with Whistling Andy Distillery to produce Top Shelf sanitizer.

Most of the suppliers new to hand sanitizer production reported a container shortage has been one of the biggest bottlenecks in production. So Whistling Andy paired its sanitizing solution with The Good Stuff’s healthy supply of bottles for creams and ointments.

“Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to do it, and without us, they wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Gabe Spencer, the head distiller at Whistling Andy, remarked about the creative collaboration. Sage and Cedar in Whitefish also donated 400 bottles to Whistling Andy for the cause.

Like Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits, Whistling Andy and The Good Stuff are first focused on getting hand sanitizer to health-care workers. But Spencer said Top Shelf sanitizer is also available in their tasting room and at a lot of local grocery stores. He said it has been rewarding to provide the solution to elderly customers who have visited the tasting room after being unable to find the product anywhere else.

“It’s an awesome feeling to be able to help out,” Spencer noted.

BRANDI PEERMAN, the owner of The Farmhouse Inn and Kitchen in Whitefish, agreed it’s been rewarding to fill this niche. Even though her café doesn’t usually make alcohol, Peerman normally makes her own hand sanitizer for her family’s use. An expert in homemade goods, Peerman also makes soaps, mosquito repellent and an assortment of other toiletry items, so she started including small hand sanitizer bottles in The Farmhouse Inn and Kitchen’s boxed meals.

“It’s the first time I made it,” she said.

And it hasn’t been easy. Sourcing all of the ingredients has been especially tricky—and pricey—because of the disruptions in the global supply chain.

“It’s extremely difficult,” she said.

NICOLAS LEE, the owner of Glacier Distilling in Coram, reported equally difficult circumstances. It’s particularly challenging, he noted, because many distilleries like his are now receiving a tiny sliver of their usual revenue.

Plus, he commented, “It’s not exactly as fun as making whiskey.”

Nonetheless, Lee remains committed to using his distillery to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Montana. His goal is to produce 1,000 gallons in the coming weeks. He said Glacier Distilling’s production is “ramping up,” and he believes the collaborative valley-wide efforts will make a “steady, reliable stream of hand sanitizer.”

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.