Lewisville distillery is turning alcohol byproduct into free hand sanitizer

Updated at 3 p.m. April 16: Revised to include Lockwood Distilling Company of Richardson.

Like many distilleries, Bendt Distilling Co. in Lewisville finds the first-run batch of alcohol too powerful and pungent for consumption. So co-owner Natasha DeHart saved the high-proof mix to clean the floor.

But in recent days, as the distillery shut down tours and its tasting bar amid coronavirus concerns, the mixture has taken on a more important role. They repurposed it as hand sanitizer that the distillery is offering for free at a time when such products are hard to find on store shelves.

“This is a scary situation for everyone right now,” said DeHart, who co-owns the whiskey operation with husband Ryan. “We’re all thinking, ‘What can we do?’ And in the last week, it became clear that this was really needed.”

A woman in her 60s rushed in while she spoke.

“My husband said I should come down and get some of that sanitizer you have here,” she said.

A staffer fished a white plastic bottle from a box behind the counter and sent her away happy.

The project began as a service for Bendt employees, who DeHart said were finding it more and more difficult to find hand sanitizer several weeks ago.

It also puts Bendt — which produces Bendt No 5 American blended whiskey and Witherspoon Bourbon — in the company of other distilleries nationally, including in Houston and Portland, that are pursuing similar efforts. Not all of them are free.

On Wednesday, Fort Worth’s Blackland Distillery and Austin-area whiskey producer Milam & Greene announced that they too would begin producing hand sanitizer. Blackland said it would donate supply to hospitals and medical communities and offer 8-ounce bottles for sale to the public, while Milam & Greene will offer their “Heads & Hearts” sanitizer for free.

Fort Worth’s Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. also said it plans to begin producing sanitizer within a few weeks that will also be free of charge.

As American Distilling Institute spokesman Brad Plummer told NBC News, the spirits industry is keen to pump life back into the bar and restaurant community on which it relies by promoting healthy practices and seeing the virus disappear as soon as possible.

“The hospitality industry is going to be decimated by this and they are our primary clients," said Plummer, adding that he’s heard increasing talk among distillers about making hand sanitizer part of their operations. We’re looking for ways to help in the response to this, but also to find other ways to look for revenue streams."

At Bendt, as at other distilleries, the site’s first-run liquid was already a byproduct of the distillation process.

“It’s not necessarily something you’d want to consume,” DeHart said. “It’s high proof. And it’s smelly.”

But it is perfectly usable as hand sanitizer.

DeHart researched recipes and found one she liked that used xanthan gum. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a mix of at least 60% alcohol; DeHart’s is 70% mixed with heavily filtered water thickened with xanthan gum from Walmart, plus a dash of scented essential oils — lavender or rosemary, for instance — for fragrance.

She placed a pair of bottles with her homemade sanitizer around the distillery for her workers’ use, but in the last week, distillery visitors took notice.

“They saw it there and were, like, ‘Can we have some? We’re running out at home,'” she said.

That’s when the need became clear, and with the shuttering of restaurants, bars and other businesses throughout the metroplex, producing and bottling hand sanitizer was also a way to keep some of her workers employed — even if she has to shell out her own money for the bottles.

“We’re keeping hands and minds busy,” she said.

So far, Bendt has given away about a thousand 4-ounce bottles of the stuff, which still packs a grassy, funky aroma that may nonetheless please practiced whiskey and tequila drinkers.

The only thing holding back the effort is a shortage of bottles. DeHart’s initial supplier is out. But she hopes to find another soon.

“We’ll keep doing this however long it’s needed,” she said. “However long we can.”

Other Texas distilleries that have since announced plans to make hand sanitizer:

Duckworth Distillery, Dallas: $9.23 for an 8 oz. bottle of 80%-alcohol mix, while supplies last. 3737 Atwell Street, Ste. 203. (214) 444-7666.

Blackland Distillery, Fort Worth, is producing sanitizer for medical communities and others in need. For public sale at $7 for an 8 oz. bottle during limited hours of 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or free with purchase of spirit. (682) 268-5333.

Balcones Distilling, Waco. The distiller plans to produce more than 18,000 bottles by month’s end for donation to first responders, hospitals and others in need. (254) 755-6003.

Buzzballz, Carrollton. The distillery/winery is making hand sanitizer for first responders, the city of Carrollton and Texas Women’s University, among others.

Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hye. Planning to produce 200 gallons of hand sanitizer for distribution for front-line employees such as medical workers and law enforcement.

Lockwood Distilling Company, Richardson. The distillery is selling its hand sanitizer to the public and supplying it to those who need it, including the city’s police and fire departments. Orders for food, alcohol and the $8 sanitizer can be placed by calling 469-399-1599.

South Texas Distillery, Sandia. Plans to make and donate 2,400 bottles of 80%-alcohol mix to nursing homes and home care facilities in central and south Texas.