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Northern MI Distillery starts making hand sanitizer

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A Northern Michigan Distillery is joining in the effort to bottle hand sanitizer. 

Northern Latitudes Distillery in Leelanau County is stopping alcohol production and using their stills to make and bottle hand sanitizer.

Officials said they are joining a number of distilleries across the nation to produce enough hand sanitizer to meet demand.

Owner Mark Molsner said distilleries are well equipped to make the switch from spirits to sanitizer.

 

“We have the base material and the ethanol. You need at least 95 percent ethanol, the percent that vodka is when it comes off the still. So it has to be pure ethanol to be able to put in sanitizer so only those distilleries that make 95 percent alcohol are actually able to make hand sanitizer.”

Molsner said the big concern right now is making sure they get their hands on more supplies to continue to produce and bottle sanitizer. He said their goal is to produce 1,300 gallons a week.