MurLarkey Distilled Spirits, now in the hand sanitizer business, can’t make any more of the stuff as of today.
The Gainesville-area distillery recently traded making vodka and gin and instead filled orders for hand sanitizer to fight coronavirus. The specially-made product went to first responders in Prince William County and Manassas.
The distillery says it hopes to continue filling special orders new orders soon and will continue selling small, personalized amounts to its customers.
“We will strive to continue distributing personal amounts to our patron family when and as supply permits,” said Thomas W. Murray, co-founder of MurLarkey.
Earlier this week, the distillery recently made 30 gallons, or 300 units, in its first batch of hand sanitizer, but ran out of glycerin, one of the key ingredients in making hand sanitizer.
However, a new order of glycerin was shipped in from Ohio and the distillery was able to fill the order for Prince William County, a county press release stated.
The company made the hand sanitizer under the guidance and blessing of the World Health Organization.
“The World Health Organization sent us their recipe. It is a very, very powerful formula that we follow and that is with peroxide, glycerin, distilled water and 190-proof ethanol. We can’t just make hand sanitizer unless we’re licensed. They waived the licensing based upon the recipe,” said Mike Larkin, a co-founder of MurLakrey, as quoted in a Prince William County press release.
Making the hand sanitizer for the county was the distillery’s idea, and they were the ones who connected the county to ask if they needed it. We’re making ethanol, and 80 percent of hand sanitizer is ethanol. We knew we could do it. We’re doing everything in our power and the government’s been very helpful in helping us source the things we need,” the county quotes Larkin in there press release.
The newly made hand sanitizer is much needed as the coronavirus continues to spread.
“MurLarkey is going to provide the county with 250 gallons in bulk, and we’re going to fill and refill bottles ourselves. The County’s Emergency Operations Center has a backlog of orders and will prioritize and fill orders for public safety agencies first and then the other county agencies with front-line workers in mission essential functions,” said Brian Misner, the Prince William County’s Emergency Management Coordinator.
Prince William County has 56 coronavirus cases and one fatality from the disease as of today. Manassas reports four cases of coronavirus.
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