Twin Stills Moonshine Distillery will start producing something a little different this weekend than its typical bottles of alcohol.
As a way to give back to the community, owner Joe Cunha and his family have decided to use the resources at their business to make and bottle hand sanitizer, which they will give out to the public for free.
“We got the word from the federal government that we are able to produce hand sanitizer at our distillery,” Cunha said.
“As much as I can make and bottle, I will try to get as much out there as possible,” he continued. “People can pick it up from my place. It has no label on it. It’s just hand sanitizer in a small bottle.”
After researching the topic, Cunha knew he could use his distillery to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “It’s a different type of alcohol than we are manufacturing.”
Cunha said the hand sanitizer will be higher strength, registering around 60 percent, according to CDC instructions. Since sharing the news on Friday, he said he has already received multiple requests from restaurants asking if they can bring their empty bottles for refill.
“It’s nothing I’ve ever done before. But a lot of people are doing things in this time that they haven’t done before,” he said.
The hand sanitizer will be ready for pickup on Saturday at noon, and although Cunha has some bottles he can give out, he asks that people bring their own to fill up.
Twin Stills Moonshine Distillery, 5506 Sound Ave., Riverhead, NY 11901
