The TX Whiskey distillery, or Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co., in Fort Worth is pouring out gallons upon gallons of hand sanitizers.
To support the growing need of sanitizers amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the makers of TX brand whiskey produced the first batch of hand sanitizer last week. As of March 31, TX Whiskey had already produced 800 gallons of hand sanitizer.
Pernod Ricard, TX Whiskey’s parent company, announced earlier in March that it had gotten consulted with federal government’s COVID-19 Task Force and received approvals from several federal officials to produce sanitizers, as individuals and medical community experienced a severe shortage in supplies.
Pernod Ricard is using all its U.S. facilities to make hand sanitizers, including TX Whiskey, located at the 112-acre Whiskey Ranch, which is temporarily transitioning from spirits production.
TX Whiskey is giving out the first 150 gallons of hand sanitizers to first responders in Fort Worth.
“Though production is just beginning to ramp up, we are eager to see how the TX sanitizer process here at our distillery will supply those in need,” Paul Di Vito, general manager of TX Whiskey said. “In difficult times like these, it is important to come together and do what we can. While TX typically brings people together with our spirits, we are honored to unite with our local and national communities for the greater health and welfare of our country.”
More raw materials arrived on Monday, and the TX team is positioned to make another 5,000 bottles in 375-milliliter packages, plus more 64 ounce and 5-gallon packs.
The sanitizer made at Whiskey Ranch will be provided directly to government officials, primarily the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and State Emergency Management officials, who are distributing to the areas with the most pressing need.
The distillery currently is not permitted to supply hand sanitizers directly to individual consumers.
The first shipments from other Pernod Ricard production facilities across the country were recently shipped to hospitals and other critical health-care providers in the New York area.