Rachel Russell, Director of Sales, and Michael Gatlin, GENERAL MANAGER, at Maine Craft Distilling Co. on Monday.

A Second Truck Waiting to be Filled with Hand Sanitizer for Shipment Out-of-State This Past Monday.

Carol Sobczak with One of the Four Quarts Liquid Gold Purchased at Maine Distilling Co. This Past Monday.  The Label Says It’s “80% Alcohol Sanitizer.”

A Truck Being Loaded with Maine Craft Hand Sanitizer to be Delivered to New York Hospitals and Elsewhere in the Northeast.

With the closure of restaurants and bars in Portland, Maine Craft Distilling Co. has turned its production capability to producing hand sanitizer for markets both out-of-state and for the local community as well.  Monday, a fiercely windy and rainy day, Rachel Russell, Director of Sales, confirmed that the predominance of the company’s production – 80% to 90% – has been converted to the production of hand sanitizer.

As we spoke under a small tent in the back of the building located at 123 Washington Avenue, one large truck was being loaded with hand sanitizer to be delivered to New York hospitals and elsewhere in the northeast.  Another empty truck was waiting on Washington Avenue for its turn to be packed with the liquid gold for shipment to destinations in New York and elsewhere.  Truck deliveries of an equivalent size occur at least several times a week Russell said.  Twenty pallets each with 16 separate boxes with four one gallon jugs were the cargo for this truck headed to New York hospitals and elsewhere in the northeast.

As mhn.com spoke with Russell, a nurse by education, customers were dropping in under the tent to purchase hand sanitizer and occasionally adding in a bottle of liquor to the order.  Carol Sobczak bought four quart bottles of the liquid gold because that was the limit she could purchase at the time she told mhn.com.  Russell, director of sales, said that the average number of quarts of hand sanitizer sold per day averages 200.

Meanwhile, Carol said that she had tried to make her own hand sanitizer, but the ingredients needed to do that “are not available.”  That included rubbing alcohol and Aoevera.

As of Monday, the first quart of hand sanitizer was selling for $3.00 and the second bottle for $12.00. to consumers who called ahead for curbside pick-up.