By Nicole Mattheson

Copper Still Distillery has been known for handcrafted, small batch moonshine, whiskey and vodka for 19 months in Havasu, but recently, owner Andy Andersen has begun producing hand sanitizer.

Andersen’s business partner, Edward Corn, proposed the idea of making hand sanitizer to do something to help the community during this trying time. The movement started in the East with other distilleries and was the catalyst for their decision to do the same.

Knowing that sanitizer would be desperately needed, they worked together to get a formula to submit to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. Approval was not only granted but they received thanks for their efforts. The distillery has produced and distributed 4,500 50ml bottles of hand sanitizer.

photo courtesy Copper Still Distillery

Distributing Hand Sanitizer

The bottles of hand sanitizer were all made to be donated and distributed. Thus far, bottles have been donated to the police and fire departments in town, postal workers, as well as the sheriff’s department. The goal is to make certain everyone who needs one gets one. The offer stands for those in the community who are in need as well, with a limit of one per person a day.

Locals Helping Locals

There is no charge for the sanitizer which has led local businesses as well as the community to give donations which the distillery puts right back into purchasing the bottles and items needed for production.

College Street Brewery reached out to collaborate by donating 300 gallons of beer to run through the stills which will become sanitizer.

photo courtesy Copper Still Distillery

“Locals helping locals,” Andersen says. “We’re all in this together. We gotta stick together and work through this. We want to work together as a community. If there’s anything we can help with we’re here to help. We love this place, we love this city. We want to grow, we definitely are growing already and we want to grow more here and help everybody we can.”

Visit the website at copperstilldistillery.com, call them at 928-733-5004, or visit them on Facebook at Copper Still Distillery. They are located at 1600 W. Acoma Blvd., No. 65.