Four Pillars creates hand sanitiser using ‘heads and tails’ of gin distillations

Australian craft spirits company Four Pillars has diversified its operations to produce a new 1 litre hand sanitiser, appropriately named ‘Heads, Tails and Clean Hands’. It is the distiller’s response to the highly-publicised shortage of similar products as the COVID-19 pandemic takes a grip in its home country.

Heads, Tails and Clean Hands, which contains 80% ethyl alcohol, is contained in bottles which had previously been destined for the duty free market. The product is made to the specifications set by the World Health Organization.

Heads, Tails and Clean Hands takes its name from the by-product alcohol of Four Pillars’ gin distillations

“We have been quietly scaling up production of a simple hand sanitiser that we have been making available exclusively to healthcare professionals and others on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus.” – Four Pillars Regional Trade & Global Travel Retail Director Mark Lawton

The alcohol content is being taken from the ‘heads and tails’ of gin distillations, thus the product’s name. As a result, Four Pillars said the product will have some of the aromatic properties of the gins it distils.

The initial plans are to make about 20,000 litres of Heads, Tails and Clean Hands for the consumer market, with a similar volume already being produced for a healthcare-focused hand sanitiser product known as ‘Take Care’.

Four Pillars Regional Trade & Global Travel Retail Director Mark Lawton said: “Over the past couple of weeks, we have been quietly scaling up production of a simple hand sanitiser that we have been making available exclusively to healthcare professionals and others on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus.

“And now, while these healthcare efforts continue, we will also have a hand sanitiser available to consumers which will take advantage of the by-products of our gin distilling efforts.”

He added: “Until just a couple weeks ago using the highly alcoholic and aromatic heads and tails of each gin distillation to make a hand sanitiser never crossed our minds. But here we are, facing a crisis and with nothing to do but help.

“We remain a gin business, and we won’t let this get in the way of our ultimate aim, which is to do our bit to help return Australia to (a new) normal, and make sure we all have the chance to enjoy a perfect gin and tonic some time in the (hopefully) near future.”

Heads, Tails and Clean Hands can be purchased online from fourpillarsgin.co.au

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