Beer company BrewDog is now making alcohol hand gel and sanitizers at its distillery in Scotland, in a bid to help with stock during shortage around the world as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread. The company announced this in an Instagram post. The sanitizer is called BrewDog Punk Sanitizer. BrewDog is a multinational brewery and pub chain based in Ellon, Scotland. That is perhaps why the bottles of the Punk Sanitizer proudly say, “brewed in Ellon”. Incidentally, the company will be sending these sanitizers to local charities and communities rather than selling these online or in stores.
“Say hello to Punk Sanitiser. To help with the shortages, we have just started working on making hand sanitiser at our distillery in Scotland. We are determined to do everything we can to try and help as many people as possible stay safe. It's time to keep it clean,” the company said in the Instagram post. The sanitizer line gets its name from BrewDog's popular Punk IPA craft beer.
Earlier, Pernod Ricard USA, which makes Absolut Vodka, Avión Tequila and Kahlúa brands of alcohol also said it will now be making hand sanitizers at all its manufacturing facilities, which will then be donated instead of being sold. “Our company is proud to support the efforts of the Administration and communities across the country in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ann Mukherjee, CEO of Pernod Ricard North America. The The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States has also said that it is in consultation with the industry to find ways to help reduce the hand sanitizer shortages in the country, and around the world.
Medical authorities around the world are recommending generous use of hand sanitizers to protect yourselves against the Coronavirus. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the alcohol-based hand sanitizers must be at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective.
Similarly, Swedish based The Absolut Company has also said it is also helping with the hand sanitizer shortage. This was announced by the company’s communication manager Paula Eriksson on Twitter saying that Absolut wants to contribute to the production of hand sanitizers. Absolut is owned by French conglomerate Pernod Ricard.
Luxury goods giant LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, also known as LVMH is also producing hand sanitizers at manufacturing facilities for the Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy brands. They say these hand sanitizers will be delivered directly to the health authorities for use in hospitals in France.
Donatella Versace and her daughter Allegra have donated 200,000 Euros to Milan’s San Raffaele hospital as it treats patients with the Coronavirus. “In times like this, it is important to be united and support however we can to help all those who are in the front lines, fighting every day to save hundreds of lives," the designer wrote in a post on Instagram. It has also been reported that Prada's co-CEOs Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada and chairman Carlo Mazzi have donated two intensive care and resuscitation units each to Milan hospitals Vittore Buzzi, Sacco and San Raffaele. Italy has been one of worst hit countries, registering the highest ever single day death toll in the past 24 hours.