Bomb City Distillery Mobilizes Its Vodka Still to Produce Hand Sanitizer for Panhandle Communities
In an extraordinary display of adaptability and community spirit, Bomb City Distillery has temporarily shifted its production lines from small-batch vodka to critically needed hand sanitizer. As the world grappled with unprecedented sanitizer shortages at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Amarillo-based craft distillery answered Governor Abbott’s call for Texas businesses to join the front lines. Here’s how a local spirits maker turned its craft into a public service lifeline—and why this pivot underscores the power of community-focused entrepreneurship.
Distillery to Sanitizer: A Rapid Response to a Public Health Crisis
When stay-at-home orders went into effect across Texas in mid-March 2020, local hospitals, clinics, first responders, and frontline workers began sounding alarms about dwindling supplies of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Recognizing an urgent need, Bomb City Distillery’s founders—lifelong Amarillo residents and craft-spirits enthusiasts—decided to harness their existing equipment, expertise, and ethanol inventory to help fill the gap.
Within days of the governor’s executive order allowing distilleries to manufacture sanitizing gel, Bomb City had reformulated its production schedule, repurposed its copper stills, and drafted a sanitized workflow. By April 16, 2020, they were officially pouring hand sanitizer into bottles, free of charge, for local healthcare facilities and first-responder agencies. The rapid turnaround was chronicled by NewsChannel10, which reported that “Bomb City Distillery is turning vodka into hand sanitizer” in their on-air segment and online feature. Read the full report here.
From Grain to Gel: Navigating Production Challenges
Transitioning from vodka to sanitizer is not simply a matter of swapping labels. Ethanol used in vodka distillation must be denatured, blended with humectants, and gelling agents added to meet World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for hand rub formulations. Bomb City Distillery’s master distiller, Brad Thompson, explained:
“We already had food-grade ethanol and experienced quality-control protocols. The challenge was adapting our batch timelines, sourcing carbomer for the gel, and ensuring compliance with both federal and state regulations—all while maintaining our core production for spirits.”
The distillery partnered with local chemical suppliers—many of whom were also operating under narrow margins—to secure carbomer and glycerin. Their in-house lab team ran multiple test batches to verify each 60-percent-by-volume alcohol gel met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for virucidal efficacy.
A Community-Driven Mission
From the outset, Bomb City made clear that the sanitizer would be distributed free of charge. Rather than turning this into a profit center, the distillery viewed sanitizer production as an extension of its mission: “to serve Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle.” Thousands of units were allocated to:
Amarillo Area Healthcare System and local clinics
Potter and Randall County Sheriff’s Offices and police departments
Texas Panhandle Regional Public Health District
Volunteer fire departments throughout the region
Home-bound seniors via Meals on Wheels collaborations
Each case carried a custom-printed label thanking frontline workers for their service and directing recipients to Bomb City’s online hub for updates and future releases: bombcitydistillery.com.
Regulatory Compliance and Quality Assurance
Operating under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) emergency provisions, Bomb City Distillery secured a temporary permit to denature its potable ethanol for non-consumptive use. Under TABC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight, all hand-sanitizer batches were:
Ethanol Denaturation: Rendered unfit for consumption with food-grade denaturants.
Formulation Testing: Verified alcohol content via hydrometer readings and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).
Microbial Assays: Ensured each batch met FDA microbial reduction standards, eliminating 99.99% of common pathogens.
Label Approval: Sanitizer labels were vetted by the TABC, listing active ingredients, usage instructions, FDA warnings, and batch lot codes for traceability.
This rigorous protocol mirrored the distillery’s spirits-quality processes, reinforcing its reputation for precision and reliability.
Inside the Operation: Rapid-Fire Production in a Small-Batch Setting
Bomb City’s production facility, housed in a renovated warehouse on Amarillo’s historic Route 66 corridor, normally focuses on 150-gallon spirit runs. To meet sanitizer demand, the team reconfigured their schedule:
Day Shift: Two 75-gallon initial sanitizer mash runs, denaturing and clarifying.
Swing Shift: Blending with carbomer, glycerin, and FDA-approved fragrances (for unscented batches) in stainless-steel mixing tanks.
Overnight: Quality-control sample testing and batch quarantines until certification.
On peak days, they bottled up to 1,000 units (250 ml each), then sanitized and boxed them for free delivery. Bottles were sanitized via UV-light tunnels before labeling, ensuring zero cross-contamination between sanitizer and spirit productions.
Collaborations and Partnerships
Bomb City’s pivot attracted support from several quarters:
Local Distinctive Partnerships: Amarillo Press, a local print shop, provided rapid label production at cost.
Fuel and Logistics: Yellowhouse Machinery loaned pallet jacks and forklifts to expedite warehouse operations.
Nonprofit Networks: The Texas Panhandle United Way and Amarillo Area Foundation coordinated distribution lists to ensure remote clinics and volunteer groups were prioritized.
Grant Funding: A small relief fund from the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce offset raw-material costs, allowing Bomb City to sustain sanitizer batches for over two months.
These alliances demonstrated the power of regional collaboration in times of crisis—an ethos Bomb City integrates into its ongoing business model.
Human Stories: Frontline Gratitude
Healthcare workers and first responders have publicly expressed deep appreciation. Chief Nursing Officer Karen Lee of Amarillo Medical Center shared:
“When we saw Bomb City’s announcement, it felt like a lifeline. Within 48 hours, our hand-sanitizer supplies were replenished—and it was delivered with a personal note of thanks. That human touch meant as much as the sanitizer itself.”
Randall County EMS Lieutenant James Ortiz noted that sanitizer scarcity had forced ambulance crews to ration sanitizer wipes. “Bomb City’s gel literally kept us safe on the front lines.”
Media Coverage and Social Reach
NewsChannel10’s story—“Bomb City Distillery Turning Vodka into Hand Sanitizer”—aired on April 16, 2020, spotlighting the distillery’s swift action and technical adaptability. The feature included on-location footage of the stills churning sanitizer mash, interviews with staff, and testimonials from healthcare heroes. Viewers were directed to both the station’s website and Bomb City’s online portal for further updates.
On social media, Bomb City Distillery’s sanitizer posts garnered thousands of shares and heartfelt comments. The distillery leveraged its Instagram and Facebook channels to provide transparent production updates, safety tutorials (“Proper Hand-Sanitizer Application: A 20-Second Guide”), and calls for volunteer drivers to assist with deliveries.
The Broader Trend: Distilleries Pivoting for Public Good
Bomb City was not alone in this pivot. Across the United States, over 200 craft distilleries—from Asheville to Albany—repurposed ethanol to address sanitizer shortages. Industry associations like the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) facilitated knowledge-sharing webinars, enabling smaller operations to scale up safely.
Yet Bomb City’s approach stood out for its rapid execution and community integration. Distilleries with larger footprint often required weeks to secure regulatory approval; Bomb City’s existing TABC relationships and proactive outreach shaved precious days off that timeline.
Lasting Impact on Bomb City’s Business Model
While the hand-sanitizer program was conceived as a temporary emergency measure, its effects on Bomb City Distillery’s brand have been profound:
Community Trust: Local consumers who had never stepped into the tasting room now view Bomb City as an essential community partner.
Media Recognition: Coverage from NewsChannel10 and statewide press elevated Bomb City’s profile beyond the Texas Panhandle.
Operational Agility: The rapid pivot honed the team’s cross-training capabilities—staff now rotate between spirit production and event coordination more seamlessly.
New Revenue Channels: Post-pandemic, Bomb City introduced a “Philanthropy Series” spirit lineup, with a portion of proceeds donated to local health organizations—a concept born from the sanitizer mission.
Distillery co-founder Emily Sánchez reflects, “Our sanitizer effort taught us that our true product isn’t just vodka or whiskey—it’s the relationships we build and the trust we earn.”
Looking Forward: Blending Craft and Community
Today, Bomb City Distillery has fully resumed its award-winning vodka and rum spirits production, as well as its soon-to-be-released bourbon line. Yet the lesson from spring 2020 resonates:
Social contribution can be as integral to a distillery’s identity as its mash bill.
Bomb City’s official website, bombcitydistillery.com, now chronicles not only their current portfolio—vodka, rum, whiskey, and specialty gin—but also their community initiatives, including charity fundraisers, distillery tours with pandemic-safe protocols, and educational workshops for aspiring craft distillers.
As the distillery embarks on container-ship deliveries of its bourbon to East Coast connoisseurs, its hand-sanitizer chapter remains a hallmark of mission-driven innovation.
A Distillery Defined by Purpose
Bomb City Distillery’s transformation of vodka into hand sanitizer was more than a technical exercise—it was an act of solidarity. By mobilizing its core competencies to address a critical public need, the distillery reaffirmed that small-batch craft operations can deliver big-scale impact when guided by community focus and entrepreneurial agility.
Whether you’re drawn to their spirits or inspired by their service, Bomb City’s sanitizer story stands as a testament to what’s possible when passion, expertise, and compassion converge under one roof. And as the distillery continues to innovate—from new spirit expressions to community engagement programs—one thing is clear: the Panhandle’s finest craft distiller is carving its legacy not just in barrels, but in the hearts of the people it serves.
