Moonshiners Make Hand Sanitizer
Tara Cook is trying to create the best, most efficient recipe for hand sanitizer.
Cook and her husband, Jody are repurposing their whiskey-making equipment to help out local medical staff during the covid-19 health pandemic.
The Cooks opened Tall Pines Distillery just about eight weeks ago, on Jan. 24. The building, visible from I-49 just outside Pineville, overlooks the area’s naturally beautiful hills and valleys.
During those first few weeks, the distillery developed a fast-following of fervent supporters. Now, through its other work, the business has found additional repeat customers. This time, for hand sanitizer.
Tara Cook says she and her husband are creating the muchneeded hand sanitizer and selling it at cost to local hospitals, first responders, local health personnel and essential businesses.
“We are making what we can,” she says. “We thought, ‘We make alcohol. We should do this here if we can.’ It’s just at a lot higher proof.”
The moonshine the Cooks create has an alcohol content of generally around 6 percent.
Centers for Disease Control officials stimulate that hand sanitizer needs at least 60 percent alcohol content for effective reduction of virus containment.
For now, as the Cooks tweak their moonshine recipe, they have to run the liquid through the equipment twice to obtain the higher proof.
It’s not exactly the most efficient or economical way, but the two are continuing to see how they can modify the recipe for better efficiency.
“We have a recipe for the alcohol. It’s finding a balance,” she said. “We have the corn-based mash. We can strain it and run it through our stills.”
The distillery has had numerous requests from individuals who seek the highly-coveted hand sanitizer during the highly-contagious virus outbreak.
Unfortunately, the distillery is not able to make it for other customers. Selling it at cost to medical professionals, however, will help the greater good, the Cooks believe.
Eight weeks ago, the Cooks wouldn’t have believed their moonshine stills would serve a dual duty. “We get 20 calls a day, from companies, from Colorado,” she says. “We are doing what we can. These are crazy times.”
Feeling Like Home
The Cooks dreamed of creating a place that felt relaxing, like home, while offering a glimpse of the gorgeous Ozarks right at their
back door.
Tara Cook built the distillery on the grounds where she grew up. She and her husband frequently visit her father, who lives in Pennsylvania. During several trips, they’ve enjoyed the moonshine flavors created by a couple there. The Cooks felt that idea would work well in Pineville.
The two couples completed a business deal, allowing the Cooks a licensing agreement to the products.
The Cooks utilize the same equipment and the same recipe.
The moonshine flavors appeal to a large clientele, who have traveled from Branson, Joplin, Springfield, from Grove and Tulsa, Okla., and from Northwest Arkansas, to grab a piece of the appeal.
A small covered patio and a larger patio offer patrons an outdoor experience, complete with a look at the area’s hills. The future plan is to offer food trucks, events and live music, including some bigger bands.
That has been temporarily put on hold, during the covid19 event. The Cooks are still full-steam ahead, however, selling moonshine at the distillery and allowing for no more than 10 people at a time to visit.
They also offer curbside delivery for products that customers can order ahead and pick up easily.
The moonshine’s quick success is a result of utilizing top-quality ingredients, top-quality equipment and offering a superior product to customers clamoring to get a taste of something different,
Tara Cook says.
“We have a moonshine that is clear, we have a moonshine that is a bourbon-style, and several specialty flavors,” she said.
The couple has had to shift gears somewhat. Still, they are extremely enthusiastic about their future. Tara Cook says she can’t believe the type of support customers have shown the distillery in just eight short weeks.
“I can’t say enough about our customers,” she said.
“Once we get our momentum back, we believe we can do some good things.”
The distillery may be reached at 417-223-7463.