OUR DISTILLERY NEWS
RISING TO THE CALL - NEW YORK TIMES
Ed Kashi
May 18, 2020
![Rising to the Call is a photo essay about people and businesses in New Jersey that are responding to the Covid 19 pandemic by volunteering or finding ways to contribute during a time of crisis. Brad Ransom, with head lamp, is head of production, and Kevin Bascom, distiller for Nauti Spirits in Cape May, New Jersey.
Normally they produce gin, vodka and rum but since March they’ve been producing hand sanitizer to donate first responders and local facilities, plus selling it to local NJ companies and individuals at a rate well below market costs.
We closed our doors to the public on March 15, 2020.
March 19, 2020 - started the process to produce hand sanitizer in partnership with Partners Pharmacy.
March 25, 2020 started the donations to 1st responders and local healthcare facilities.
March 29, 2020 started selling hand sanitizer to the public via online orders and drive up pick up.
Quote:
"It takes a village, not just to raise a baby, but surviving a pandemic too. By each of us doing our part, [Staying home, posting memes, stocking shelves, selling goods, driving trucks, 1st responders, healthcare workers, making masks, or making hand sanitizer!] we will get through this together and come out stronger and better than ever."
How did Nauti Spirits Distillery come up with the idea to make hand sanitizer? Why?
A few weeks ago we saw that stores were running out of sanitizer and isopropyl alcohol. Then, we heard about how people were buying and hoarding things, including sanitizer, which people needed given the growing crisis. Among others, first responders and those in nursing homes were having real problems getting this basic item. Knowing that ethyl alcohol is just as effective at killing bacteria, we started looking at whether we could meet a need by legally producing sanitizer with high-proof ethanol that we distill. We couldn't under our current federal and state permits, so we started making calls to the TTB, our federal regulator, and to the ABC to ask how we could help meet this need. A week ago, on Wednesday morning, a friend who is a professional pharmacist and an executive VP at Partners Pharmacy, which provides pharmacy services for assisted living facilities, called and asked if we had any ethanol that he could buy to make sanitizer for his patients. That afternoon is when the TTB granted distilleries with our type of license the temporary authorization to make hand sanitizer with ethanol. So, we started immediately teaming together to make sanitizer in order to meet the need, which by that time had become chronic.
How is the hand sanitizer made, like tell me about the process you use and what role Nauti Spirits plays in making the hand sanitizer since Partners Pharmacy is compounding it.
Partners Pharmacy compounded the first batch, and then has overseen/directed our distillers in compounding the sanitizer at the distillery. It is made by taking very high (190) proof (95%) ethanol that we had distilled over the last several months from corn and sweet potatoes that we had grown on our land and which we normally would use to make our vodka, and adding to it distilled water, hydrogen peroxide, propylene glycol, tea tree oil, and vitamin E oil, with the resulting solution being 80% ethanol, the highest leval allowed, which also provides the best antiseptic defense. We then label and bottle this by hand in 8 oz., 32 oz. and 5 gal. containers. In addition to the professional pharmacist guidance, Partners Pharmacy has provided additives and 8,000 very hard to come by (and now nearly gone due to outrageous demand) 2 oz. spray bottles in which we put much of the initial batches.
Is your hand sanitizer FDA approved? How does it get FDA approved? Who is responsible for ensuring that the hand sanitizer is FDA approved?
The FDA does not "approve" the sanitizer; it approves the guidelines for its manufacture. We and Partners Pharmacy compound the hand sanitizer pursuant to the FDA's published recommendations and guidelines. Both Partners Pharmacy and Nauti Spirits are responsible for ensuring that the sanitizer meets these FDA recommendations/guidelines.
Who is Nauti Spirits distributing and selling the hand sanitizer to?
We and Partners Pharmacy have donated several hundreds of gallons of the product to first responders in Cape May County, and to elder care and professional nursing facilities around the country. We also are selling the sanitizer to end users (no resellers) in order to recover some of our costs. Our prices are near pre-COVID-19 levels, and we aim to keep them that low for as long as there is a need for the product.
Who is Nauti Spirits making the hand sanitizer for? Who needs hand sanitizer the most right now?
Initially, we wanted to get the hand sanitizer to some of those who needed it the most -- first responders and people in assisted living facilities. These foks still desparately need the sanitizer, but others need it too, like postal workers, home delivery personnel, restaurant workers who facilitate curbside and takeout orders, people in essential businesses, shoppers; literally everyone who doesn't have ready access to soap and water every time their hands may come into contact with infected surfaces.
How long will Nauti Spirits be manufacturing hand sanitizer for?
Until there is no longer a need for it, or until we have to shut our doors permanently because we can no longer afford to keep the lights on. We would like nothing better than to go back to making--and selling--artisan farm spirits, rather than hand sanitizer. But, hand sanitizer is the need; great spirits are a desire. Desire takes a back seat these days.
Where is the hand sanitizer being sold and/or given out to people? How much does it cost to buy? How is it sold, like how big are the bottles? Are the bottles sold individually or in groups?
We have been selling the hand sanitizer from the distillery, as we do not have the personnel or funds to deliver it. That said, for larger orders (5 gal or more), we will arrange delivery through authorized shippers. The 2 oz. spray bottle is sold by itself for $2.00 (due to the high price of the bottle, and limit 2 per customer), the 8 oz. bottles sell for $7, the 32 oz bottles sell for $17, and a 5 gal sealed bucket can be filled for $320 (or we'll provide the bucket and lid for $12). The larger bottles can be used to fill smaller bottles that folks have around the house or office/business. We will not allow anyone to buy in bulk in order to resell (to avoid hoarding and price gouging).
How many employees are allowed in the distillery at a time while the hand sanitizer is being made?
We haven't had much of a problem with this, as we only have four employees remaining on payroll. With volunteers, however, we like to keep the number at no more than six at any one time. The distillery space is actually quite large.](https://i1.wp.com/nautispirits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/VOL20010_02161.jpeg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1)
NAUTI SPIRITS IS MAKING HAND SANITIZER
Nauti Spirits is making hand sanitizer from high-proof alcohol that we distilled earlier in the year. We are working with Partners Pharmacy of Springfield, NJ, to provide the remaining ingredients and professional oversight to compound this 80% ethanol sanitizer. We offer the product in 5 gal. covered containers for larger businesses and organizations. We also offer it in 32 oz. bottles. PLEASE NOTE: Smaller bottles are nearly impossible to find commercially, and we are using our remaining supply to continue donating to our frontline responders. We will update this page if and when smaller bottles become available for sale. The larger options will enable you to fill existing smaller containers for household and employee needs. We are not able to ship this product and it is only available for pickup at the distillery. Out of necessity, we respectfully request that businesses and government entities designate a single point of contact for ordering and managing the distribution of hand sanitizer to your employees. Please email us at info@nautispirits.com for pricing, availability and pick up times and we will get back to you ASAP. Thank you so much, and please, take care of yourselves and your families through this difficult time.
Cape May is known for its flourishing craft beverage scene thanks to the many wonderful breweries & wineries scattered across our corner of Southern NJ. And, in the year that’s passed since we opened the doors here at Nauti Spirits Distillery, we’ve done our best to make Cape May a premier craft spirit & cocktail destination too. In fact, we’re New Jersey’s largest farm-to-bottle distillery, with the most uniquely flavorful and freshest cocktails anywhere! So, here’s an idea . . . why not make your next visit to Cape May a ‘Spirited Stay’ at the Montreal Beach Resort? We’ve teamed up with the Montreal team to offer an awesome package that will make you fall in love with Cape May all over again! ‘Spirited Stay’ Package includes:
- A Nauti Spirits bottle of your choosing (750ml bottle of vodka, gin, or rum) and recipe cards to guide you through the creation of your own spirited cocktail.
- Self-guided tour of Nauti’s onsite distillation facility
- A $20 gift card to Nauti Spirits, good toward enjoying their handmade
craft cocktails at their tasting bar or toward a purchase in their retail store. - A voucher for 2 for Nauti’s “Behind the Stills” VIP tour*.
- $20 voucher for Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille (tell your bartender to “make mine NAUTI!” while you’re there) for your stay or Deluxe Continental Breakfast each morning (off-season)
It’s been almost a year since we opened the doors of our Cape May farm distillery, and we’ve learned so much about our neighbors and community during that time. One of the very many things that makes Cape May so special to us is the dedication of its community to preserving the rich history and traditions that have molded our little corner of the Garden State into the fabulous oasis that it is today. We have deep roots in seafaring, agriculture & farming, notorious (but fascinating) bootlegging and liquor running during Prohibition, and in being America’s very first–and in our hearts, the best–Seaside Resort. We’re the home (due in part to our liquor-running prowess…) of the USCG Training Center, which is such an honor and a privilege, among many other blessings our remarkable peninsula holds. That’s why we’re thrilled to be a proud supporter of the Historic Cold Spring Village‘s Feasting on History. We hope to see you there, to celebrate our wonderful Cape May region together!
You may have noticed that our eye-catching vodka bottles have undergone some minor changes recently. Rather than “Sweet Potato Vodka,” the label now reads “Spirit of the Harvest.” Why is this, you ask? We checked in with Veronica from our Production Crew to understand this change, and here’s what she told us…
There are 6 general steps we follow in the production of our vodka at Nauti Spirits.
- The first step consists of sorting, washing, and milling the raw ingredients; in this case, sweet potatoes and corn.
- Second, we transport the milled mixture from our processing building into our “mash” tank where we mix it with water, cook it, cool it down, and then add a few enzymes that help break down the starches into simple sugars. This is where producing vodka using solely sweet potatoes was a challenge, as sweet potatoes are difficult to fully break down (but that’s also why they’re good for you), and adding Jersey corn (with starches that more easily break down to simple sugars) greatly helped in that process.
- The addition of corn to the mash also makes our yeast “happier” throughout the third step of the process, fermentation, where the yeast gobbles up the sugars and then produce alcohol.
- After the yeast does their magic, we distill the fermented mash well over 20 times through different levels of micro-distillation (compare that to some who tout their “6 times distilled” vodka…).
- Then we “proof down” that highly refined spirit with purified water to a consumption-level 80 proof vodka.
- Finally, we filter the vodka through high-tech carbon filters, to make it even smoother, while being sure to leave a hint of those all-important farm origins! When it comes to taste, the change in the flavor profile is interesting and subtle.
You likely won’t notice a difference when our vodka is mixed in a delicious craft cocktail in the Tasting Room or at home, but if you give it a try neat or on the rocks, you’ll appreciate the slightly enhanced character and mouthfeel, that still retains that essential whisper of its Garden State heritage – something you can only get from the crew here at Nauti Spirits! Good vodka, no…really good farm fresh vodka, takes a lot of hard work and time, but that’s what sets us apart from the masses. We hope you appreciate and enjoy what we lovingly craft for you right here on our farm!
Want to learn more about our farm, distillation process, and Distillery? Check out one of our Behind-the-Stills Tours!

OUR APRIL TASTING ROOM LINEUP
Our Tasting Room menu is constantly changing and evolving, and this spring you can look forward to more of that!
Recent specials have included the “Cast Your Caraway” featuring carrots and (you guessed it!) caraway, and the “Bloody Rosemary” with tomato, rosemary, lime and chili. Stop in weekly to see what’s new, or if an old favorite has made its way back on the menu!

OUR MARCH TASTING ROOM LINEUP

Photo via PineyBuck Farms
You might wonder, with the thousands of pounds of raw material (whether sweet potatoes, corn, wheat, barley, rye or other grains) that are used in each production run at Nauti Spirits, what happens to the stillage (the spent mash from an alcoholic fermentation after removal of the alcohol in a still through distillation) that remains when the transformation is complete? While most of us prefer to enjoy the finished spirits in the Tasting Room, there is a certain population that turns their noses up to the farm-to-bottle spirits, opting instead for the spent mash: sheep & pigs! We’ve partnered with Pineybuck Farm in Buena, New Jersey to provide our high protein stillage to help keep their animals happy & full, and we’re looking forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come! As our friends at Pineybuck say, if you are a farm to table fan, it doesn’t stop at meat and veggies. Stop by Nauti Spirits to taste our farm-to-bottle spirits weekly Thursday & Friday 3:30-9pm, Saturday noon-9pm, and Sunday noon-7pm.

OUR FEBRUARY TASTING ROOM LINEUP
OUR JANUARY TASTING ROOM LINEUP
Our Master Distiller, Brendan Wheatley has been nominated for an edibleJersey Local Heroes Award! If you believe in us and the work we’re doing to revitalize our preserved farm, please take a moment to show your support for Nauti Spirits.
He has worked and consulted for distilleries spanning both coasts and Hawaii. “My focus is ecologically sustainable farm to glass production with an emphasis in stacked agriculture, tempered by quality first.”