That change in operations applied to Morton Distilleries in Hoffman this month as well.
Usually producing some 20 gallons of whiskey a week, Clay Morton now has his sights set on helping fill the void for hand sanitizer.For the past two weeks Morton has been filling 200 ml (6.76 ounce) bottles with the blend of locally distilled alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and glycerine.
“We put the glycerine in it to keep your hands from drying out. A lot of sanitizers don’t have it. Mine have been getting softer every day since I started making it.”
Those have been going to first responders as well as available for local residents through Rainbow Liquor and Johnny Appleseed in Henryetta. They have also been used by Kimberly-Clark in Tulsa and the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Department.
The sanitizer operation has kept him busy. For the past two weeks Morton has gone through over 3,000 labels with all of the product going out of the door.
The process starts with Morton’s one-pot still. He said the mix of water, sugar, yeast and grain is heated and the steam containing the alcohol rises over six copper plates before going through charcoal filters then eventually condenses back into a liquid that fills a large stainless steel container. “Some places only filter the alcohol three or four times, I do it six,” he said. That takes some 12 to 15 hours. It comes out at 180 proof but is cut back down to make it 80 proof for drinking. The hand sanitizer comes out at 140 proof.
One of those ingredients, yeast, is becoming scarce sine the primary supplier is in Mexico and truck traffic has been halted at the border.
Tim Creighton, Okmulgee County Emergency Services director was able to put him in touch with some area schools that, because the corona virus shut down their cafeterias, had extra supplies on hand. “That really helped and I thank Tim for that,” he said.
The still operation is something Morton said a family tradition although he didn’t get into it until after being hospitalized several years ago. While in the hospital bed, he happened to see several episodes of “Moonshiners,” and thought he could do that.
That’s where the family tradition kicked in. Morton said his great grandfather and grandfather were in the then-illegal whiskey distilling business. Both were successful but also paid the price when federal agents, revenuers, caught them.
“My Arctic Wolf label says this is fourth generation quality and first generation legal,” a tribute to those early entrepreneurs.
The operation is small with Morton calling on his wife Rhonda, son Chris and a friend, Marty Long, to help fill and package. Morton says his wife handles the labelling since “she can put the labels on straight and faster than any of us.”
He said the hand sanitizer will continue to be his main emphasis until June 30.
Once he goes back to his sipping’ whiskey making’, Morton said he will be promoting another drink, sweet potato vodka, to his menu.
“I was never a fan of eating them” he said talking about the sweet potato, “but I got bored one day and started experimenting. It turned out quite pleasant.”
Apparently some judges agreed with him. He entered the concoction in the International Spirit Competition in Denver and walked away with a gold medal. Morton followed that up with a Best of Class medal at a similar contest in San Diego earlier this year.
His entire operation is based behind his house in Hoffman and he agrees that it is a low-key business. “It’s nice and quiet here and a lot of people don’t realize we are in operation.”Even though he can allow some tastings at his operation, he cannot sell it from there. State law requires him to use a distributor with the whiskey now being sold in several stores in Tulsa and around the area.
Anyone wishing to purchase the hand sanitizer can call Morton or stop by one of his outlets in Henryetta.
