Old Fourth Distillery
Necessity is the mother of invention
What started out as gesture of good will has become a full-time job for brothers Craig and Jeff Moore, co-owners of the Old Fourth Distillery on Edgewood Avenue. When the coronavirus first hit Atlanta and hand sanitizer started disappearing from the shelves of area retail stores, the two brothers got the idea to switch from manufacturing spirits to sanitizer and started gifting bottles of the in-demand hand product to their neighbors and friends on the Edgewood Corridor in the Old Fourth Ward. Not only were area businesses recipients, but the Moores made sure the homeless and street people in the area, many of whom do not have regular access to soap and clean water, were able to at least sanitize their hands.
Of course, news spread of their kindhearted efforts, and, before you know it, the distillery was getting requests for gallons of hand sanitizer from the Atlanta Police Department, the Georgia State Patrol, area hospitals, and emergency medical services and technicians. Then orders from FEMA and other out-of-state organizations began to come in.
“With bars and clubs closing because of the pandemic, we knew our alcohol sales would be slowing down, so we decided to re-think what we were manufacturing here,” Craig says of the distillery known for its vodka, bourbon, and gin. “We weren’t going to be able to continue business as usual, and we wanted to help make a difference.”
Garnering media attention worthy of rock stars, O4D was overwhelmed with orders for their new product, made from a mixture of 190 proof alcohol and aloe vera gel, so much so that they’ve had to stop giving out free sanitizer to the public in order to fulfill their government and First Responder orders.. For now, its a full-time business, one that has prompted other distilleries in the area to follow suit. Nonetheless, here’s hoping the Moore brothers can get back to fueling their passion for producing tasty libations sooner, rather than later.