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NILES — Friday nights, Iron Shoe Distillery is typically filled with the sound of live music and lively chatter, and the smell of hot food and mixed cocktails. This Friday night, lights were off and doors were closed, but owner Howard Tuthill was hard at work.

Tuthill, who distills all the liquor sold on Iron Shoe’s premises, was busy bottling his latest batch, only instead of whiskey or rum, he was bottling hand sanitizer.

Following advisories from the CDC to wash hands often to slow the spread of coronavirus, department stores have been wiped clean of alcohol-based hand sanitizer for about a week. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau advised distilleries across the country that they could help.

Friday night, several bottles of hand sanitizer had already been bottled and labeled with Iron Shoe’s signature logo and will be distributed at the distillery, 3 N. Third St., Niles, from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

“I had the alcohol I was planning on making into whiskey, but when I learned that I could do this, I just turned it into [hand cleaner] instead,” Tuthill said. “With this batch, I think we’re just over 100 bottles.”

Iron Shoe’s hand cleaner is made of 70 percent alcohol by volume, 10 percent higher than the CDC’s recommendation of 60 percent.

“We added mineral oil to be a little lighter on the skin,” Tuthill said.

In an email Friday, Howard’s wife Laura said the hand sanitizer would be handed out with a limit of one per person.

“These are 16-ounce bottles,” Howard said. “I wanted to get a smaller hand sanitizer size, but those are all sold out on Amazon and everywhere. I guess that these will go a little bit longer for people, so that will be nice.”

Howard added that the hand cleaner is not for sale.

“We are happy to offer these to the community free of charge and only ask a donation from those who are able to give something,” Laura said.

Howard said all donations would be distributed to Iron Shoe employees, who are out of work through the COVID-19 social distancing mandate. The business posted on its Facebook page that Howard and Laura had decided to close the doors until the social distancing order was lifted.

“Please know that this was a very difficult decision, and ultimately, it was made weighing the risks and benefits for our staff and local community, many of whom (including immediate family members) fall within the high-risk group,” the Iron Shoe Distillery Facebook page read. “The health and safety of our staff, customers and community is our top priority.”

During the three-hour distribution window Saturday, Iron Shoe will sell bottles of its spirits, which include limoncello, bourbon whiskey, white rum, aged rum and vodka.

“Gift cards are also available for purchase — great way to support our small business,” Laura said.

Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks will distribute ethanol-based hand sanitizer from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Journeyman also has a limit of one per customer.