Lilac Gin Was Made Twice Due to Production of Black Button Distilling’s Hand Sanitizer

ROCHESTER, NY (MAY 28, 2020) –  Black Button Distilling, one of the top five craft distilleries in the USA, and the first grain-to-glass farm distillery in Rochester, NY since prohibition, will launch their hand crafted, limited edition Lilac Gin on May 29, 2020. This is the fifth annual release of the Lilac Gin, with just under 3,500 bottles available for purchase.
 
Typically released annually to commemorate the first day of Rochester’s annual Lilac Festival and mark the start of the spring season, this year’s Lilac Gin was actually made twice due to COVID-19. To meet the demand for hand sanitizer, Black Button Distilling used the first batch of ethanol that would have been made into Lilac Gin to make the first week’s production of Black Button’s hand sanitizer.
 
Black Button Master Distiller Jeff Fairbrother, along with the Black Button production team, turned the production plant upside down to make 70,000 bottles a week of hand sanitizer. Once the processes for hand sanitizer were in place, Fairbrother went back to the stills while hand sanitizer was bottled in the back.
 
“Most folks don’t realize, but we were able to make hand sanitizer so quickly when the shortage hit because we had just finished making all the ethanol for this year’s Lilac Gin. We had to surrender it to the greater good without knowing if or when it could be replaced,” said Jason Barrett, Black Button Distilling President and Master Distiller.
 
Lilac Gin is Black Button’s largest seasonal release of the year, accounting for 15% of annual output. “To have to make it twice in any year would be a large undertaking, but to make it twice during a pandemic while also bottling 2,800% of what our plant was designed for is truly an awe-inspiring accomplishment for our production team,” said Barrett. “A lot of long hours have been logged these last few months to meet the needs of our community and to keep our liquor stores stocked. I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of these men and women and I feel honored to call them my co-workers.”

Following the overwhelming success of the first limited edition Lilac Gin release five years ago, Black Button Distilling now produces a limited-edition Lilac Gin each year to mark the start of spring and pay tribute to Rochester’s rich botanical heritage as “The Flower City.” Made from locally sourced ingredients, Lilac Gin commemorates Rochester’s rich festival and floral history. It’s also a nod to the flour mills of old, which gave rise to the local distilling industry. Crafting a gin with flower petals is a unique and painstaking process that results in a soft subtle flavor and a smooth, easy to drink gin.

Lilac Gin Details:

• 750ml MSRP $35
• 375ml MSRP $20
• ABV- 84 proof
• Limited release: just under 3,500 bottles available

For more information about Lilac Gin, visit LilacGin.com

Additionally, Black Button Distilling, which remains closed to the public due to COVID-19, is offering limited service in the form of curb-side pick-up for spirits and specialty cocktail kits. Black Button Distilling spirits are also available in locally owned and operated liquor stores. Black Button encourages consumers to support locally owned liquor stores and buy locally made spirits.

About Black Button Distilling
Black Button Distilling is the first grain-to-glass farm distillery in Rochester, NY since prohibition and one of the top 5 Craft Distilleries in the USA, according to USA Today’s 10 Best 2016 and 2017 Readers’ Choice poll. Founded in 2012 and housed in a 9,000-square-foot space near Rochester’s historic Public Market, Black Button Distilling specializes in farm to still products, using unique and all-natural ingredients from local farms to craft 4,000 bottles of award-winning spirits each week, distributed in 12 states and Japan. Black Button Distilling has been named to Inc. Magazine’s Top 5,000 list twice, making it one of the fastest-growing private companies in America two years in a row.