empty vodka bottles on conveyor belt

America's massive hand sanitizer shortage (a product of consumer habits amid the COVID-19 outbreak) has been going on for weeks now. Not too long after hand sanitizer was wiped from store shelves, e-commerce websites and warehouses did America's distilleries begin to cook up emergency batches using the alcohol on hand.

Over 600 distillers are believed to be producing sanitizer right now, reports ABC News. These spirits producers are creating the sanitizer using the alcohol and food-grade ethanol they always have available. Many of them are even following World Health Organization guidelines to make the sanitizer.

But recent changes brought about by the stimulus bill signed into law last week came with an agreement to follow stricter Food and Drug Administration Guidelines. These guidelines require that sanitizer be made with "denatured" alcohol because it cannot be consumed by humans. Obviously, this isn't something distillers are going to have in supply.

Some members of Congress and agencies representing distillers say it's in the best interest of the public that distillers continue to create hand sanitizer following expert guidelines, but not those brought about by the Food and Drug Administration.

The distillers who were helping to produce the sanitizer the public needed  now face a considerable tax bill, and the agencies representing these distilleries say this is unfair.

For more on this ongoing issue, read ABC New's story here.