LEWISTON – Sazerac Co., the owner of the Lewiston factory that manufactures Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, announced in a news statement Friday its 10 plants nationwide would begin making hand sanitizer to help with the coronavirus pandemic.

Sazerac owns Boston Brands of Maine in Lewiston, responsible for making Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Maine’s top selling liquor in 2019.

According to the statement, Sazerac will donate its product to health care, government, military, retail, distribution, airline, pharmacy and banking industries.

“We have seen the great need for hand sanitizer from industries across the board – many of these organizations are desperate, as supplies have dwindled,” said Matt Maimone, Sazerac’s chief operating officer. “We are adding production capacity to cope with the massive industrial demand.”

Maimone said Sazerac has already received requests for more than 5 million bottles of hand sanitizer.

While nine of Sazerac’s plants, including Boston Brands of Maine, have yet to begin making the sanitizer, one of its plants – Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, Kentucky, began on Friday.