Council Recognizes 1675 Spirits For Hand Sanitizer Production

BENSALEM, PA — At Monday's in-person Township Council Meeting, Bensalem’s Mayor and Council recognized local distillery 1675 Spirits for their service to the community in producing hand sanitizer — rather than alcohol — at the height of the pandemic.

“In case everybody doesn’t remember these bottles, they were all over town,” Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo said, holding up one of the hand sanitizers.

Owned by Ian Monagle and Randy Taylor, 1675 Spirits is named for the dating and commencement of Bristol Pike, historically known as King’s Highway, in 1675 — making it the oldest highway in the continental United States. During the pandemic, 1675 Spirits supplied hand sanitizer donations to the Bensalem Police Department.

“Harvey [Kilner] and I talked and said, ‘Hey, how can we help? Small businesses always step up for us — what are we going to do for them?’” said Michelle Benitez, who presented the award. “We wanted to recognize 1675 Spirits for transitioning and adapting to the times. Normally they’d be making alcohol, which is something we enjoy here, but they transitioned right into hand sanitizer during a really critical time.”

The Police Department’s Director of Public Safety Fred Harran, DiGirolamo, Benitez, and Kilner presented Monagle and Taylor with a plaque award and a check for $250 to donate to a Bensalem non-profit of their choice.

“We’re happy to be able to do anything that could help the community during this crazy of a year,” Monagle said. “We’re truly appreciative of you guys thinking of us.”