and last updated 2021-01-01 01:43:49-05 During a public health crisis, distilleries across the country pumped out hand sanitizer to cover a nationwide shortage. Now those same distilleries are being told to pay more than $14,000 to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for making over-the-counter drugs without proper licensing. âI feel like the FDA welcomed me when they needed me, now they are letting the door shut on me on my way out," Calwise Spirits & Co. distillery owner Aaron Bergh said. For distilleries like Calwise Spirits & Co. in Paso Robles, making sanitizer was an opportunity to bring back furloughed employees and avoid bankruptcy during the pandemic.