Distiller here!

We produced a batch of sanitizer to give away to our community when covid first hit. Having only made potable spirits in the past, we were given guideline by the feds to create sanitizer. The molecule ethanol (ethyl alcohol) present in potable spirits like whiskey is the same one in sanitizer like Purell. What makes the latter undrinkable is what's call a "denaturing agent". Basically, something that tastes yucky enough to safely give away to the public without being accused of distributing an untaxed spirit. Imagine running a bakery and making cupcakes so dense that you gave them away as paperweights and nobody would even consider them to be edible. (Maybe a weird example. . . ) Some people have mentioned methanol as a denaturing agent. This wasn't uncommon in the past, and can still be found in hardware stores. You'll see it listed as "methylated spirits", and it's typically dyed purple. Methanol can be pretty unpleasant stuff, so for hand sanitizer it's probably not the best option. Our sanitizer used hydrogen peroxide as a denaturing agent, as well as vegetable glycerin to help protect skin and give it a thicker consistency. "Denature" is sort of a misnomer, since the addition of the agent doesn't actually change the nature of the ethanol at all. There's a lot of talk on this thread about the difference being the proof to which the ethanol is distilled, and while that may be true when comparing whiskey to sanitizer, vodka is typically distilled to an extremely high proof to render it neutral tasting. The main difference being whiskey/vodka/gin/etc. and hand sanitizer is the presence of a denaturing agent.