They say necessity is the mother of invention. For one Loveland-based company, a soon-to-be mother was the impetus for a new all-natural deodorant company. Erica Feucht tried several different natural deodorants over the years, but never found one that worked for her. When she became pregnant, she and her husband Jason became concerned with the commercial deodorant she was using, and the ways aluminum could negatively affect both her and the baby.

Feucht tried all kinds of things on her underarms. One day, she even slapped some hand sanitizer on her armpits—and it worked. Jason, a materials engineer, was all about creating their own product, and let the idea percolate.

“He’s painfully logical,” Feucht says. “He said that hand sanitizers are basically ethyl alcohol and it would be way more fun to make it out of whiskey. He really likes whiskey in his coffee.”

And so, Pit Liquor was born. A lot of “tinkering” went into the recipe—about a year-and-a-half’s worth—Feucht says, but the final product is an all-natural, zero-toxin, whiskey-based deodorant made from organic ingredients that are geared for maximum effectiveness. Packaged in a glass bottle with a spray nozzle, it retains the color of its spirit base, but the slight whiskey smell dissipates within seconds of it being sprayed under your arm.

“We made it for friends, then for more friends, then started on Kickstarter,” Feucht says. “We launched the project, did really well and now we have a company.

“I have an absurd amount of alcohol in my house,” she adds. “Just absurd.”

There aren’t many ingredients: whiskey from Bear Creek Distillery in Denver, organic arrowroot, Himalayan sea salt, organic tea extracts and organic scent compounds, oils and extracts. Currently, Pit Liquor offers Black Pepper, Lavender, and Vanilla versions in single-shot (1 oz.) and triple shot (3.4 oz.) sizes. The couple has experimented with other spirits (absinthe was a good option, but tequila was not) and there is also a vodka version in the works, but whiskey is the clear winner.

However, no matter how much you like whiskey, this product is designed to go on your body, not in it.

“Don’t be that guy,” Feucht says. “Go buy whiskey then put on your deodorant and feel awesome. Don’t drink your deodorant.”

Get It: Pit Liquor is available online at distilledbathandbody.com or at Gallery 8 in Avon. 1 oz bottles are $8; 3.4 oz bottles are $12.95