Modesto-based Gallo Winery joins up with bourbon brand launched by retired Green Berets
E.&J. Gallo Winery has become the national distributor for Horse Soldier Bourbon, crafted in Kentucky by retired Green Berets and their partners.
The Modesto-based company now makes or distributes 25 liquor brands along with being the world’s largest wine producer.
The high-end bourbon takes its name from an Army Special Forces team that sneaked into Afghanistan on horseback soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Co-founders John Koko and Scott Neil were part of the team.
The business began in 2016 with rum, vodka and gin from American Freedom Distillery in St. Petersburg, Florida. The bourbon comes from a brand new plant in Somerset, Kentucky.
Bourbon is a type of whiskey distilled mainly from corn, along with flavoring grains such as wheat, rye or barley. It can be made anywhere, but federal law allows “bourbon” on the label only if it is from Kentucky.
Bottles start at $49.99
Horse Soldier has suggested retail prices of $49.99 for Straight Bourbon Whiskey, $69.99 for Small Batch and $79.99 for Barrel Strength. They are in the “ultra-premium” category of the liquor industry.
Gallo described the deal as “a strategic investment” in a news release Wednesday but did not disclose the financial terms.
The bourbon has been sold in just 17 states but will go nationwide thanks to Gallo’s distribution to stores, bars and other venues.
“From the hills of Afghanistan to the valleys of Somerset, Kentucky, we’ve learned that you are only as good as the company you keep, and we are proud of this new partnership,” Koko, the chairman and CEO, said in the release.
Gallo liquor dates to 1975
Gallo launched in Modesto in 1933 and focused on lower-price wines from the San Joaquin Valley in its early decades. The company started making brandy in 1975 and later produced or distributed gin, vodka, tequila, Scotch whiskey and rum. It employs about 7,000 people around the world, some of them in the newly named Spirit of Gallo division.
“Horse Soldier Bourbon has built an extremely loyal consumer following and will allow us the opportunity to serve our partners and customers in new and exciting ways,” said Britt West, senior vice president and general manager for Spirit of Gallo.
The United States entered Afghanistan in search of plotters of attacks that killed about 3,000 people in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania field where a hijacked plane crashed.
The horseback mission was dramatized in the 2018 movie “12 Strong,” starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon.
Horse Soldier Bourbon honors 9/11 in another way: Steel salvaged from the World Trade Center was melted down to make the mold that forms the bottles.
