Spirit of Gallo, the No. 4 spirits supplier in the USA by volume, announced today that it has entered the American Whiskey category by making a strategic investment in Horse Soldier Bourbon brand and, effective immediately, will begin distributing the brand in the United States.

The bourbon brand was founded in 2016 by John Koko, Elizabeth Pritchard-Koko, Scott Neil, and key retired members of the hand-selected detachment of Green Berets from the 5^th Special Forces Group who were the first to enter Afghanistan on horseback in the weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This brave and unconventional act earned them the moniker of “Horse Soldiers,” and their story was told in the 2018 action-drama film “12 Strong.”

Horse Soldier Bourbon is available in 17 U.S. states and is currently the No. 8-selling Ultra-Premium Bourbon, outpacing all its competitors in the $40-plus pricing category with +97% growth in dollars leading into the summer (*Based on 16-week IRI/MULO data ending 6/11/2022). Earlier in 2022, the brand won Double Gold Medal Awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition across all its expressions.

“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, Sr. Vice President and General Manager for Spirit of Gallo. ” We look forward to continuing to work with the entire Horse Soldier team to unlock the full potential of this award-winning bourbon as we continue to share its legendary story and expand both visibility and availability across United States.”

“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, said John Koko, CEO & Chairman of Horse Soldier Bourbon. “It positions us for unprecedented growth and preserves our legacy through the best-in-class capabilities and commitment that the entire Spirit of Gallo organization brings to consumers across the country.”

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. To learn more about Horse Soldier, visit www.horsesoldierbourbon.com.