Horse Soldier bourbon was created by Scott Neil and a couple of friends to honor the men who rode horseback into combat in Afghanistan. Scott was a member of one of the seven Special Forces teams inserted into Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. Scott admits he didn’t spend much time on horseback. He was part of a “Commander’s In-Extremis” force with a special mission to penetrate even further behind enemy lines to kill and capture Al-Qaeda leaders in order to create more chaos.
Scott and other members of the 5th Special Forces Group were on a training exercise preparing to be deployed to the middle east on October 1 when the 9/11 attacks occurred. At first, they thought it was part of the training scenario.
After retiring from the Green Berets, Scott spent two years as the Director of Strategic Development for the Green Beret Foundation. While there, he developed their “Next Ridgeline” program to help Special Forces members transition to civilian life. While announcing the program he also announced his resignation stating, “I quit because if I can’t go through this program, you deserve to have your money back.”
Scott and two friends were vacationing in Yellowstone when they stopped at a craft distillery. That began their journey that included visits to Scotland and Ireland to learn more about the craft. The objective behind Horse Soldier bourbon was comrades and family doing something together. Their initial capital for the company came from friends and family funding.
The mold for Horse Soldier Bourbon bottle is made from steel recovered from the World Trade Center Towers. Scott calls them “bar jewelry” and every bottle features 12 hidden features.
TAKEAWAY: “Believe the American dream you were defending. This is the only country where, with little money you can become an entrepreneur. Go get it.”