Heritage Distilling Company, Inc. (HDC), a leading craft distiller of innovative premium brands, isn’t just known for its award-winning flavors or unique craftsmanship techniques but for giving back to veterans’ organizations. In partnership with the Marine Raider Foundation (MRF), the company released over 4,000 bottles of its Salute Series: Battle of Iwo Jima: 80th Anniversary Edition to commemorate the battle, which took place over five weeks between Feb. 19, 1945, and March 26, 1945.
In the first three weeks of sales from the initial bottling run, the product generated nearly $200,000 in retail sales and almost $20,000 in donations for the Marine Raider Foundation to support their mission of addressing unmet needs, building resiliency and preserving the legacy of Raiders, past and present. These numbers only increased when they released a second round of bottles.
“This latest release under our Salute Series line of products shows we are able to create compelling products that resonate with active duty and retired military and first responder communities,” said Justin Stiefel, CEO and co-founder of Heritage Distilling. “The margins on this product line are industry-leading, led by our direct-to-consumer route to market, followed by the increasing demand we are seeing from the wholesale distribution channel as word of the product grows. This approach allows us to direct a significant portion of the sales to carefully vetted nonprofit charities who do great work every day to support our active duty and retired military and first responders and their families.”
This business’s contributions to veteran-supporting causes expand into the entirety of the Salute Series. This specific line is a first-of-its-kind spirits line branded and marketed for the people on the front lines, those who have retired from previous service and their families. The Salute Series brand stands as its own full line of premium whiskies and bourbons in the broader HDC portfolio and is the fastest-growing piece of the company’s volume and revenue. Each label is geared towards specific operators in the military and first responder community, allowing those who have been on the ground or worn specific badges or insignias to claim as their own the product that speaks the most to them and tells their story.
Every bottle sold raises money for nonprofit charities supporting the military and first responder communities. Since the launch of the Salute Series, more than $200,000 has been raised for these worthy charities under HDC’s program. To purchase Heritage’s spirits and for more information on how you can give back to our nation’s veterans, visit heritagedistilling.com.
Read more articles for the Veteran Community here.
