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Swisher whiskey company bottles special edition recognizing Medal of Honor veterans
Signed bottles to be released around Veterans Day
Sep. 11, 2023 12:49 pm
SWISHER — A veteran-owned spirit company is recognizing those who have earned the highest honor in serving their country.
Cold Zero Premium Spirits, a whiskey and vodka company founded last year by members of the United States Military Special Operations community, will soon release a special edition of their whiskey honoring Medal of Honor recipients.
The 2,000 bottles, signed by six Medal of Honor recipients, will be available near Veterans Day in November through distributions at Hy-Vee, Fareway, military base stores and their website. Proceeds will benefit the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
In addition to their signatures, the labels will tell the stories of how each veteran earned the highest decoration in the armed forces. Each veteran’s story also will be highlighted weekly through the company’s social media.
“They’re incredible stories. The thing we want to do is keep their stories alive and let people know the sacrifices they made for their country,” said Casey Maxted, CEO of Cold Zero Premium Spirits. “Hopefully, it inspires people (to understand) what sacrifice means and what being part of a team really means. It all comes down to sacrificing for people who were serving on their left and right.”
That message, he said, can be applied to civilians no matter their walk of life — from business and sports to everyday living.
U.S. Army Specialist Salvatore Giunta, a Cedar Rapids native in the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, earned his Medal of Honor in October 2007 as his squad in the 503rd Infantry Regiment was ambushed by heavy insurgent fire during the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan.
After seeing his squad leader fall, Giunta exposed himself to enemy fire and raced toward his squad leader to administer first aid. As he did that, he was struck by enemy fire.
So, without regard to the ongoing fire, he prepared and threw grenades, using the explosions for cover to conceal his position while moving forward with his squad to reach more wounded soldiers. But then, he realized one soldier had been separated.
Giunta went forward on his own, cresting the top of a hill where he saw two enemy insurgents carrying away an American soldier. He killed one and wounded the other.
“Specialist Giunta’s unwavering courage, selflessness and decisive leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon’s ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American soldier from the enemy,” the Congressional Medal of Honor Society said. “(His) extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself … and the United States Army.”
Another Medal of Honor recipient who signed the bottles, Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry, risked life and limb to defend his fellow soldiers in the 2nd Battalion’s 75th Ranger Regiment.
“The Taliban was throwing grenades at him. He was picking them up and throwing them back,” Maxted explained.
After being shot and wounded multiple times in his legs, the last grenade he picked up exploded in his hand, claiming one of his arms. After applying a tourniquet to his injury, he continued to defend his team.
Veteran-owned spirit company
Cold Zero Premium Spirits, founded by Maxted with other veterans, hit the shelves in April 2022 with whiskey and vodka produced in partnership with Cedar Ridge Distillery in Swisher. Rye whiskey, their first product, is aged in repurposed wine bottles from Napa County, California’s wine country.
Their special edition benefiting the Congressional Medal of Honor Society continues an effort of giving back to military-related causes.
“All of us on my team have been given so much from the military — training, experiences, the people we met in the services,” said Maxted. “We know the transition back to normal life, so to speak, is difficult. We wanted to set an example of how people can transition and be successful with military skills.”
Each cause they choose contributes to that endeavor.
Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com
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