Have A Shot Of Freedom Whiskey Company is a 100% veteran owned and operated company founded by Zach Hollingsworth (U.S. Marine Corps) and Scott Brown (U.S. Air Force). The company works in partnership with an undisclosed distillery located in Spring Valley, CA, distilling under the HASOF Whiskey Company, LLC name with the help of a U.S. Navy veteran. Zach primarily collaborated with the master distiller to determine the mashbill, flavor profile, and aging of the bourbon. Scott’s role in its curation is largely taste testing and blending the final product.

Fresh and youthful aromas of sweet corn and raw whiskey are tempered with light vanilla and apples. The palate is lively with sweet caramel and vanilla notes along with a hint of oak. The whiskey is youthful as well, but not overly so. Crisp and clean, the finish is nicely balanced as the potency of flavor tapers off rather quickly. As the flavors fade there’s a hint of smokiness with caramel sweetness lingering.

The guys at HASOF did a fantastic job capturing the feel in their bottle design - a nice strong bottle shape with a bald eagle along with stars and stripes on a shield, ultimately capturing their veteran roots via the label. The bourbon is young, and while it tastes on the better side for young bourbon, there is still no hiding its age - though it does taste well in excess of what I’d expect for 10 months. Batch 1 was comprised of 1,700 bottles, with only about 75 left via the company website at the time of this writing. Batch 2 has already been distributed to numerous states, and we’re told will be available via the company website soon.  

‍The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of HASOF Whiskey Company, LLC. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.