Veteran Vices: Three Rangers Whiskey

Most veterans, particularly those who serve in special operations units, come away from their service with a strong sense of pride in their branch, unit, or career field. That esprit de corps is a staple of military culture embodied by the straightforward branding of Three Rangers spirits. In addition to sampling their flagship single-barrel Rye whiskey, we had the opportunity to speak with Three Rangers Whiskey CEO Clay Othic, who’s also the brains behind Tier 1 Targets.

Othic has dedicated most of his life to frontline service — first as an infantryman in B Company, 3/75 Ranger Regiment. While serving in the Ranger Regiment, he was a member of the now-famous Task Force Ranger during Operation: Gothic Serpent, a household name thanks to the book and movie Black Hawk Down. He then separated from active duty to pursue a career as a federal agent until 2004, when the military’s need for quality warfighters drove him to go back into the military. This time he attended and passed the grueling selection for an Army Special Missions Unit, where he served for almost a decade before leaving active duty again in 2013. 

Fellow Regiment veteran John Collett founded Three Rangers with the primary goal of giving back to the Ranger community as a whole, and Othic came aboard to help develop and grow not only the nonprofit Three Rangers Foundation, but the co-branded spirits company that’d support it. Their signature liquor features a mash bill of 100-percent USDA-certified organic rye, distilled in a custom-built Kothe pot still before aging in charred new oak barrels for three years. 

While we normally talk about charity foundations that Vet Vices brand support, in this case the Three Rangers Foundation is an intrinsic part of the Three Rangers brand. The Foundation directly supports the 75th Regiment’s unit-level transition program by offering resources for a variety of transitioning-veteran-related needs including professional mentorship, education, financial and legal help, and spiritual wellness. In fact, Othic specifically lists career re-training as one of his long-term goals for the Spirits brand. He says: “I would want several Three Rangers distilleries spread throughout the United States where we could train, coach, and mentor transitioning military members in the fine art of distilling and business, while providing an atmosphere of the teamwork and esprit de corps that they enjoyed while serving our great country.”

For more information, check out their website and request Three Rangers Whiskey at a spirits distributor near you. 

Three Rangers Whiskey: www.threerangers.com
Three Rangers Foundation: www.threerangersfoundation.org
Tier 1 Targets: www.tier1targets.com

MORE VETERAN VICES ON RECOIL

• Drinks
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  • Railhouse Brewery
  • American Freedom Distillery
  • Merica Bourbon
  • Ranger Candy Coffee
  • GunBusters Decanter and Barware
  • AsLegacy97 Fine Vodka
• Smokes
  • Line of Duty Cigars
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• More
  • Bottle Breacher
  • Grill Your Ass Off

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