War Stories ◆ Our Origin Story
Born where no one is supposed to drink.
In 2004, a gunship crew on a dry forward base found a protein powder tub hidden above a ceiling tile. That is where Firesides really started.
Read the story
Headquarters Our Story
Our Story
Excellence in all
that we do.
A veteran owned craft distillery founded by retired U.S. Air Force AC-130 pilots and crew.
Who We Are
Veteran owned.
Florida made.
Firesides Distillery is a veteran owned, small batch operation on Florida's Emerald Coast. We live by a simple rule: quality over quantity.
Every kernel of grain we mill is grown right here in Florida, and every drop is cut with pure Florida water, earning us the Florida Fresh certification. From blending and bottling to corking, labeling, and boxing, at least one of our founders has a hand on every bottle that leaves the rickhouse.
Our veteran led team combines passion with precision to create small batch bourbon that carries the warmth of a fireside toast and the spirit of friendship and resilience. We honor tradition while building for the future of craft distilling.
Why We Built Our Own Bourbon
Bringing back
the Friday fini.
As former special operations aviators, we remember the Friday afternoon fini meetings: aircrews gathering to swap combat stories, trade hard won lessons, and raise a glass.
Over time, that tradition faded. Firesides Distillery was born to bring it back. Our aviation inspired bourbon gives pilots, gunners, and ground crews a reason to circle up again, share their experiences, and mentor the next generation. Because the best learning, and the best friendships, still happen around a shared bottle and the war stories traded at our squadron bar.
The Firesides Truths
Same rules. Different mission.
At Firesides Distillery, we learned three things from years behind enemy lines and in the skies over ground forces: people beat equipment every time, quality beats speed, and real mastery can't be rushed under fire.
Same rules apply in bourbon. We don't mass produce. We don't compromise. And we never pretend a single person makes great bourbon alone. What comes out of our stills reflects the whole team, and the time it takes to get it right.
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SOF Truth 01 Humans are more important than hardware.
People First, Pour Second.
We care more about the maker than the make.
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SOF Truth 02 Quality is better than quantity.
Small Batch, Big Standards.
Fewer bottles. More soul.
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SOF Truth 03 Special operations forces cannot be mass produced.
Exceptional Bourbon Takes Exceptional Time.
If you can pour it faster, it's not worth drinking.
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SOF Truth 04 Competent forces cannot be created after emergencies occur.
Readiness Takes Years. Excellence Takes Longer.
You can't rush mastery.
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SOF Truth 05 Most special operations require non SOF support.
Great Bourbon Needs Great Teams.
No single-barrel heroics.
"If it's mass produced, it's mass mediocre."
The Firesides Mantra
Standard Operating Procedure
How every bottle gets made.
Quality over quantity
Small batches only. We would rather make less bourbon than make it worse.
Florida Fresh
Florida grown grain and pure Florida water, certified Florida Fresh.
A founder's hand
Blended, bottled, corked, labeled, and boxed with a founder on every bottle.
Join The Squadron
First word on
every release.
New batches, limited drops, and events. No spam, just intel worth reading.