Frankfort, Kentucky-based J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery is releasing its fifth edition Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) Bourbon just in time for Veteran’s Day.
Combat Infantry Badges are awarded to U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of Colonel or below who were engaged in active ground combat. J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery has donated a portion of the sales of every CIB bottle to a military-related nonprofit. The recipient of the fifth edition release is Blue Skies for the Good Guys and Gals Warrier Foundation, whose mission is to honor veterans, wounded warriors and the families of fallen heroes.
The Foundation has earmarked the proceeds to support the Kentucky Mogadishu Mile event initiative to allow active duty soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division and Special Forces Units to participate in the event held in 2025. Each of the four units lost servicepeople during the battle of Mogadishu in 1993.
The donations from this release, combined with other charitable donations to nonprofits such as Camp Brown Bear, Kentucky Wounded Heroes, Three Rangers Foundation, Forgotten Coast K9, and others, brings J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery’s charitable donations to $100,000 for 2024.
“The Mattingly family has several family members who are current or former military service personnel, as well as some of our team members we work with every day at the Distillery,” said Harry Richart, president of J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery. “It’s really important for us to give back to our community and we’re honored we have such great fans of our products which allows us to give back a portion of our sales from some of our special releases to very worthy causes.”
This batch of CIB bourbon was aged for five years and like all J. Mattingly 1845 bourbons, has undergone the double-staving process which gives the bourbon more surface exposure to charred barrel staves to impart more flavor and color. Tasting notes for this bourbon describe a nose with pie crust, dried apples, cinnamon, and roasted malt, followed by vanilla, baking spice, and red fruits of prunes and currants on the taste. Caramel, stone fruit and a soft, but long finish can be expected.
The CIB Bourbon is a limited edition and will likely sell out quickly, based on past releases. Suggested retail pricing for the CIB Bourbon is $155 and it is bottled at 127 proof. It is available on-site at the Distillery and also online, with shipping to 46 U.S. states. J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery’s operating hours are Monday – Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday Noon – 6 p.m. The Distillery is located at 20 Reilly Road in Frankfort, Ky.