Boundary Oak Distillery has released a new barrel-aged liquor called “Patton Armored Diesel.” The cane spirit has an image of the four-star general George S. Patton on the bottle. The name comes from the mobile bar he took with his forces as they stormed Europe after D-Day.
Patton was known for his rapid deployment of armored troops as commander of the US Seventh Army and the US Third Army during WWII.
Brent Goodin is the owner and master distiller of Boundary Oak. He said, “Everybody who has seen this has been equally as excited as we are about it.”
Part of the profits from the new spirit will benefit the General George Patton Museum and Center of Leadership in Fort Knox, as Boundary Oak is paying licensing rights to a trust that finances the museum.
Goodin is working to make his distillery a tourist destination. He believes that selling the spirit in his distillery will lead to conversations that will drive people to visit the museum and extend their stay in the area.
Mark Hinton is the chairman of the museum and a childhood friend of Goodin. He worked to get the legal approvals from the US Army, the alcohol regulators, and the Patton family.
“From my perspective, I get to use a totally different medium to create a conversation about Patton,” Hinton said. “Because everybody knows the name Patton, but they don’t know what he did. If this causes one person to look up what George Patton did, that’s pretty neat.”
George Patton “Pat” Waters is Patton’s grandson. He sees the product as an honor to his grandfather and “a real tribute to all those soldiers who served over there with Gen. Patton.”
“They’ve produced a product that will live forever,” said Waters.
The bottle carries a disclaimer to show that it is not affiliated or associated with, authorized, or endorsed by the US Armed Forces.
Individual bottles carry a suggested retail price of $46 and are being distributed across Kentucky and to military posts through the Army Air Force Exchange Stores.
There is also a limited edition collector’s edition sold in an olive green display case that is designed to look like Patton’s foot locker. The suggested retail price for the 5,000-run edition is $265.
The case contains a bottle with a unique label, a quote from Patton, a replica of his signature, and four stars representing his rank. The case also contains a replica of the sign from Patton’s bar and a map showing troop movement.
Although Patton Armored Diesel is not a bourbon, it is expected that the collector’s edition will appeal to bourbon collectors that have been more and more interested in Kentucky bourbon.
Hinton and Waters were deeply involved in the product’s development, an interesting fact, because neither of the men drink. “We’re not trying to glorify alcohol; we’re just trying to glorify him,” Goodin said. “This generation, they enjoy craft American spirits, and we want to give them a history lesson along with a good drink.”