Who We Are
You know the type: Pilots. Mechanics. Veterans. Av geeks. The kind that cranks a wrench at midnight, tells stories at 2 a.m., and will argue flap settings until last call. That’s most of our crew.
And yeah, we’re proud of what we make.
Cocky?
Maybe. But when your hands have been on real aircraft metal, you earn that tone.
We started Special Tribute Spirits because aviation deserves better than plastic displays and forgotten history. We wanted pieces built with the same respect we’d give a preflight.
The lineup?
Pete Zaccagnino
Test pilot. Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey. 24,000+ hours. Built several of his own planes, flown hundreds more and yeah, you may have heard he raced a few champions. If aviation had a tavern, Pete’s picture would be over the bar.
Rick Vandam
F-4 US Air Force & Nevada Nat'l Guard. Speed Record Holder
All things fast! If you’ve flown with Rick, oh hell, if you’ve been around him for more than 5 minutes, you’ve probably heard him tell a story and thought, “That one’s gotta be in a book.” And then there's ones that should never be documented...
Dan White
Commercial Pilot. Doodler. Character and creative idea guy. Spins aviation history like he was there. Sometimes… we think he actually was. And watch him tear up over a legend’s story; you’ll know his heart and soul is in his creations.
Hank Caruso
Hank Caruso’s imaginative, creative, whimsical and just plain fun illustrations have been a part of the aviation community since the 1990s. When we met Hank at Tailhook, where he was wearing a T-shirt someone gave him that simply said, "The Man, The Myth, The Legend, THE HANK!" We agree! We were honored and "over the moon", as he says, when he asked if he could be a part of our team.
Our Mission
Ever pick something up and think, “This shouldn’t be forgotten.”
That’s what we do.
We build limited-edition decanters that don’t just remember aviation history—they carry it. These aren’t museum pieces behind velvet rope. They’re meant to be owned, poured from, shown off, passed down. History you can hold.
Every release honors a specific aviator, aircraft, or moment. Not nostalgia. Stewardship. We’re aviation geeks ourselves, and our mission is simple: Preserve the history of excellence that built this field in the first place.
If that matters to you, pull up a chair. You’re already one of us.
Our Process
We don’t slap stickers on bottles and call it “aviation-themed.” That’s tourist stuff.
Every decanter starts with aircraft skin–type metal, shaped using the same forming techniques you’d see in traditional aircraft manufacturing. The tooling? Same story. No shortcuts. Hand crafted. Hand riveted. If you’ve ever worked on a plane, you’ll feel it the second you pick one up.
Each one locks onto a custom-molded Mk II aviation glass bottle—every line, every contour, engineered to match like a perfect fit on final approach.
Everything has a reason. Everything lines up.
Corners? We don’t cut those here.
The labels and the artwork?
Commemorative and dignified as the stories they capture. Every time someone sees it on your bar, and says “What the heck is that?” gives you the opportunity to share a bit of your passion for aviation history over a round.
Want a custom label for your “I love me” room and share your own piece of aviation history? We can do that.
Legacy Collection: Just as the label says. Legacy. Whether our release, or a custom commission, the legacy and the story of the aircraft, pilot, squadron or moment in aviation history that should be honored and never forgotten.
Iconic Series: Instantly recognizable, iconic aviation. You know it the second you see it.
Modern Marvels: Nothing like the smell of jet fuel in the morning. Nothing like the sound either.
Limited Editions: Every time we get our hands on rare pieces of aircraft, we create a very, VERY small batch release of bottles that will have a piece of history right in the label. Sign up for the Eagle Squadron to hear about these rare pieces first.
Military Collection: Whether a pilot or an aircraft, these historical labels tell the stories of how the U.S. Air Force became and maintains air superiority around the world.
The Pilot Signature Series
This one hits home.
We created the Pilot Signature Series to honor World War II pilots, men who brought skill, grit, and courage into the sky when it counted most. These aren’t product names slapped on packaging. These men actually flew the missions.
Current releases:
- STS Lt. Col. Huie Lamb “Etta Jeanne II” — P-51D Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- STS Tuskegee Airmen Col. Stewart’s Red Tail “Little Coquette” — P-51D Straight Bourbon Whiskey
When we presented Lt. Col. Lamb and Lt. Col. Stewart with their bottles, they looked at what we built… and said yes. They let these stories be shared with others. Gave us their signature and endorsement. That’s an honor you don’t fake, and it carries weight every time a bottle gets poured.
There are more stories out there. If you served in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam—or know someone who did—we want to hear from you. This series has more chapters to write.
And we’re damn sure we’re going to get them right.
Paying It Forward
We don’t believe in just talking about history. You have to support the people keeping it alive.
A portion of every sale goes to groups that protect aviation’s legacy and the generations who built it:
The Honor Flight Network - Gets veterans to the memorials built in their honor.
The Commemorative Air Force - Restores and flies historic aircraft—because history hits different when the engine turns over.
The Candy Bomber Foundation - Carries forward Lt. Col. Gail Halvorsen’s legacy of service and compassion.
Tora Tora Tora Airshow – 53 years of their iconic recreation of the attack on Pearl Harbor, magnificent and historically accurate as ever.
They guard the memory. We help fuel the mission.
Join Us
Explore the collections. Read the stories behind every aircraft and aviator. Or go a step further and commission a custom tribute for pilots, squadrons, military units, racing teams… anyone whose legacy shouldn’t fade.
So here’s the invitation:
Look around. Reach out. Connect on Instagram, Facebook, or X. Find the one piece, the tribute, that carries forward the history you believe in.
Because someday, someone’s going to ask what we did to keep these stories alive.
And we plan to have one hell of an answer. Cheers!