Our Story

In 2024, deep in the heart of Tennessee—a state soaked in distilling history and thirsty for something new—Mike and Becky Hangge set out to open Hangar 13 Distillery.

American flag on a flagpole in a grassy field during sunset with a partly cloudy sky.

Mike spent 32 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a CW5 helicopter pilot. Sounds badass—and it is—even if most folks just know that means he flew important things into dangerous places and made critical decisions under pressure. Including, apparently, decisions about alcohol.

Military helicopter flying at night with a spotlight shining on the ground and a light on top of a tall pole.

A military helicopter in flight against a clear blue sky.

Mike wasn’t always a whiskey guy. Back when he was just a 20-year-old soldier serving his first overseas tour during the Gulf War, an old warrant officer—one of those guys who could jury-rig a solution from duct tape and dreams—taught him how to ferment MREs into a kind of gritty, battlefield wine. It was awful. But it planted a seed.

Military personnel kneeling and standing on a battlefield, with a large explosion or mushroom cloud in the background.

Close-up of a crumpled American flag with white stars on a blue background and pink and white stripes.

Years later, under the scorching Kuwait sun, Mike had a moment of either brilliance or lunacy (probably both). He realized that the brutal desert heat might be the perfect partner for aging spirits. That blend of patience, environment, and relentless tinkering transformed crude alcohol into something...special.

Now back home in Tennessee, that same spirit of improvisation, grit, and legacy lives on at Hangar 13. Every bottle isn’t just distilled—it’s earned. It tells a story not just of whiskey, but of a life built on necessity, curiosity, and one hell of a ride.