Dog Tag Whiskey

Dog Tag Whiskey Aussie owned veteran distillery
Where we know the value of good mates, good whisky and good times because we have seen some hard ones together.

Today marks 15 years since the loss of Sergeant Brett Wood MG DSM.Brett was serving with the Special Operations Task Gro...
22/05/2026

Today marks 15 years since the loss of Sergeant Brett Wood MG DSM.

Brett was serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan when he was tragically killed by an explosive device during operations within a Taliban safe haven on 23 May 2011.

Aged just 32, Brett served with the 2nd Commando Regiment and deployed on operations to Bougainville, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan throughout a distinguished military career.

He was known as an absolute professional. A soldier respected by his mates and leaders alike. Quietly competent, highly capable and committed to service at the highest level.

Brett’s loss was deeply felt across the Regiment and the wider Army community. He left behind his beloved wife, loving parents, sisters, brothers, mates and all those privileged to have known him.

Today we remember Sergeant Brett Wood and all those who have sacrificed in service to Australia.

We raise a glass. We will remember them.

Winter is here — and so is the perfect pour.We’ve been tasting our next releases this week (they’ll be landing in the ne...
20/05/2026

Winter is here — and so is the perfect pour.

We’ve been tasting our next releases this week (they’ll be landing in the next 6 weeks or so), but in the meantime we’ve still got limited stock of our last Bourbon Cask release.
This one’s a beauty — rich, smooth, and seriously good.
Perfect fireside whiskey as the nights get colder.
DM us or head to the website while stocks last.
You won’t want to miss this drop.

Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle.We Will Remember Them.
12/05/2026

Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle.

We Will Remember Them.

An Australian soldier has died during parachuting training overnight at Jervis Bay.Another was injured.This job is not f...
12/05/2026

An Australian soldier has died during parachuting training overnight at Jervis Bay.
Another was injured.

This job is not for everyone.
It demands service.
Sacrifice.
And the willingness to endure hardship for others.

We are humbled and grateful for the commitment shown in service to Australia and our values.
These service personnel are the best of us.

We will remember them.
We will never forget.

29/04/2026

Thank you to everyone for following our posts of veterans' stories in the lead-up to Anzac Day. It's much appreciated.

A Hundred Years from NowWhen the playing of the bugle sent a shiver down my spineWhen I felt a sense of duty and stepped...
25/04/2026

A Hundred Years from Now

When the playing of the bugle sent a shiver down my spine
When I felt a sense of duty and stepped up to join the line
A song was sung, my heart was young, the ship it sailed away
When my mother stood there crying and I had no words to say
When I wore my country’s coat of arms to pledge a solemn vow
I didn’t think they’d honour me a hundred years from now

When I landed in an ambush on that distant foreign shore
When I saw the bullets flying and I heard the canon roar
I turned my head, my friend lay dead, it happened so damn fast
When I made it through the mayhem of that terrifying blast
When I managed to survive that day…still I don’t know how
I didn’t think they’d tell the tale a hundred years from now

When the battle raged forever and adversity was rife
When the courage and the sacrifice were daily facts of life
As darkness fell, it seemed like hell, but mateship got us through
When nothing else made any sense… that’s the flag we flew
When thoughts of home revived my strength and wiped my bloody brow
I didn’t think they’d call me ‘brave’ a hundred years from now

When I felt a chill that morning – when my heart beat like a drum
When the captain gave his orders and I knew the time had come
No glory there, just pure despair, my best is what I gave
When they wrote ‘lest we forget’ upon the headstone of my grave
When, beside my cross, the children of the future stop to bow
My spirit will remain alive a hundred years from now

When the playing of the bugle sends a shiver down your spine
When you realise that your qualities are just the same as mine
From dreamtime land to coastal sand, the city to the sprawl
When the essence of my legacy unites Australians all
When Anzac legend shines a light on all who make that vow
With pride, the world will know their name a hundred years from now

Rupert McCall, OAM

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Members of the 1st Battalion Battle Group farewelling their mate, 22 year old, Private Benjamin Ranaudo, who was killed by an IED while on operations north of Tarin Kowt.

Remembered as a professional, well liked soldier who served with distinction, Members of coalition forces lined the road to the runway where the plane was waiting to take Ben home.

Afghanistan, 2009

Photo and story from the Point Assist - Point and Shoot

We Will Remember Them

When it comes down to it, a soldier’s job is simple — provide capability.It’s a collection of skills you become proficie...
23/04/2026

When it comes down to it, a soldier’s job is simple — provide capability.

It’s a collection of skills you become proficient at. The basics done well. Living in the field for days on end, unsupported. Moving long distances on foot, on time. Hitting a target at range. Doing your job so others can make decisions with confidence.

War isn’t the soldier’s decision. That sits with colonels, generals and elected politicians.

The soldier’s role is to serve. And, if it comes to it, to sacrifice.

But there’s something a soldier gets that’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t lived it.

Mateship.

A connection to the team — built on trust. Real trust. The kind that comes from knowing the bloke next to you is the reason you’re still alive.

When you endure, struggle and sacrifice together, you form a bond that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

And it stays with you.

Post by Mark Direen
See blog link in comments.
Photo and blog post by Huck. 1 SQN, SASR ANZAC Day 2003

This photo is powerful on its own. But it’s the story behind it that gives it real, lasting meaning.A story of mateship,...
23/04/2026

This photo is powerful on its own. But it’s the story behind it that gives it real, lasting meaning.

A story of mateship, courage, service and sacrifice — everything Dog Tag stands for.

I was always impressed by the courage and professionalism of our Australian Combat Engineers. Some of the youngest soldiers I worked with in Afghanistan, yet few volunteered to risk their lives so many times so that others wouldn’t have to.

From the Point and Shoot - Australian Veteran Photographic Exhibition.

"On 'the long walk' to defuse an improvised explosive device.

This image captures the polarity between the amazing countryside of Afghanistan and the reality of prolonged war. Shortly after this photo was taken, we were contacted by insurgents and had to take cover. Late that afternoon, we lost an Australian combat engineer (Jamie Larcombe) to insurgent gunfire. Lest we forget."

Afghanistan, 2011

The gate at Camp Russell led into the Special Operations Task Group compound. SASR, Commandos, IRR and the supporting el...
22/04/2026

The gate at Camp Russell led into the Special Operations Task Group compound. SASR, Commandos, IRR and the supporting elements all lived behind it.

It also led down to the airstrip. We’d pass through it heading out on operations targeting Taliban networks around Uruzgan. This image was taken on my last deployment — 18 November 2012, where I was mentoring Afghan National Security Forces, leading a small team of them on combat operations.

I remember the walk out. Always a mix of nerves and anticipation as we moved towards the waiting US helo’s. The walk back could be very different. On hard days, like the 6th of January 2013 when we lost Fax, it was quiet. You could feel it. Back in the team room, no one said much. Just the weight of it as we stripped kit and reloaded mags. Losing a K9 teammate hits hard. They’re one of us. And on days like that, their work saved lives. When my deployment ended and I walked through that gate for the last time, there was relief. We hadn’t lost any operators on that rotation from the troop, and we’d had a solid effect on the enemy.

Photo and story from the Point and Shoot - Australian Veteran Photography Exhibition.
Story by Mark Direen
Photo credit to Chris Dickson

Photo copyright Commonwealth of Australia

Anzac Day always holds a special place for serving ADF personnel, just as it does for the wider Australian community.Whe...
21/04/2026

Anzac Day always holds a special place for serving ADF personnel, just as it does for the wider Australian community.

When deployed, you often remember exactly where you were on Anzac Day. But remembrance in those places can look very different. The memory of lost mates is often marked in small, quiet, personal moments, sometimes alone.

There is rarely time for big memorial services or large gatherings. Operations continue, the mission comes first, always taking priority.

But even in those moments, remembrance is still there.

Photo and story by Michael Aitken from Gizab, Afghanistan.

“This photo was taken on the evening of Anzac Day, on the last night of a successful five-day operation to liberate the town of Gizab in northern Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan, from Taliban control.

The Taliban were determined to hold the area and gave us a solid welcome of small arms and RPG fire as soon as we arrived. After a couple of hard days of fighting, we were able to regain and maintain the initiative, with no friendly casualties.

With the objective achieved, we were ready to get back to the FOB, have a good feed, and reset for whatever came next.”

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