Four military veterans have come together to create Four Branches Bourbon, a whiskey brand that not only pays tribute to their fallen comrades but also supports veterans through charitable donations to veteran and military nonprofit organizations.
Founders Phoenix resident Mike Trott, Tennessee resident Rick Franco, Washington D.C. resident RJ Casey, and Virginia Beach resident Harold Underdown launched their business just over a year ago, initially setting out to craft a single barrel of bourbon in honor of a fallen brothers-in-arms and it has since grown into a thriving venture.
Today, Four Branches Bourbon is sold in restaurants and retail stores in Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland and Florida.
Trott, co-owner and managing principal of Four Branches Bourbon and an Air Force veteran, shares that the idea began simply: he and co-founder Franco wanted to raise a glass to their fellow servicemen and women who did not make it home.
“Rick reached out to me about four years ago, saying, ‘Hey, I’m hearing voices in my head.’ We all hear voices sometimes, but he said, ‘I listened to this one, and it told me we need to make a barrel of bourbon to honor those we’ve lost over the last couple of decades,’” Trott recalled.