“Sip To Remember”– Veterans Come Together To Create Four Branches Bourbon In Honor Of Fallen Service Members

From all of us here at Whiskey Riff, we thank every veteran out there who served to protect this great country. And on Veterans Day, it's the perfect time to shine a spotlight on some former service members who have come together to continue giving back to their country. Harold Underdown served in the Navy, Rick Franco was a former marine, Mike Trott was enlisted in the Air Force, and RJ Casey was a part of the United States Army. They all put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and when they ended their service abroad, they started a new form of service together here in the states. Crafting and sourcing small-batch bourbon. Underdown, Franco, Trott and Casey all got together to create something to honor veterans and those who are currently serving. The four men, who bonded over their service careers, love of country, and bourbon, created Four Branches Bourbon out of Bardstown, Kentucky - considered the "Bourbon Capital of the World." Their bourbon's mission statement is as straightforward and patriotic as you'd expect from former service members:

"We are four veterans who share a deep appreciation for bourbon and an unbreakable bond forged in service abroad. We believe in the power of gathering together, sharing stories, and raising a glass to honor the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters in arms and those who have supported them.

​Our commitment to quality, authenticity, and brotherhood runs through everything we do, from sourcing and crafting small-batch bourbons to supporting veteran causes and organizations that make a real difference in our communities."

The triumph of Four Branches Bourbon's origin actually lies in tragedy. Franco, a former marine, lost a fellow marine in his unit by the name of Greg Wright Jr. During an interview with Today, Franco briefly described how Wright Jr. gave his life for his country, and how honoring fallen soldiers like Greg ended up being the motivation for the Four Branches Bourbon:

"December 7th, 2005. Greg did his first mission ever for the agency. Day one, night one, out the wire. He saved everyone's life. Greg didn't come home, and I had to fly to bring him home. Then I had to answer to friends and family for the classified mission. It meant a lot to give back to the unsung shadows and to honor those warriors. And that's why this started." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6McveGP4bg Honoring those who have lost their lives while serving became the driving force for Four Branches. The four co-founders were aware that they were creating a spirit that can sometimes be negatively associated with veterans "drinking to forget." They stood strong in their idea that they would instead be creating a smooth bourbon that veterans could sit around and "sip to remember." So they got together with a master distiller in Bardstown, Kentucky to create a bourbon with four ingredients (corn, rye, malted barley, and wheat) instead of the traditional three. The idea is that each of the branches they served in would be represented in the drink they came together to create, and that combination of four different branches is also represented in the recognizable numerical logo on the bottle. Four Branches Bourbon directly helps the veterans of America by donating a percentage of their sales to various non-profit organizations that help those who have served - like the Third Option Foundation and Folds of Honor. They also provide bottles to be auctioned off at charity events, and it's reported that those auctions have helped raise over $400,000 that's gone directly to helping veterans. You can hear more about the Four Branches Bourbon story below: https://youtu.be/vR3jRj6GUwg?si=p7YjHwofHWdlv8GV