In 2005, Franco’s VMI classmate and eventual CIA colleague Greg Wright Jr. died in an ambush overseas. “He saved everyone’s lives, a literal hero, but he didn’t come home,” Franco recalls. “I had to bring him home.”

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Wright was subsequently awarded a star on the CIA Wall of Honor at Langley, the first contractor to receive such a placement. But Franco wanted to further tip his glass to his friend’s memory, the unit, and the “unsung heroes in our lives” and deduced there was no better way to do so than “buying a barrel of bourbon, pouring it into bottles, and selling it on Facebook,” he says. “Apparently, the US government frowns on that.”

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Franco reverted to plan B, phoning Trott with an idea. They got Underdown and Casey, who was working on a film set in Prague at the time, on the line and started plotting. What if they teamed up to create a bourbon rooted in military spirits and diplomacy? As it turned out, it didn’t take a lot of convincing—yet it still was a novel idea for four men who had spent more than 100 cumulative years serving the country but had no experience in distilling a product that defines it.

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“Whiskey and bourbon go deep into the US military and the intelligence organizations,” Trott explains. “We often give gifts to friends and foes that’s a sought-after whiskey or bourbon. It becomes a peacemaker, something you sit down and have a glass over a negotiation. Or you may sit down with a unit or FOB (forward operating base) and have a glass in remembrance over somebody you lost.”

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The following year, the quartet moved full-speed ahead with research and development, making countless connections and cold calls that would result in them building a team of consultants tallying more than 200 years of combined experience working for companies like Brown-Forman.

“Getting into the spirits industry was not for the faint of heart,” Franco reflects. “Luckily, we were somewhat ignorant to the whole process.”

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During the discovery process, though, they nearly had a crisis of faith when a friend and fellow serviceman died by suicide. The founders paused for several months to reevaluate the brand’s mission because while the soul of Four Branches is “we don’t drink to forget, we sip to remember,” according to Trott, “it’s also the veterans and first-responder community who can take that sip of alcohol too far.”

The men considered a pivot entirely, thinking maybe this wasn’t the right business for them. But ultimately, they decided to embrace the narrative and help veterans adopt a different philosophy toward responsible consumption.

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“Bourbon has a way of bringing people together, and we want them to drink it honorably,” Trott says. “We got to come home, but not everybody did.”

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PERMISSION TO LAUNCH

In theory, once the men had faith in themselves and the mission of their brand, they needed to overcome several logistical hurdles to jump through before their products hit stores. The marketplace they were entering is competitive—and arguably oversaturated—but as Franco says, the quality of the product and the story behind it better resonated with people.

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“Whiskey and bourbon go deep into the US military and intelligence organizations,” Trott explains. “We often give gifts to friends and foes that’s a sought-after whiskey or bourbon. It becomes a peacemaker, something you sit down and have a glass over a negotiation. Or you may sit down with a unit or FOB (forward operating base) and have a glass in remembrance over somebody you lost.”
 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
To date, the Four Branches team has focused on perfecting its Founders Blend —which, staying on-brand, is a four-grain bill to represent each man and his branch of the military. And producing their own aged product is on deck, too. In fact, they’ll begin laying down 500 barrels of their own Kentucky mash this summer with the intention to double their new-fill inventory year over year for the next several. And in keeping on theme, they plan to only release products aged four years or older.

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The premise of Four Branches was always more than to just provide a bourbon worth sipping, though. The founders wanted to be an example to other veterans and first responders by illustrating that they, too, can utilize teamwork to find passion-driven careers after their military service.

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“We want to show other veterans that they can make a transition. Maybe it’s cupcakes, maybe it’s a lawn-care company, maybe it’s a mechanic shop—but don’t do it by yourself. Team up with friends to figure out what’s next,” Trott says.

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As expected for an organization revolving around service and veterans, a give-back philosophy is cooked into Four Branches’ ethos. In just a year, the company has raised more than $300,000 for various charities like Folds of Honor, CIA Officer Memorial Fund, and Third Option Foundation through sales from its Founders Blend. The team also regularly shares the stories of service men and women via their newsletter and social media channels.

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One thing the founders all agreed on is that there’s no room not to succeed. “We’re just not bred to quit or to say, ‘it’s too hard; we can’t do this,” Trott says. “As veterans, we've been through some hard times, which in a way prepared us to do this.”

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Plus, there’s the obvious. The men—all fathers, ranging in age from 53 to 62—don’t want to find themselves starting over again in another 10 years.

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“Launching this brand is a no-fail mission, for many reasons,” Trott says. “It’s pride, and we represent the veteran community. There’s no turning back.”

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