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We sit down with Mike Trott and Harold Underdown from Four Branches Bourbon to unpack how a loss in the field turned into a whiskey built for remembrance and real connection. We also get candid about quality, pricing, veteran mental health, and why their motto “sip to remember” is a line in the sand.
• the origin story behind Four Branches and the friends they honour
• why bourbon is a reflective spirit that triggers memory through the senses
• partnering with Bardstown Bourbon Company while staying hands-on in blending
• the four grain mash bill choice and how wheat changes softness and complexity
• the chem room story with Steve Nally and the sample that disappeared
• why 96 proof matters and the quiet symbolism baked into the bottle
• building a brand in a crowded whiskey market without cutting corners
• limited time offerings like Black Ops and plans for future releases
• giving back through multiple veteran nonprofits and a 4% revenue commitment
• “sip to remember” as a response to drinking to forget and veteran suicide
• Tame The Kraken and the “never quit” message for mental health resilience
take a minute to watch the film. It’s called Tame the Kraken. If you go to fourbranches.com on our site you can navigate and find it

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We crack a Hugh Hamer cherry brandy barrel finished bourbon and end up with a shockingly sweet, creamy, cherry-forward pour that drinks lighter than its proof. The real surprise is how perfectly it pairs with Plum Pudding pipe tobacco and turns the whole night into a “Nirvana smoke” kind of memory.

• Debating how to pronounce Hugh Hamer and why the name matters
• First impressions on nose and palate, from vanilla cream to cherry soda vibes
• Smoking Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding and talking Balkan vs English characteristics
• West Fork Whiskey background, Indiana identity and the Old Hammer vs Hugh Hamer lines
• Mash bill talk and why 99% corn amplifies the finishing influence
• Why this feels like a summertime dessert whiskey and how chilling changes it
• The “Nirvana smoke” concept, nostalgia, and why perfect pairings are hard to repeat
• Single barrel store pick scarcity, pricing, and whether we would buy it blind
• Cherry brandy definitions, what barrels might actually be, and the muscadine brandy dream
• White labeling vs sourcing with purpose, plus why transparency drives value
• Bottle hunting vs drinking, and why trying odd or even bad whiskey teaches your palate

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We can be reached on our website, whiskeychaserspomma.com, with any ideas for the show.

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• Interesting things about the distillery:
  • First NEW distillery to open in Indiana after 2 years of fighting to change the laws.
  • Bear Wallow has a history dating back to the prohibition
    • Bootleggers used to hide from the law in Bear Wallow because of how many bears were present at that time, and people did not want to normally take the risk with the bears
  • Out of Brown County
  • All grains are from local Indiana Farmers
  • distill the alcohol a second time in their custom-made (in Louisville, KY) old-fashioned Scottish Gooseneck Copper Pot Still
    • Function: Used primarily for batch distillation, especially for malt whiskey.
    • Small-Batch Model: Modern, smaller versions (e.g., 3-inch) are used for home distilling, typically with a shotgun condenser for cooling.
    • Performance: These stills often produce spirits at lower, flavor-packed proofs, though multiple distillations can raise the proof
  • Family-owned and run
    • Sons are involved, and her husband is also involved
• Our Bottle:
  • Liars Bench Rye (store pick)
    • Gays
    • Also, from a couple of years ago
      • The risk of barrel picks
  • 100 proof - 55% rye, 35% corn, 10% malted barley

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• Interesting things about the distillery:
  • This is an MGP product, but not their normal mashbill or mashbills
  • Key MGP Mashbills:
• Rye Whiskey: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley.
• High Rye Bourbon: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley.
• Low Rye Bourbon: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley.
• Wheated Bourbon: 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, 4% Malted Barley.
• Light Whiskey: 99% Corn, 1% Malted Barley
• This was bottled by a small winery in Elizabeth, Indiana, for a distribution company
  • The winery does not even list this bottle on its website
  • I believe this is a white-labeling beverage company
    • All their liquor is made in Lawrenceburg, IN
  • Can’t seem to figure out this brand. They are based in Indiana but also have a large following in New Zealand for this bottle and their copper still brand.
• Our Bottle:
  • 51% corn 45% wheat 4% barley
  • Aged 3 years
  • All Doc Whiskey bottles are single-barrel
    • Uncut and unfiltered

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• Interesting things about the distillery:
  • Became one of the first 200 Craft distilleries in the US
  • Utilizes traditional Cognac and Scottish pot stills alongside pre-industrial American whiskey, cognac, and Scottish methods
    • Started with beer, then wine, and then grappa before whiskey
    • Double pot still
  • Utilize locally sourced grains
  • The owner came from a finance background and, after 2008, decided finances were too unpredictable, so he went into distilling
  • Proudly boast of being grain-to-glass for their products
• Our Bottle:
  • California Smoked Bourbon
    • Corn, Rye, and cherrywood-smoked barley
    • Barley is smoked in-house by them
    • Aged a minimum of 3 years
    • 92 proof
  • They marry two styles of bourbon together
    • High Wheat
    • High rye

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• Opened in March, not until August of 2007.
  • The Farm Distillery Bill was signed in August, making it easier for people to open farm distilleries and more like a winery.
• Founding member of empire Rye

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Thank you to Bobby DeMars, founder of Blind Barrels, for joining us for an interview!

Be sure to check out Blind Barrels for a great tasting experience, and a chance to try and buy hard-to-find, craft distillery bottles!

https://blindbarrels.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BlindBarrels/

https://www.instagram.com/blindbarrels/

https://x.com/blindbarrels

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjfXTjgL0SydfSjuXvxPzwQ

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