Bourbon, like tradition, doesn’t always start where you expect it to. For David Pratt, founder of Torchtree Spirits, the journey began not in the bluegrass hills of Kentucky, but in a garage tucked away somewhere in Texas. It started with experiments — brewing beer, fermenting seltzers, and slowly teaching himself how flavor works when given the space to breathe and the time to develop. Long before he ever put his name to a bottle, he was driven by a simple, enduring question: What makes a pour worth remembering?

The answer, for Pratt, kept circling back to bourbon.

Not just for its taste, though the layered sweetness and oak warmth of a good bourbon have undeniable appeal. But for the way bourbon holds memory. The way it reflects patience. The way, for so many, it tastes like home.

In Texas, tradition takes many forms — the pop of a red soda on a hot day, a brisket slow-smoked for twelve hours, the scent of bread pudding baking after Sunday service. In Kentucky, that same reverence lives in a glass of bourbon. It’s a spirit built on care, craft, and time — and Torchtree was born to carry that spirit forward.

Founded on the idea that every barrel tells its own story, Torchtree Spirits is a distinctly Texan bourbon brand that sources its whiskey from the heart of Kentucky. But this isn’t bulk-buying for the sake of volume. This is deliberate selection. David Pratt approaches bourbon like a curator — not hunting for what’s popular, but seeking out what’s overlooked. Each pick is exclusive, hand-selected from rickhouses and distilleries across the hills and hollers of Kentucky, then brought home to Texas — where it’s bottled, shared, and celebrated.

TorchTree Spirits- Kentucky Bourbon

That process is what gives Torchtree its identity. These aren’t mass-market blends designed to be everything to everyone. They’re individual barrels chosen for their character — shaped by mash bill, by char, by climate and age. In the words of the brand, each one is like a branch on the same tree: rooted in tradition, but with its own growth and story to tell.

For Pratt, this work isn’t just entrepreneurial — it’s personal. He came into the spirits business the same way most people come into bourbon: as a customer. Someone who’s shelled out hard-earned money hoping a bottle lives up to the label. That experience informed the values behind Torchtree. At its core, it’s not just about flavor. It’s about trust.

So when someone asks what Torchtree is, the answer isn’t a tasting note or a marketing slogan. It’s a promise. A promise to bring something rare, something honest — something worth pouring again.

That authenticity has resonated, especially among Texas whiskey drinkers who value craft, care, and a little defiance of the mainstream. Torchtree may have been “Bluegrass Born,” but it's undeniably “Lone Star Raised.” The brand is rooted in Kentucky’s bourbon-making heritage, but its heart — and its home — is in Texas. The barrels may come from the hills, but the spirit lives in the people who gather around to share it.

And unlike many sourced whiskey brands that chase national recognition out of the gate, Torchtree has its feet firmly planted in the local community. It was crafted to be enjoyed in Texas — not in every bar, not on every shelf, but right where it belongs. It’s not about scale; it’s about story.

There’s also something refreshingly unpolished about the way Pratt talks about the brand — not unrefined, but unfiltered in the best way. He doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but he knows what matters. Flavor. Patience. Purpose. The kind of bourbon you’d open not just on special occasions, but when a friend stops by. When the fire’s lit. When the brisket’s still an hour from done.

That spirit — casual, confident, and deeply respectful of tradition — is what makes Torchtree stand apart. It doesn’t try to rewrite what bourbon is. It just reminds us why it’s special in the first place.

Because in the end, bourbon isn’t just about where it’s made. It’s about where it’s shared. And Torchtree’s story — like the bourbon it pours — is one of connection, character, and care. It’s a story still unfolding, one bottle at a time.

For those who find meaning in the details — in the hands that selected the barrel, in the community that gathers around the glass, in the memory made while sipping something special — Torchtree offers more than a pour. It offers a place at the table.

Header image sourced from David Pratt, TorchTree Spirits.