“Well, Well Whiskey,” How Country Music Superstar Dierks Bentley Created the Row 94 Bourbon Brand

Country music loves songs about whiskey. You would be hard-pressed to find a country album that doesn’t feature the word “whiskey” in it. So it comes as no surprise that some country music singers, such as the down-to-earth country music superstar Dierks Bentley, who already owns a string of bars aptly named “Whiskey Row,” would be inspired to take the plunge and launch his own whiskey brand.

Though he lives in Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music, Bentley is notably not launching a Tennessee whiskey, but instead a Kentucky bourbon. It’s named Row 94. There are many reasons for this Benley told us and why he ultimately went with Kentucky bourbon and one distilled from Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro.

“I play a Martin guitar. There are Gibsons. There’s Taylors. I play a Martin and I think they’re the best guitars, and they’re made in Pennsylvania. So in my mind, guitars are made in Pennsylvania, Tennessee makes country music, and Kentucky makes bourbon,” Dierks Bentley said. “Nothing against MGP and other stuff out there.”

Bentley spent the majority of his early drinking years happily drinking Jim Beam, but it was during Covid, after he took a break from drinking and returned to it with a focus on bourbon, when he developed a keen interest in it that wasn’t there before. Like many budding bourbon lovers who fall down the rabbit hole, he became enthralled by it. Nosing it. Tasting it. Learning about it. Reading a wide range of whiskey books. He reached out to anyone who could teach him more about it.

When Bentley opened his first Whiskey Row bar in Arizona in 2012, there was talk of starting his own signature whiskey. “It made a lot of sense,” says Bentley. “As someone who’s consumed more whiskey than any other whiskey singer I know, I should probably include my name in [the whiskey business] somehow.”

But as his music career further took off in the 2010s, which included non-stop touring, releasing new albums about every two years, and winning numerous awards from Country Music Association Awards, iHeartRadio Music Awards, and Academy of Country Music Awards, there was never enough time to get the idea off the ground.

With Bentley’s passion for bourbon growing and touring slowing because of the pandemic, time suddenly opened up. Bentley knew he wanted a bourbon at least 4 years old that could proudly state “Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey” on its label. “The more I did this and saw how some people hide young whiskey in a blend, that wasn’t something I wanted to do. No rapid aging. Price point was another thing."

Targeting a $40 price point was key, but as Bentley quickly found, sourcing a 4 year old Kentucky straight bourbon and pricing it at $40 was no small endeavor. After touring (and sampling) from many different distilleries, he came across Green River Distilling.  

“When I went to Green River, I literally found the Station Inn of bourbon,” says Bentley, referring to the legendary home of bluegrass music in Nashville. “The history of [Green River Distillery]. How it smells and looks. The dings and dents. The remnants of an earlier generation who distilled there. And I love their product.”

Green River bourbon is known for its quality-to-value ratio, but Bentley said he realized he wasn’t “getting out of there without pricing something $80-$100 a bottle.”

Stating to us that, “My name is on the bottle. This is my money,” he said he made it clear to the Green River folks he was serious about Row 94. After expressing his long term goals for the brand he was creating, he worked out a deal that made Green River a partner in Bentley’s Row 94 Bourbon, and he was able to hit his targeted $40 per bottle mark.

In the world of celebrity spirits, the brands that have the financial backing of the celebrities whose names adore their bottles tend to do better long term. Bentley said he’s aware many people try to create their own brands, and the success rate is low, but it's always been in the back of his mind and something he wanted to dive into.

With the source and price of the bourbon in place, the next step was nailing down the flavor profile. Green River bourbon tends to lean sweet with hefty amounts of brown sugar, sweet barrel notes, and molasses.

“I really wanted to have a nice cinnamon…I’m just kidding. I don’t know any of that shit. I’m not going to bullshit you. There were a couple of things that were important. I wanted something that represents me well,” Benley said. He later added, “I’m not behind doors drinking one thing, and in front of you, I’m drinking Row 94.”

The extra amount of spice found in Row 94 is a quality that will immediately stick out to anyone who is familiar with standard Green River Bourbon. “I can’t drink stuff that is too sweet. I’m from Arizona. I like something that has some heat to it,” Bendley added.

Standard Green River Straight Bourbon is also 90 proof, and the country music singer knew he wanted a little more than that for his bourbon. Coincidentally, 1994 was when Bentley moved to Nashville and discovered bluegrass music at the Station Inn, so deciding on 94 proof helped bring his story full circle. “These are all little things that matter to me and make the bottle interesting to me. Owensboro is also the home of the bluegrass hall of fame. To me, that's fun. It's like making a record. Making an album or writing a song. It’s just for you. You’re not really making it for anyone else. As long as it's personable to you, that's all that matters.”

At this point, the bourbon’s name fell into place. “Row” based on his line of “Whiskey Row” bars, which also ties back to Kentucky's famous whiskey row, and the “94” for the proof and the year Bentley moved to Nashville.

For now, Bentley is focused on his main bourbon and doesn’t have any immediate plans to release a rye, American single malt, or finished whiskeys.

“I’m a Busch Light beer drinker. I didn’t want some fancy, weird, expensive, limited edition whiskey. I wanted something that said, “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey” on the front label because I started drinking Jim Beam. There’s something about those four words that resonates with me,” Bentley said.

Row 94 will first be available in Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona, with additional states slated for 2025.

Bentley is currently working on his next album and can confirm it does feature songs about whiskey, including one called, “Well, Well Whiskey.” When asked why so many country music songs feature whiskey in them, Bentley replied, “Whiskey is a good rhyme, I think. That “Y” rhyme. It rhymes with a lot of stuff. There’s a lot of parallels between country music and whiskey. The story of Nashville, Tennessee, the story of country music. The story of Kentucky, and bourbon, the growth and depth, the characters and the people. There’s a lot of similarities between whiskey and country music. I see why you hear more songs about whiskey than red wine…or vodka.”

‍Dierks Bentley will be signing bottles at the Bardstown Bourbon Company tasting room (Louisville location) on November 6 from 1-2pm.

Tasting notes for Row 94 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Nose: Toffee | Sweet corn | Light brown sugar | Honey | Nougat | Sweet tea

Palate: Leather | Tobacco | Cinnamon | Vanilla | Walnut

Finish: Swell of rye spice | Black pepper | Barrel char | Cola