Country Music Star Dierks Bentley Has a New Bourbon—and We Got a First Taste
When celebrities enter the spirits business, tequila is usually their drink of choice. The few times it happens to be whiskey, it’s often sourced from MGP in Indiana—case in point, Beyonce’s new SirDavis rye which we covered recently. But country music star Dierks Bentley chose a different path, deciding to work with Kentucky’s Green River Distilling Co. to produce his new Row 94 Whiskey, and it’s actually pretty good.
Green River, originally founded in 1885, holds the 10th-oldest distilling license in America. It changed ownership several times over the years, finally closing its doors during Prohibition. It was revived in 2016, and six years later the distillery released its first whiskey of the modern era. That same year, Bardstown Bourbon Company acquired the distillery. The fact that Bentley turned to a BBC asset makes sense, given that the distillery has positioned itself as the Kentucky alternative to MGP, sourcing barrels, contract distilling, and producing whiskey for its own in-house brands.
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Bentley, whose hits include on-brand songs like “Drunk on a Plane” and “Beers on Me,” said in a statement that he put years of research and a whole lot of whiskey tasting into the creation of Row 94 (but like any celeb-backed brand, who knows what the real story is). “It’s been an evolution, from drinking basically any whiskey handed to me back in college, to it becoming something I enjoy tasting and sharing with friends,” he said. “I knew I wanted 94 proof because I like some bite, and that I wanted it aged for at least four years since that’s when it starts to taste best to me.”
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The mashbill for Row 94 is fairly typical: 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 9 percent malted barley. As Bentley mentioned, the whiskey is aged for four years in new charred oak barrels (number four char) before bottling. That is about the same length of time as something like Jim Beam White Label, but this bourbon is, in fact, much better. It is clearly on the younger side, but reads as crisp and bright on the palate instead of immature or green. The flavor profile is classic bourbon, with notes of vanilla, honey, caramel, stone fruit, and a bit of licorice, along with a nice dollop of spice from the relatively high rye content. This is a versatile bourbon that can be sipped or used in cocktails, and while it might not make your “best of” list it, is certainly much better than one might have expected from another musician-backed brand.
Row 94 is initially launching in just a few states—Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona—with more to come in 2025. You can purchase a bottle directly from the website, and you can find other Green River expressions, including the excellent core bourbon, rye, and new 1885 Bourbon, at websites like Total Wine now.
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