RAPID CITY, S.D. — Country music and whiskey have always made a good pair—and Dierks Bentley’s Row 94 Bourbon might be one of the smoothest examples yet.
On a recent episode of the Whiskey@Work podcast, hosts Mark and Rob cracked open a bottle of Row 94, Bentley’s debut into the whiskey world, alongside local country artist Brandon Jones. What they found was a bourbon with substance, story, and sippability.
Crafted by Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky, Row 94 is a 94-proof, high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon featuring a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. With bold notes of dark chocolate, dried fruit, and black pepper, it delivered far more complexity than its modest $35 price tag would suggest.
Bentley named the bourbon after the year he first arrived in Nashville—1994—the same number reflected in the proof. As the artist himself has said, 94 proof hits that “sweet spot” for sipping whiskey, something the podcast hosts wholeheartedly agreed with.
“This is a great bourbon for the price,” said Rob. “Dierks didn’t just slap his name on something overpriced—this is one of the better celebrity whiskeys we’ve had.”
The Whiskey@Work team has sampled its fair share of star-backed spirits, from John Rich’s Redneck Riviera to Eric Church’s JYPSI, Chris Stapleton’s Traveller and Alan Jackson’s SilverBelly. In their ranking, Row 94 holds its own, offering drinkers a well-rounded bourbon that works neat, on the rocks, or even as a cocktail base.
Guest Brandon Jones—a fixture on the South Dakota country music scene—praised the whiskey’s easygoing nature and said he could see himself ordering it at local events. “It’s got that approachable kind of flavor,” Jones said. “I’d definitely keep a bottle of this around.”
Unlike other celebrity ventures that lean heavily on name recognition, Row 94 feels more personal. The bottle features Bentley’s familiar Thunderbird logo, long used as a symbol of resilience and rebirth, aligning with his rootsy, storytelling style.
“This isn’t just branding—it’s bourbon with a backstory,” said Mark. “And a good one at that.”
