Challenge

For an emerging craft bourbon in a crowded, celebrity-saturated category, the people who decide whether a brand wins are not only consumers. They are the distributors, buyers and on-premise owners who get a bottle onto shelves and back bars. ROW 94 needed to launch its newest expression, Full Proof, and deepen loyalty with exactly those trade partners. The question: how do you make a young brand unforgettable to the room that moves it? That access is hard to schedule and impossible to buy, which is why the room mattered as much as any coverage that followed.

The Idea

Give the trade something money can’t buy. Rather than a standard launch, PriceWeber conceived Dierks Day, an exclusive, invitation-only afternoon at ROW 94’s home, the historic Green River Distillery, pairing bourbon with live music. The day included a behind-the-scenes distillery tour, a Master Distiller tasting that built to the debut of Full Proof, and an intimate live performance by founder Dierks Bentley. It was a rare, face-to-face moment designed to turn trade relationships into brand advocacy and put a new product in front of the people who could drive it. The guest list was built around distributors, buyers and on-premise decision-makers, so the afternoon was designed to strengthen the relationships that drive placement and distribution.

The Work

Timed to ROW 94’s one-year anniversary, PriceWeber conceived, planned and produced Dierks Day from concept through on-site production. That included a tiered invitation and RSVP campaign to targeted trade lists; the full run-of-show and event script; a cocktail menu of three signature ROW 94 serves (Broken Branches, Dierks’ Lemonade and the ROW 94 Whiskey Smash); custom name badges organized by tour group; branded point-of-sale, merchandise and a step-and-repeat; and professional photography and video capture, including a recap reel.

PriceWeber also built an earned-media layer around the day, with a dedicated media round robin with Dierks, coordinated launch announcements and a press release, to carry the Full Proof launch beyond the room. The earned-media work was a collaboration with Neugeboren PR, ROW 94’s public relations partner.

The Results

Dierks Day delivered against its objectives: trade goodwill, a national launch and durable brand content.

Roughly 125 hand-selected guests filled the room, including distributors across every market, priority on-premise owners and buyers, Bardstown Bourbon Company partners, trade press, ROW Club Ambassadors and influencers. They got a rare, in-person experience with the brand and its founder, capped by a VIP tour led by Dierks and Green River’s leadership. For a brand that depends on distributor and on-premise support, bringing that audience together with the founder in one place was the core commercial outcome of the day.

The launch landed. Dierks Day was the public debut of ROW 94 Full Proof. The expression rolled out to national availability and went on to earn a Gold medal at Fred Minnick’s 2025 Ascot Awards.

The story also traveled beyond the distillery, with earned media developed alongside Neugeboren PR. The launch generated 20 pieces of Dierks Day-attributable coverage, with roughly 20,702 estimated views and, as a separate measure, 1.54 million in combined outlet reach. Separately, that coverage was credited with roughly 20,702 estimated views. Outlets included Fred Minnick, BevNET, Craft Spirits Magazine, The Whiskey Wash, Breaking Bourbon, Wine Industry Advisor, WhiskyCast, the Owensboro Times and Evansville Living. Beverage Media Group’s November issue carried it to some 20,000 on-premise and retail buyers. Invited creators amplified the day in real time, led by comingwhiskey (98.6K) and whiskey_weather (35K).

The photography and recap video also became a lasting content library that ROW 94 still uses across owned and earned channels, turning one afternoon into trade goodwill, a national launch and reusable brand storytelling.

A first-rate execution, they thought of every detail.

Miles Scully, CEO, ROW 94

In the Press

The Full Proof launch earned coverage across national and regional spirits media, plus buyer-facing trade: Fred Minnick, BevNET, Craft Spirits Magazine, The Whiskey Wash, Breaking Bourbon, Wine Industry Advisor, WhiskyCast, Owensboro Times, Evansville Living and Beverage Media Group.

Launch and recap: Full Proof launch release on PR Newswire, Bourbon Lens and the Dierks Day recap on Instagram.