DOSSIER
NETWORKING
The Dallas Bourbon Club, one of DFW’s most exclusive private groups, bottles power and impact. story by
WILL MADDOX portrait by
JONATHAN ZIZZO
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DECEMBER 2022
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the dallas bourbon club had just three members in 2017. now, there are roughly 140 bourbon buffs in the organization—and more than 3,000 on the waiting list. So, how did the fledgling group transform into the 2022 American Spirits Council of Tasters Whiskey Club of the Year and one of the most difficult clubs to join in Dallas? It is simple: charity, relationships, a good party, and, of course, top-flight bourbon. In 2017, Verdant Commercial Capital Chief Commercial Officer Brian Lowe was looking for a network of people who appreciate whiskey and bourbon. He Googled exactly that, stumbled upon the Dallas Bourbon Club, and sent an email to inquire about joining. Lowe soon realized the club needed some work and connected with John Bentley, who established the organization in 2013. In Lowe, Bentley found someone who could take the club to the next level. Lowe, who now serves as president, helped reorganize the DBC as a nonprofit and developed leadership positions, events, and fundraisers. Growth was organic early on, with members asking friends to join. But during the pandemic, the club took off—as did alcohol sales (which increased 20 percent from March to September 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, according to a study by Columbia University). For business leaders in the DBC, bourbon is more than an escape. “It’s an experience; a story; a feeling,” says Melissa Wilson, a group manager at Toyota North America. The organization has stayed small in order to allow each member to purchase a bottle from one of the bourbon barrels the club brings back from its distillery visits around the United States “The experience is unmatched,” says Dr. Umesh Oza, a radiologist. The group’s charitable giving has earned it star treatment with top names in bourbon, including Blanton’s and Colonel E.H. Taylor. Over the years, the club has supported The Birthday Party Project, At Last!, Café Momentum, Bonton Farms, and UTSW. Last year, the DBC raised around $120,000 for nonprofits. “The distilleries roll out the red carpet for DBC because of lives we’re impacting,” says member Pete Delkus, chief meteorologist at ABC affiliate WFAA-TV. Getting into the club isn’t about having a big bank account or a prestigious title. “Helping someone get a job through a DBC member and proLIFTING SPIRITS viding business references have been From left: DBC super beneficial,” Lowe says. “Several members Melissa Wilson, Pete business deals have been completed Delkus, Brian Lowe, Tristin by members who met in the Dallas Westphal, and Bourbon Club.” Umesh Oza.
DCEOMAGAZINE.COM
11/14/22 2:48 PM